Three more authors have signed up to participate in the first ABFFE Author Auction, which will make it possible for booksellers to visit some of their favorite authors during BookExpo America. Award-winning broadcaster Ron Insana, New York Times science reporter Claudia Dreifus and children's author Katie Davis are the latest additions to the author auction. They join a stellar list of writers and illustrators, including Leonard Marcus, Chris Raschka, Robert Sabuda, Jon Scieszka, Peter Sis and Vera B. Williams.

Insana is one of the country's leading financial journalists. The co-anchor of CNBC's signature program, "Business Center," Insana is the author of several books, including the forthcoming "Trendspotting" from Harper Business. Dreifus is renowned for her interviews with the world's leading artists, entertainers, politicians, and spiritual leaders. Her latest book is "Scientific Conversations: Interviews on Science from the New York Times," which includes conversations with 40 scientists on the cutting edge of their profession (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2001). Davis is the very popular author and illustrator of "Who Hops?" (Harcourt, 1998), an award-winning book for young children. Harcourt will publish her new book, "Party Animals," in September.

The ABFFE Author Auction will be conducted online at the ABFFE Web site, www.abffe.com, on March 27-29. All of the authors live or work in New York City area and will meet with the winners for an hour and a half on May 4 or 5 during BookExpo America. Winners will also receive five autographed copies of the author's latest work. Participation in the auction is limited to booksellers. For more information, contact Tim Eubanks, tim@abffe.com, (212) 587-4025.

Michael Moore, the iconoclastic filmmaker and author, will assess the state of free speech in the United States eight months after Sept. 11 during an ABFFE program at BookExpo America. Moore is the author of the bestselling "Stupid White Men," a book whose release was held up following the September attacks because of its strong criticism of President Bush. Moore will join a panel that includes novelist Barbara Kingsolver and journalist Nat Hentoff. The BookExpo panel, "'911': Civil Liberties in a Time of Crisis," will be held on Friday, May 3, at 11 a.m. in Room 1E12 of the Javits Convention Center. It is co-sponsored by ABFFE, the Association of American Publishers and the Freedom to Read Foundation.

ABFFE today joined 40 other groups, including the ACLU, the National Coalition Against Censorship and People for the American Way, in urging Attorney General John Ashcroft to maintain current safeguards against police spying on domestic groups. On Dec. 1, the New York Times reported that the Justice Department was considering easing the restrictions on domestic spying to facilitate the fight against terrorism. Ashcroft can relax the rules on his own authority.

The letter sent to the Attorney General today warns that taking this step could result in the recurrence of the kind of abuses that occurred in the 1960's and 1970's when the FBI engaged in wiretapping and bugging against student protestors and civil rights leaders who had done nothing more than exercise their First Amendment right to criticize government policy. "...[A]dvocacy of unpopular ideas or political dissent alone cannot serve as the basis for an investigation," the letter said.

ABFFE has joined the protest over an executive order issued by President George W. Bush that imposes new restrictions on public access to the papers of former presidents. Under the Presidential Records Act of 1978, almost all presidential papers are supposed to be made public 12 years after a president leaves office. On Nov. 1, however, Bush blocked the release of papers from the administration of Ronald Reagan, asserting that former presidents must have an opportunity to review their papers and to assert executive privilege to withhold some of them.

The public interest group Public Citizen has joined with historians and journalists in a legal challenge to the executive order. They contend that it violates the clear intent of the Presidential Records Act, which is to establish the public ownership of these records. ABFFE has joined an amicus brief written for the Association of American Publishers that underlines the importance of authors getting access to presidential papers. Without it, the public will lack "an accurate and complete historical record of the workings of the Executive Branch at the highest level," the brief states.