Muggles for
Harry Potter Rides the Wave Created By Goblets of Fire Booksellers weren't the only ones who were
overwhelmed by the response to the new Harry Potter book. Muggles for Harry Potter, the
group launched by the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression to fight
censorship of the Potter books, was inundated with press calls in the week leading up to
the July 8 laydown date. Reporters from many of the country's large daily newspapers
contacted ABFFE to find out about the censorship "angle." There were also calls
from radio stations and even a couple of TV interviews. ABFFE president Chris Finan
debated defenders of Potter bannings on both CNN and CNBC. The Long Island daily, Newsday,
published Finan's op-ed on the subject.
Booksellers have contributed to
the Muggles' heightened visibility by distributing 75,000 Muggles for Harry Potter
buttons, which includes the Muggles Web address, www.mugglesforharrypotter.org. The
buttons combined with the media attention have added over 6,000 new members to the Muggles
in the past six weeks, raising the total to over 11,000.
Muggles for Harry Potter is
redesigning its Web site in an effort to keep kids and their parents coming back in the
months ahead. The current Web site was thrown together to help fight the successful
campaign to force the Zeeland Public Schools in Michigan to withdraw restrictions on the
Potter books. Muggles for Harry Potter hopes that the new site will become the first place
on the Internet where kids can go to learn about censorship. Paid for by a $5,000
contribution from Scholastic and proceeds from button sales, it will be unveiled sometime
in September.
ABFFE Preparing for
Banned Books Week 2000, September 23-30
ABFFE is finalizing plans for the
distribution of this year's Banned Books Week kit. Last year, we distributed 1,200 kits to
members of ABFFE and the American Booksellers Association--a record. Over 2,500 librarians
also participated.
Banned Books Week, the only
national celebration of First Amendment rights, is held during the fourth week of
September every year. Participating booksellers report that it is one of their most
successful promotions. Customers are shocked to learn that many of their favorite books
have been the targets of censors, and they are grateful to their local bookseller for
supporting free speech.
ABFFE provides the $35 Banned
Books Week kits for free to all members of the ABA who request them. However, only ABFFE
members receive their kits automatically. Everyone else must place an order: by using the
ABFFE Online Store, http://www.abffe.com; by telephone, (212) 587-4025; by fax, (212)
587-2436; or by mail, 139 Fulton St., Suite 302, New York, NY 10038.
ABFFE Elects Three
New Members to its Board of Directors
Three new directors joined the
ABFFE Board in July: Ann Christophersen of Women and Children First in Chicago;
Cammie Mannino of Halfway Down the Stairs in Rochester, Michigan, and Jennifer Anglin of
Enchanted Forest in Dallas. Christophersen is also ABFFE's new vice chair. Joyce Meskis of
the Tattered Cover Book Store in Denver was elected secretary. The board extends its
thanks to outgoing directors Neal Coonerty of Bookshop Santa Cruz, California and Fern
Jaffe of Paperbacks Plus in the Bronx, New York.
ABFFE
Board Mourns Death of Bruce Ennis, a Director and Friend
Like so many others, the members of the ABFFE board were shocked and saddened by the
sudden death of our colleague, Bruce Ennis, who had been recovering from leukemia. Bruce
was one of the country's leading First Amendment attorneys, and we were very fortunate to
have him as a member of our board. We will miss his friendship and his powerful advocacy
for free speech.
Previously in ABFFE Update
