Brooklyn, NY—Brooklyn Public Library’s (BPL) limited edition podcast, Borrowed and Banned, has been nominated for a Peabody Award in the podcast/radio category. The award recognizes excellence in storytelling in broadcasting and digital media. The Library is one of just 68 finalists, chosen from more than 1,100 entries.
“The Peabody Awards recognize the stories that matter, demonstrating the power of art and reportage in the push for truth, justice, and equity. We are thrilled to be nominated and, more importantly, to shine a light on those who dare to champion free expression, intellectual freedom, and the right to read,” said Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO, Brooklyn Public Library.
Borrowed and Banned tells the story of America’s ideological war with its bookshelves by talking with the people most impacted: the students on the frontlines, the librarians and teachers whose livelihoods are endangered when they speak up, and the writers whose books have become political battleground. The series consists of ten episodes including bonus interviews with three most frequently banned and challenged living writers last year: Mike Curato, George M. Johnson, and Maia Kobabe.
Borrowed and Banned is a Brooklyn Public Library production. The series was written and produced by Virginia Marshall, the Library’s senior audio producer, with help from Librarians Adwoa Adusei and Ali Post and an equity in action grant from the Metropolitan New York Library Council. Goat Rodeo provided production support.
Brooklyn Public Library is a national leader in the fight for intellectual freedom. The production of Borrowed and Banned followed the April 2022 launch of Books Unbanned. The program provides a national e-card to young people—who are most often impacted by bans—allowing them to access our entire digital collection of approximately half a million items. Since that time more than 7000 teens have applied for the card—from all 50 states—and have checked out more than 232,000 books. Some of the cardholders are featured in Borrowed and Banned telling their own stories about censorship.
Chosen each year by a diverse board of jurors through unanimous vote, Peabody Awards are given in the categories of entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children’s and youth, public service, and multimedia programming. The annual Peabody winners are a collection of 30 stories that powerfully reflect the pressing social issues and the vibrant emerging voices of our day. Founded in 1940 at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia, the awards are still based there today. Winners will be announced on May 9.
About Brooklyn Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library is one of the nation’s largest library systems and among New York City’s most democratic institutions. Providing innovative library service for over 125 years, we support personal advancement, foster civic literacy, and strengthen the fabric of community among the more than 2.6 million individuals who call Brooklyn home. We are a global leader in the fight for the freedom to read through our Books Unbanned initiative, offering teens across the US access to the library’s online catalog. We provide nearly 65,000 free programs a year with writers, thinkers, artists, and educators—from around the corner and around the world. And we give patrons millions of opportunities to enjoy one of life’s greatest satisfactions: the joy of a good book.