Highlights from the Annual Meeting: Joel Christopher on Banned Books in Tennessee

At this year’s Annual Meeting on July 20th at the East Tennessee History Center, members of the Friends of the Knox County Public Library gathered for a wonderful evening of community, business, and timely discussion. Following a delicious catered dinner, members officially elected new board members and approved our slate of officers for the upcoming year.

Our featured speaker for the evening was Joel Christopher, Executive Editor of knoxnews.com and the Knoxville News Sentinel. Joel offered compelling insights into the growing issue of banned books across the nation and right here at home.

Following the passage of a 2022 state law, Tennessee now ranks third in the nation for book bans—behind only Florida and Texas—according to PEN America. Joel spoke candidly about the impact of these challenges, the crucial role local journalism plays in keeping the public informed, and why defending the freedom to read matters now more than ever for our public libraries.

We are deeply grateful to Joel for sharing his time and expertise with our community, and to all our members whose ongoing support makes the Friends’ mission possible!