For Banned Book Week 2022, PEN Piedmont North Carolina, in partnership with the North Carolina Writers Network, will be hosting a free speech “social cocktail hour” with drinks, appetizers, and an opportunity for free speech advocates, librarians, authors, and the general public to share their thoughts and possible advocacy tools regarding the recent wave of book bans. We will be joined by author Alicia D Williams, journalist and author Lewis Raven Wallace, and Wake County librarian Kristel Behrend. Join us as we reflect, organize, and prepare to defend the freedom to read.