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use your voice
use your voice
Our Inaugural Op-Ed contest invited students between the ages of 14 and 18 to submit an entry about “What the Freedom to Read Means to Me” by the September 2024 deadline. Judges read each essay without knowing who the author was, and the winner was selected anonymously. You can read more about the winners and judges below.
Thank you so much to all the participants, judges, and wonderful Save the Books members who made this contest possible!
azeemah sadiq (AGE 16)
azeemah sadiq (AGE 16)
First Place Winner, 2024 Save the Books Op-Ed Contest
First Place Winner, 2024 Save the Books Op-Ed Contest
Our winner was Azeemah Sadiq (she/her) from Houston, TX, who entered the contest because she “felt compelled to share my perspective on the issue of book banning and censorship. It’s deeply troubling that diverse and marginalized voices are being silenced, and I wanted to highlight the harmful impact this has on us young readers.”
Read: Azeemah's Essay, "Preserving Our Voices in the Fight for Intellectual Freedom"
Listen: Hear Azeemah read her work on Saturday September 28 at 3:30 PM!
Project Lead
Project Lead
Marygrace
Marygrace
she/her - Age 17 - Austin, Texas
Judges
Judges
Meghan
she/herMeghan Dietsche Goel is a book industry professional with experience in both the publishing and bookselling worlds. After working in the editorial department of publishers including HarperCollins Children's books, she served as the Children's Book Buyer and Programming Director for BookPeople in Austin, TX for 18 years. During her tenure, the BookKids department was a finalist for the We Need Diverse Books Bookseller of the Year and received the WNBA Pannell Award for Excellence in Children's Bookselling. In 2009, she also helped launch the Texas Teen Book Festival and served as its Programming Director for its 11 year existence. She has been named a Publisher's Weekly Star Watch Honoree and a National Book Award judge for Young People's Literature.
Katherine
she/herKatherine Lamb is the Programs Manager at The Library Foundation. She completed her BA in English and Theatre and an MFA in Creative Writing at Texas State University. Katherine has been a teacher for 10 years and is passionate about creating opportunities for Austinites to experience literacy and arts enrichment at Austin Public Library. As a part of her literary arts advocacy, Katherine has served on judging or editorial committees for Austin PBS Kid’s Writers Showcase, Texas Book Festival’s Fresh Ink Fiction contest, the National Youth Poet Laureate Program, and nationally recognized literary journals.
Cyntha
she/herCynthia Bartek recently retired from her role as Head Librarian at St. Stephen's Episcopal School in Austin, Texas. During her 17 years of service to the school, she also taught classes in information literacy, research skills for all grade levels, and Upper School English. She holds a Master of Library Science degree from Texas Woman's University. Cynthia enjoys volunteering for literary events such as the Texas Book Festival and served as Co-Chair of the Texas Teen Book Festival for two years.
Kathleen
she/theyTeen Librarian III, Austin Public LibraryA Teen Librarian for 15 years with the Austin Public Library, Kathleen has a Master's Degree in Information Science from U.T. Austin She graduated magna cum laude from Florida State University with a dual bachelor's degree in English Literature and History where she started the schools first undergraduate literary criticism journal, VOX, and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.
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