Well, it’s been an exciting and successful Banned Books Week 2007 so far. Lots of great media coverage, and the events have been terrific.

Saturday’s Read-Out! in Chicago featured wonderful weather and great readings by many of the most frequently challenged authors from 2005 and 2006, along with several Chicago celebrities.

Read coverage of the event from the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune. Here’s a photo from the Tribune article of Dr. Haki Madhabuti’s reading – we’ll have more available soon at the Banned Books Week group on Flickr, alongside the nearly 200 other photos posted by folks around the country.

More media coverage can be found in the many blogs, newspapers, and radio and TV stations covering Banned Books Week. Chris Finan, president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and Trustee of the Freedom to Read Foundation, has an op-ed in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Dozens of libraries, colleges, and bookstores have posted information of their Banned Books Week activities on our interactive map.

The Second Life events have been fun and well attended, including the kick-off party on Saturday:

… and fireworks Sunday and Tuesday:

There was even an article in Second Life News Network!

There are more events planned for Second Life, including a program on challenges to materials on Thursday plus a pirate party in Teen Second Life on Friday. Hope you can join us!

Finally, we’d like to leave you with this comic found at the welcome center at Teen Second Life:

(Click on image to read dialogue.)

We at OIF thank those who have helped us in this celebration of everyone’s Freedom to Read!