New York, NY, 10/19/2017-–The National Coalition Against Censorship, a coalition of 56 national non-profits that opposes all forms of censorship, will honor pioneering author and editor David Levithan and Joan E. Bertin, long-time executive director of NCAC, at NCAC’s Celebration of Free Speech and Its Defenders in New York City on November 6, the coalition announced today.
“David and Joan have been leaders in the fight for free speech for over 20 years,” said Christopher Finan, who succeeded Bertin as NCAC executive director in July. “We are looking forward eagerly to joining their many friends in the publishing and arts communities in celebrating their achievements.”
The benefit chairs are Barbara Marcus, president and publisher of Random House Children’s Books and Ellie Berger, president of trade publishing for Scholastic.
Levithan is an award-winning author and editor of dozens of books. He is best known for his path-breaking and frequently challenged novels about gay youth, including Boy Meets Boy (2003) and Two Boys Kissing (2013). Levithan is also the editorial director of Scholastic Press where he started the PUSH imprint, which publishes new voices and new authors in teen literature.
Bertin became executive director of NCAC in 1997 after a long career in civil liberties. She spent many years fighting sexual discrimination as a staff attorney for the ACLU Women’s Rights Project. At NCAC, she launched the Arts Advocacy Project, the Youth Free Expression Project and the Kids’ Right to Read Project and fought for the free speech rights of hundreds of artists, teachers, students, librarians and other victors of censorship.
The NCAC Celebration of Free Speech and Its Defenders will be held at Tribeca 360, 10 Debrosses Street on Monday, November 6, 2017. Details at https://ncac.org/benefit