Read-In at the State Capitol Feb 13, 2026

Read-In at the State Capitol Friday, February 13, 2026 3:30-5:30 pm at the State Capitol Rotunda

Bring your banned book and celebrate the freedom to read with Let Utah Read! 

The read-in event will feature a community reading hour followed by a lineup of authors and speakers, including Representative John Arthur and Author Abdi Nazemian, whose novel Like a Love Story was banned statewide in Utah in 2025. This community event will bring together Utahns from all walks of life to defend literary freedom, free expression, and the First Amendment.

The read-in comes in the wake of the Utah State Board of Education banning three additional books from every public school in the state. This brings Utah’s total number of banned titles to 22 under the controversial law known as HB29. This systematic approach to censorship is breaking the foundations of education in the state. Let Utah Read encourages all community members to attend this important event to protect the right to read.

The free event is brought to you by Let Utah Read, a statewide coalition defending the freedom to read and against censorship, in partnership with EveryLibrary, PEN America, Penguin Random House, ACLU, the Utah Library Association, and the American Booksellers Association.