ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Despite a battle over certain books in schools, a group of businesses and organizations in St. Pete came together to bring some of those books to the community through a banned book library.
“We as humans are storytellers. That is our most innate nature, is to convene with one another in meaningful ways, and books help us do that, and these books in particular, students need to be reading because they give them different stories than they might be exposed to traditionally,” said Avery Anderson, the Director of Marketing and Communications at American Stage.
American Stage, Keep St. Pete Lit, and Tombolo Books decided to take a stand by opening a Banned Book Library.
It’s a free public library located inside American Stage, full of books that are either banned or challenged in schools.
"I believe that a threat to any storytelling is a threat to all storytelling, so us as storytellers in the theater, I felt it was our responsibility to step up,” said Anderson.
Anderson said it’s important students have access to these books because they provide different perspectives. In the library, people will find books like The Bluest Eye and Gender Queer.
“I remember growing up reading The Bluest Eye and just seeing a queer woman's story and finding myself in some ways with that and recognizing oh I'm not alone in this,” said Anderson.
"Libraries in schools are where a lot of kids get their books,” said Candice Anderson, the co-owner of Tombolo Books. “Not everyone comes to a bookstore."
Tombolo Books is hosting the Banned Book Library’s registry on its website.
"We believe in the freedom to read and representation, so we want people to have access to any book that resonates with them and helps them learn about themselves and other people,” said Candice.
People can stop by the library whenever American Stage is open to take a book, read it, and either bring it back or donate another. While the library is open to students, it’s free and available to everyone.
