I am back from a wonderful vacation in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and easing in to the week back with this exciting announcement from Kelly Jensen. There is a busy week here on RA for All as I have a trip to Springfield, MO for an event with Paul Tremblay, but the blog will not stop. I have a lot to catch up on after the week off.
But first, this press release about Liberating Lit is literally hot off the presses at 9am Eastern today. Please read, subscribe, and get ready to help us all fight the ongoing book censorship happening everywhere.
Award-winning author, editor, and anti-censorship champion Kelly Jensen has launched a new limited-run podcast spotlighting the work of literary advocates. Liberating Lit begins its weekly cadence on Tuesday, September 8, introducing listeners to an advocate in each episode whose work has had an impact. Advocates range from national leaders in intellectual freedom, as well as local-level advocates making an impact in their communities as library trustees, teen documentarians, and more.
Liberating Lit emerged from the Unite to Read Project, inspired by Jensen’s own experiences in community and coalition building around the right to read.
“Literary advocacy, especially in this moment, is hard work. Finding people who challenge you and inspire you is key to both getting started and continuing forward when things get touch,” said Jensen. “The idea for a podcast that introduces or expands someone’s community felt not only welcomed, but necessary, as we prepare to enter our sixth year of coordinated attacks on intellectual freedom.”
The podcast will run for two seasons. The first lands this fall, with the second season launching in early 2027. Each season features 10 guests, each sharing what sparked their passion for advocacy, how they keep their cups filled, and advice for both those who are looking to get involved in literary advocacy and those who need to find their spark again.
Among the first season’s lineup are Dr. Emily Knox, Dustin Pace (Nontoxic Masculinity), Amanda Jones, and Marley Dias. Other guests include an array of familiar names, as well as voices that will be new to those tuning in.
“I hope Liberating Lit is the kind of podcast that people listen to and find themselves fired up and challenged by,” Jensen said. “The more people realize how much of an impact they can make in advocating for diverse literature and in speaking up about what we lose as books are removed from school and public library shelves, the better off we’ll all be. This has been a long decade, full of unrelenting book censorship and attacks on our public institutions of democracy. By centering the stories and insights of people who’ve been doing this work–whether for months or for decades–it’s my hope that others will realize how much they can do to impact change, too.”
The independently produced, advertisement free show is available wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Show notes, transcripts, and other information for each episode will live at the Liberating Lit website, liberatinglit.com.
Jensen’s podcast is a natural progression of her own advocacy work. She’s been a leader on the topic of book censorship for well over a decade, both at Book Riot and in her own work through STACKED, Well Sourced, and other outlets. She’s twice earned Commendation from the American Association of School Librarians, as well as been named a Person of the Year by Publishers Weekly and a Chicagoan of the Year by the Chicago Tribune. In 2015, she was named one of the 15 in 15 by the National Coalition Against Censorship for her collaboration with a South Carolina librarian to provide teens with their own copies of a locally-banned title.
“My work for the Literary Activism newsletter at Book Riot and my own newsletter, Well Sourced, is ultimately about developing an archive of our current censorship moment,” said Jensen. “I see Liberating Lit as a way to document and share the voices and perspectives of the people who are making a tremendous impact right now in the literary world when it comes to protecting the right to read.”
Since 2021, Jensen has given numerous talks and workshops about book censorship to libraries, state library associations, high school writer conferences, and more. She was one of three Americans invited to speak on the topic in Muenster, Germany, at the Kinship in American Studies 2026 Conference. Prior to her work as an editor at Book Riot, she worked in several public libraries in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. She earned her master’s in information studies from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008.
“Every recording was an opportunity for me to learn more and for me to think about how I can be a better and more effective champion for literature. I think listeners will be as surprised and delighted as I was with the depth of insight, the encouraging stories, and even the challenges faced by those doing the work of literary liberation,” she added.
Contact: Kelly Jensen
