Banned Books In Little Library Is Del Ray Resident's Latest Effort

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Residents of the Del Ray neighborhood may know the home Renee Adams by her poetry fence or the fact that she leaves out water or bags for dog owners. Adams, a retiree who worked for Library of Congress for 25 years, also has maintained a Little Free Library since 2013. Her latest project to benefit the community was participation in Banned Books Week, which runs from Sept. 18 to 24.

The Little Free Library was one of numerous places in the DC region to carry banned titles in partnership with Maryland's Flying Dog Brewery. Flying Dog Brewery donated hundred of titles that have faced bans to participating Little Free Libraries.

Adams' Little Free Library at E. Windsor and Dewitt Avenues was one of the Little Free Libraries to carry the banned books. Other participating locations in Alexandria include the 300 block of E. Bellefonte Avenue in Del Ray and E. Rosemont and Commonwealth Avenues in Rosemont.

Since Flying Dog Brewery provided the books, Adams told Patch all the banned books in her Little Free Library have been taken.

This isn't the first time Adams has promoted Banned Books Week. When she put out books that have faced bans like "Harry Potter", people have been surprised they were banned.

"I've been aware of Banned Books Week and have been trying to promote the reading of the banned books for years," said Adams.

Although she hadn't been prepared to put up a sign for 2022 Banned Books Week, Flying Dog Brewery came to the rescue. A brewery representative found her through the Little Free Library database and asked if Adams wanted to put out banned books.

Adams believes it's important to let people know what's happening with banned books. In Fairfax County Public Schools, two LGBTQA+ titles were pulled from high school libraries due to complaints about the books containing complaints pedophilia and sexually explicit material. But after a review, FCPS determined the complaints were without merit and allowed the books to return. Earlier this year, Loudoun County Public Schools removed one of those titles due to what the school district deemed sexually explicit illustrations, according to the Washington Post.

The American Library Association recently estimated efforts to ban library materials in schools, universities and public libraries are on track in 2022 to surpass the record set in 2021.

The books donated by Flying Dog Brewery have been banned or restructured over the past century. Each participating Little Free Library also has signage to depict a burning page as well as "I'm with the banned" bookmarks.

"If you're offended by different world views and controversial ideas out of fear and ignorance, you're the problem, not books and freedom of expression," said Jim Caruso, CEO of Flying Dog Brewery. "Ban censors, not books."

Adams has a similar sentiment about those who seek book bans, saying, "The parents haven't even read the books. They just hear something."

Service to the Community through Words

Along with her Little Free Library, Adams has offered the Del Ray community a poetry fence since 2009. The idea started from the poetry messages Adams would put in her son's lunchbox when he was growing up.

After he went off to college, she started putting poems outside her home for neighbors to take. As neighbors would take them, her effort grew. She started making bulletin boards, laminated poems for weatherproofing, and created separate adult and children's boards.

Adams is also responsible for placing poems along Mount Vernon Avenue and Monroe Avenues during National Poetry Month in April and a mini poetry fence at Duncan Branch Library. She likes to choose themed poems to go with the business or setting where the poems are located. Another recent effort has been a poem gumball machine inside St. Elmo's Coffee Pub, where people could buy a poem for 50 cents. Adams also plans to hand out poems with candy on Halloween for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Between the Little Free Library, poetry fence and her other efforts, Adams stays busy during retirement and feels she is doing things for the community. Neighbors have told her over the years they keep visiting the poetry fence for comfort.

"So I keep doing it because of them and what they tell me," Adams said.