Read it and weep

For those of you lucky enough to be living in the center of the universe (i.e., Rhode Island), please make note of what should be a diverting event to be held by the ACLU at the Providence Athenæum on Friday, Sept. 24, from 5 to 7 p.m. Writers resident in this seaside paradise, including the no-baloney Rosemary Mahoney, the fearless Adam Braver, and the neither-of-the-above myself, will be reading excerpts from classics that various beetle-browed bigots and other assorted scaredy-cats have tried to ban from schoolrooms, libraries and bookstores over the years. The event is part of the ACLU’s consciousness-raising Banned Books Week, an annual effort to underscore the importance of the First Amendment. Readings will be brief and varied, followed by a discussion, then further discussion over drinks, methinks. There is no cover charge, rope line, or bouncer involved, so please feel free to breeze by a week from Friday.