|
Dear Bookseller,
You care passionately about the freedom to read. We are writing to you today with a special offer to join two groups that are at the forefront of the fight to protect that freedom--the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and PEN American Center.
ABFFE and PEN have long been allies. For the last six years, we have fought to restore the safeguards for reader privacy that were eliminated by the Patriot Act. Our efforts helped convince Congress to give booksellers and librarians the right to challenge Patriot Act orders in court. ABFFE and PEN are also fighting against the censorship of books in our schools and libraries. In 2006, more than 500 challenges were reported to the American Library Association. The most challenged title – And Tango Makes Three – is a children’s book about two male penguins who parent an egg!
ABFFE and PEN win battles against the censors every day, but the fight continues. We need your support.
By joining ABFFE you are supporting the bookseller’s voice in the fight against censorship. ABFFE stands ready to assist you in addressing any free speech issue that you may confront–from a search warrant or subpoena to a customer complaint. As an ABFFE member, you will receive a ready-to-frame statement, “To Our Customers,” that declares your commitment to protect the First Amendment and privacy rights of your customers; the ABFFE handbook, Censorship and First Amendment Rights: A Primer; our latest pamphlet, “Protecting Customer Privacy in Bookstores,” and ABFFE UPDATE, our monthly e-mail newsletter. We will also send you several of our popular FREADOM products, including a membership decal for your window, a pin, AND–for this membership appeal only–our colorful FREADOM T-shirt.
When you become an Associate Member of PEN, you join the world’s oldest human rights and literary organization. Past presidents – Arthur Miller, Susan Sontag, Salman Rushdie – have continually placed themselves at the forefront of the fight to defend persecuted or imprisoned writers. PEN American Center, one of 145 offices of International PEN, is a community of 3,300 of this country’s most distinguished writers, translators, and editors who continue PEN’s long tradition of fighting for the freedom to write and they are directly responsible for the release of imprisoned writers every year. As an Associate Member, you will have the opportunity to take part in our work and, in addition, you’ll receive a subscription to PEN America, our award winning journal, a discounted subscription to the online database Grants and Awards Available to American Writers, access to the Associate Member Exchange (an online bulletin board), and discounts and invitations to select PEN public programs and events, including the World Voices festival.
A regular ABFFE membership is $50 per year. PEN charges its Associate Members $40. But you can join both organizations for just $50.
Click here to take advantage of this special offer.
Thanks for your support!
P.S. Offer expires on May 1, 2008.
P.P.S. If you are attending BookExpo America this year, don’t miss the program that PEN and ABFFE are co-sponsoring with ACLU, “Something to Hide: Readings Against the Surveillance State,” featuring readings from Azar Nafisi, Andre Dubus III, Roxanna Robinson, Denis Lahanne and many others. It will be held on Saturday, May 31, at 2:30 p.m.
|
