On Sunday, June 22nd, Unabridged Literary Arts will host a panel discussion on the subject of censorship and the dangers of the fast-growing book banning movement that has predominantly targeted books about race and racism, books featuring individuals of color, and books on LGBTQ+ topics. The event will take place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 22, at Unabridged's community space, 720 University Avenue.

The panel discussion, "Fight Back Against Book Bans," seeks to provide parents and community members with resources and strategies that they can employ to combat censorship when the movement comes to their school districts and towns. Panelists include:

Henry "Cody" Miller is an associate professor of English education at SUNY Brockport. Prior to moving to Rochester, he taught high school English for seven years in Florida. He was awarded NCTE’s LGBTQIA+ Advocacy & Leadership Award in 2022 and NCTE’s National Intellectual Freedom Award in 2024.

Alex Sanchez has published ten novels, including the American Library Association “Best Book for Young Adults” Rainbow Boys and Lambda Award-winning So Hard to Say. His novel Bait won the Tomas Rivera Mexican-American Book Award and the Florida Book Award Gold Medal for Young Adult fiction. Alex has a master’s degree in guidance and counseling and worked for many years as a youth and family counselor.

Susan Gasparino, MD, MPH, is a member of the Brighton Central School District's Board of Education, where she has served since 2020. She is the Medical Director of Clinical and Community Programs at URMC's Center for Community Health and Prevention and is a pediatrician at UR Medicine's Golisano Children's Hospital, a national leader for education in community pediatrics and advocacy. She and her husband have three children in public school.