Every year in September, Cast of Wonders celebrates Banned Books Week, an annual international event celebrating the freedom to read and raising awareness of the immense social value of free and open access to information.
2019’s theme was Censorship Leaves Us in the Dark. Turn the Light On!
Oppression wants to cover our lives in a blanket of darkness, but each small act of resistance, each defiant moment of hope, brings light to our shared spaces.
- Guest editor Julia Rios
- Production by Jeremy Carter
- Episode artwork by Alexis Goble
Episodes:
- Cast of Wonders 375: Reclaiming Our Narratives, hosted by Julia Rios
- Our Skin Will Now Bear the Testimonies by Innocent Chizaram Ilo, narrated by Solomon Osadolo
- Weeds by Maya Prasad, narrated by Athena Haq
- Metal Can Lanterns by Joyce Chng, narrated by John Chu
- Cast of Wonders 376: The Ways of Walls and Words by Sabrina Vourvoulias, narrated by Ezzy G. Languzzi and Isabel Schechter, hosted by Andrew K. Hoe
- Cast of Wonders 377: This Is Not A Ghost Story by V. Medina, narrated by Julia Rios, hosted by Katherine Inskip
- Cast of Wonders 378: Common Grounds and Various Teas by Sherin Nicole, narrated by Jesenia Pineda, hosted by Eden Royce
2018’s theme was Libraries.
“With a library you are free, not confined by temporary political climates. It is the most democratic of institutions because no one – but no one at all – can tell you what to read and when and how.” – Doris Lessing
“People can lose their lives in libraries. They ought to be warned.” – Saul Bellow
A good library can give you answers to the questions you never knew you had. A good librarian can open doors to worlds you never knew existed.
Episodes:
- Cast of Wonders 322: Your Words There for the World to See by Aimee Ogden, narrated by Tina Connolly, hosted by Katherine Inskip
- Cast of Wonders 323: “A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies” by Alix E. Harrow, narrated by Lisa Hicks, hosted by Marguerite Kenner
- Cast of Wonders 324: The Sound of Her Voice by Jennifer Hykes, narrated by Dani Daly, hosted by Alexis Goble
- Cast of Wonders 325: The Librarian by Maria Haskins, narrated by Katherine Inskip, hosted by Melaine Huyck-Aufdermar
2017’s theme was Text Against Tyranny: the stories some would silence, and the power of literature, in all its forms, to enlighten humanity’s darkest hours.
Episodes:
- Cast of Wonders 267: For by Sandra M. Odell, narrated by Dagny Paul
- Cast of Wonders 268: Below the Serapeum by Kelsey Dean, narrated by Alethea Kontis
- Cast of Wonders 269: The Scent that Treason Brings by Holly Schofield, narrated by Katherine Inskip
- Cast of Wonders 270: Bibliopothecary by Dani Atkinson, narrated by M.K. Hobson
- Cast of Wonders 271: The Lives Beneath by Katherine Inskip, narrated by Dani Daly
- Cast of Wonders 272: The Forbidden Books of Da Lin Monastery by Andrew K. Hoe (narrated by the author)
- Cast of Wonders 273: The Wayfinder and his Sister by Maria Haskins, narrated by Christiana Ellis and Leigh Wallace
Cast of Wonders 214: The Price of Stories by Shannon Connor Winward, narrated by Katherine Inskip
Cast of Wonders 215: Problematic by Brian Lawrence Hurrel, narrated by Tatiana Grey
Cast of Wonders 216: This Story Begins With You by Rachael K. Jones, narrated by Jen. R. Albert
The following episodes are examples of the type of stories we have run for prior Banned Books Week events:
- Cast of Wonders 138: Things We Leave Behind by Alex Shvartsman (narrated by author)
- Cast of Wonders 31: Inksucker by Aidan Doyle, narrated by Dani Daly
- Cast of Wonders 68: Mercurial Skin by Raechel Henderson, narrated by Marguerite Kenner
- Cast of wonders 83: The Dictionary’s Apprentice by Sandra M. Odell, narrated by Graeme Dunlop
- Cast of Wonders 195: The Tale of the White Tiger by Donald Jacob Uitvlugt, narrated by Tracey Yuen