'Most Banned' Author Takes On Censorship At Red Bank Talk

RED BANK, NJ — George M. Johnson's "All Boys Aren't Blue" is one of the most censored titles in school libraries, so he's in a unique position to lead a discussion on book banning planned for the Count Basie Center for the Arts, the center says.

The latest installment in its Critical Conservation series will feature former New Jersey author Johnson, as well as area librarians and educators, in a discussion on book bans and other efforts to stifle freedom of expression, the center says.

“As part of our advocacy of the performing arts, it's important we shed light on efforts to exclude or censor all art forms,” said Adriana Gomez, director of Community Relations for the center.

The March 23 program, she said, "will be an exploration of not only efforts to ban works of art, but what society can do to encourage the freedom of expression in our schools, our communities and beyond.”

Johnson's book and others were the object of an ultimately unsuccessful book banning attempt in Glen Ridge, the center notes. You can read about the issue in this past Patch article.

In 2022, a conservative advocacy group made up of eight people – Citizens Defending Education – had been trying to remove six books with LGBTQ+ themes from the Glen Ridge town library.

Meanwhile, a larger group of parents, residents, clergy and educators rallied to keep the books in the library, claiming the ban would send a "clear message" that people who identify as LGBTQ+ aren't welcome in Glen Ridge, the Patch article said.

Johnson is the author of the New York Times bestseller "All Boys Aren’t Blue," a “memoir-manifesto” about their "youth as a queer black man growing up in Plainfield (NJ) and Virginia," the center said in Johnson's bio.

In a 2022 NPR Morning Edition interview, the broadcaster described the book as one of the country’s "most banned," noting that 29 districts nationwide have removed the book, citing its LGBTQ and sexual content.

“Any time you write a book where you write about your truth, there are going to be people who want to silence that truth," Johnson told the station.

Johnson is an award-winning "Black, non-binary writer, author and executive producer located in the LA area," the bio on his website says. "All Boys Aren’t Blue" is a young adult memoir told through a series of essays.

The Basie program, "Book Banning and the Freedom of Expression," will take place on Saturday, March 23, at The Vogel, at the Basie Center at 99 Monmouth St.

Tickets, priced at $20, are available now through theBASIE.org and the Basie Center box office. $10 student tickets are also available with proper ID only through the box office location.

At the program, librarians and educators will discuss the chilling effect of censorship in schools and other public outlets, as well as the opportunity to purchase various books banned at schools and libraries nationwide, the center said.

A companion teen writing contest, conducted by the Red Bank literacy nonprofit Project Write Now, will also be featured as part of the program.

The contest is open to entries of poetry and prose written by students in two age groups — 12 to 14 years and 15 to 18 years — and inspired by the theme of freedom. Winning entries will also be placed into Project Write Now’s annual Voice & Verse Writing Contest.

The Count Basie Center for the Arts is dedicated to fostering powerful, inclusive artistic experiences and creative exchange of ideas, the center says.