Let Utah Read: Read In at the State Capitol 2026

Let Utah Read is proud to host our annual read-in at the Utah Capitol Rotunda on Friday, February 13, 2026, from 3:30 to 5:30 PM. Community members will gather to support Utahns’ right to read. 

RSVP for the read-in today and then click to share it on Facebook, Bluesky, LinkedIn, Threads, and Twitter/X.

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 free, 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 National Booksellers Association.

Contact:
Aaron Welcher 
Director of Communications, ACLU of Utah
[email protected]