Theater Company Launches ‘Banned Book Library’ In Downtown St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — A St. Petersburg theater company has launched a “Banned Books Library” in response to new Florida education laws and book bans in school districts throughout the state.

American Stage, 163 3rd Street N., will unveil its new library Saturday during the Localtopia festival at nearby Williams Park.

Avery Anderson, the theater’s marketing director, was inspired to create the “Banned Book Library” after following Pinellas County Schools’ recent removal of author Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” from classrooms.

Its removal came after a parent at Palm Harbor University High School filed a complaint with the district, prompting a review of the title, according to ABC Action News.

“I have always been really into literature and I’ve always been into school board politics,” Anderson told Patch. “After seeing early last week some more about these banned books in Pinellas County Schools, I pitched the idea to our head producer.”

Some people have been surprised that a theater company might tackle this issue, he added. “I always respond, ‘A threat to any storytelling is a threat to all storytelling.’ What could happen next? We want to protect all forms of storytelling.”

Anderson said he doesn’t blame the school districts, entirely, for making the decision to ban various titles.

“I think the school districts are just trying to respond (to Florida laws) in the way they can. The legislation is so unclear, I think they’re just trying to err on the side of caution,” he said. “It’s ridiculous that we have to talk about a book ban in the first place, let alone which book should be banned.”

Tombolo Books and nonprofit organization Keep St. Pete Lit have curated a list of frequently banned book titles for the theater’s library. The theater's first big shipment of books arrives Monday, but titles have already started to populate the library.

The library operates “on the honor system,” Anderson said, “like one of those small mailbox libraries you see. You can come in, take a book, read it, put it back or donate another one through Tombolo. If you’re going to take from the library, bring it back or bring another one.”

The “Banned Book Library” is located in American Stage’s first-floor library next to the box office and near the 3rd Street N. entrance.

So far, there are nearly 40 titles on the library’s curated list. Books can be purchased through Tombolo and donated to American Stage here.

“There’s a lot of really interesting titles on that list,” Anderson said. “We have kids’ books, like ‘A is for Activist’ and small board books. It’s not even a high school or middle school thing. This spans all grade levels.”

And he knows firsthand how powerful literature can be.

“I love ‘The Bluest Eye.’ I read that in school,” he said. “We also have ‘Gender Queer’ and ‘This Book is Gay.’ As a gay man, those books are so important to me and important for kids to read."