[Publib] Author Scott Turow to headline Freedom to Read Foundation gala

[Jonathan Kelley]

Contact: Jonathan Kelley
Program Coordinator
312-280-4226
jokelley at ala.org 

NEWS
For Immediate Release
January 20, 2009


Author Scott Turow to headline Freedom to Read Foundation gala


Blume also scheduled to speak; Krug honored


CHICAGO - Award-winning author Scott Turow will be the featured speaker
at the Freedom to Read Foundation's (FTRF) 40th anniversary gala
celebration, Sunday, July 12, at the new Modern Wing of the Art
Institute of Chicago. The event, which will honor FTRF's visionary
founder and executive director Judith Krug and the educational work of
Chicago's McCormick Freedom Museum <http://www.freedommuseum.us/> , will
feature a dinner and a gala celebration that will include a gallery
viewing of the Renzo Piano-designed museum space. The event is being
held in conjunction with the American Library Association's annual
conference and will also feature a special address by legendary author
Judy Blume.

Turow is the author of seven best-selling novels, including "Presumed
Innocent," "The Burden of Proof" and "Personal Injuries." His
non-fiction works include "One L," about his experiences as a first-year
law student (a text that is still being used in law schools), and
"Ultimate Punishment," a reflection on the death penalty that garnered
Turow the 2004 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award. He continues to practice as
an attorney and as a partner in the Chicago office of Sonnenschein, Nath
& Rosenthal, a national law firm that has litigated numerous First
Amendment cases.

Blume, whose children's and young adult books are among the most
frequently challenged and banned books in the country, is the author of
"Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret," "Blubber," "Forever" and many
other timeless works.

"We are delighted to have Scott Turow participate in this celebration of
the Freedom To Read Foundation's four decades of critical First
Amendment work," said Freedom to Read Foundation president Judith Platt.
"As a lawyer and an author, Mr. Turow has a particularly keen
appreciation for the dangers of censorship and the value of free
expression that are at the heart of the Foundation's work. We welcome
Judy Blume with equal excitement. Her books, which continue to touch and
enlighten young people, and her passionate defense of their right to
read, have made Judy Blume a true hero for everyone who cares about
intellectual freedom."

Krug, who also has served as director of the ALA's Office for
Intellectual Freedom since its founding in 1967, will be honored
additionally at the gala with the William J. Brennan Award of the Thomas
Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression. The Brennan
Award recognizes a person or group who has demonstrated a commitment to
the principles of free expression consistent with the late U.S. Supreme
Court Justice's abiding devotion. In 2005, Krug received an honorary
doctorate, Doctor of Humane Letters, from the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign. 

The 40th Anniversary Gala is co-chaired by FTRF trustees Robert P. Doyle
and Burton Joseph, both of Chicago. Tickets are $125 and are on sale by
calling (800) 545-2433, ext. 4226. Tickets also can be purchased via
ALA's annual conference registration website
<http://www.ala.org/ala/conferencesevents/upcoming/annual/index.cfm> . 

The Freedom to Read Foundation, a sister organization of the American
Library Association, was founded in 1969 to promote and defend the right
of individuals to freely express ideas and to access information in
libraries and elsewhere. FTRF fulfills its mission through the
disbursement of grants to individuals and groups, primarily for the
purpose of aiding them in litigation, and through direct participation
in litigation dealing with freedom of speech and of the press. Its
litigation history includes landmark cases that have kept books on
library and school shelves; lawsuits challenging portions of the Patriot
Act; and the successful Supreme Court challenge to parts of the
Communications Decency Act.

The McCormick Freedom Museum (www.FreedomMuseum.us) inspires generations
to better understand, value and protect freedom. Through interactive
exploration, visitors gain a greater understanding of the struggle for
freedom in the United States and the role the First Amendment plays in
society.

More information on the gala and the Freedom to Read Foundation can be
found at www.ftrf.org
<file:///C:%5CDocuments%20and%20Settings%5Cjokelley%5CLocal%20Settings%5
Cjokelley%5CLocal%20Settings%5CTemporary%20Internet%20Files%5CLocal%20Se
ttings%5CTemporary%20Internet%20Files%5CContent.Outlook%5C4HOXW2XT%5Cwww
.ftrf.org> . 

 

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