(Anaelda Ramos | Student Life)

As a child, award-winning author Carmen Maria Machado was drawn to her library’s banned books display. The simple fact that they were banned compelled her — she wanted to read every single one. Eventually, her fascination grew so strong that she had to be reminded not to borrow the entire display. 

The paradoxical effect of highlighting art that has been removed from the public’s view is a powerful one. In the 2022-23 school year, Missouri had 333 book bans, becoming the state with the fourth-highest rate of book banning. Faced with these challenges of forced obscurity, authors, professors, and students have come together at WashU during Banned Books Week to bring these works to light and amplify their authors’ voices. Extending this dialogue to an academic program, WashU also offers a Banned Books Undergraduate Research Fellowship, where students can become involved in conversations about book banning in the spring.

During Banned Books Week, Olin Library displayed banned books, and the Center for the Literary Arts held a reading in Holmes Lounge hosted by Machado. Machado is the bestselling author of her memoir “In the Dream House,” as well as the award-winning short story collection, “Her Body and Other Parties.” Her memoir has been banned in some schools and libraries, reflecting a broader trend of queer representative narratives being challenged in educational settings.

Senior Jordan Spector is the President of Creative Writing Cafe (CWC). He attended the Machado reading with other CWC members and sat down to reflect on a few memorable moments from the event.

“It was just really…visceral to hear her read. And I was, you know, both terrified and also just, like, in awe of the quality of the writing,” Spector said.

As an aspiring author, Spector expressed concern about the implications of book banning.

“It’s a really terrifying thing when books, which are pretty much just forms of expression and art, and are the basis for…conversation and the literary world, [are] banned. It’s very unfortunate, and not only…an individual risk, but like an existential risk of democracy,” Spector said.

It’s precisely in response to these risks that WashU has taken action through initiatives like the Banned Books Undergraduate Research Fellowship. Through the fellowship, students are empowered to actively engage in the fight against book banning and join the larger conversation about the practice. Dr. Meredith Kelling, Assistant Director of Student Research and Engagement at the Center for the Humanities, which offers the program, elaborated on what this looks like.

“First, it starts by having an opportunity to interface directly with key people in [the] fight against book banning, from librarians and advocates to litigators and legislators. From there, students are encouraged to pursue research that connects them with people directly working on or impacted by book banning,” Kelling said.

Kelling’s researchers have worked to contextualize the information they’ve found and present findings in the fight against book banning. They’ve done so through interviewing booksellers, researching money spent on school board elections, and talking to members of local education boards. The fellowship addresses this specific need, and aims to make positive change in today’s issues.

“It’s clear to us that many undergraduate students would like the opportunity to pursue research in humanistic ways, so this fellowship is a part of those efforts,” Kelling said. “People often wrongly think that the humanities are subject material published and settled long ago, but book bans, which disproportionately target books by and about sexuality, race/ethnicity, and gender show us how hotly contested and urgent humanities questions truly are.”