A coalition of right-to-read groups, authors, librarians, and others will host a livestreamed telethon, Show Up, Speak Up! Vote for the Freedom to Read, from 2–4 p.m. EDT on September 24. The event, which will not be recorded, will include appearances by literary luminaries such as Judy Blume and Ann Patchett, and hosted on the platform of political action organization Red Wine and Blue. Signup is free on the site landing page.

In addition to Blume and Patchett, confirmed authors include Jerrold Conners, Jerry Craft, Alan Gratz, Shannon Hale, Adib Khorram, Ellen Hopkins, Sarah MacLean, Don Martin, and Edward Underhill. Daily Show writer and comedian Kat Radley will take part, as will Lit Hub columnist Maris Kreizman. Librarians Martha Hickson, Amanda Jones (That Librarian), and Julie Miller, and Yesterqueers public history project creator Amanda Timpson are on the squad as well.

“This is a group that has long endorsed national right to read bills, ‘fight book ban’ bills, ‘books save lives’—all these acts that have gone nowhere [at the federal level] in the last few years,” said Stephana Ferrell, director of the Florida Freedom to Read Project and contributor to a Book Riot five-year report on book banning. Originally, the organizers planned in-person outreach at the U.S. Capitol and throughout Washington, D.C., “but the House of Representatives went home early,” Ferrell explained, so they rethought the best means of reaching lawmakers before the 2026 midterm elections.

With ideas and action from Maggie Tokuda-Hall of Authors Against Book Bans, Mary Van Akin of Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Lee Wind of We Are Stronger Than Censorship, Red Wine and Blue head of national programs Julie Womack, and many others, the plans “snowballed into” a “virtual variety show,” Ferrell said.

Sponsors of Show Up, Speak Up! represent a who’s who of right-to-read organizations, from the Authors Guild, Children’s Book Council, EveryLibrary, and PEN America; to We Need Diverse Books and Libro.fm; to the American Library Association and American Booksellers Association.

Advocates’ presentations will be interspersed with opportunities for the audience to take immediate steps for change. “Every 30 minutes, we’ll have a call to action where we're actually calling our elected officials and saying, this November, the freedom to read is on the ballot,” Ferrell said.

Cheryl L. Davis, general counsel at the Authors Guild, cheered the plan. “We want people to be aware of what's going on in their communities and their candidates’ positions on free speech,” Davis said.

She emphasized that local races are not to be overlooked: “What’s going on in your local school districts? Who's running for your school board and what are their viewpoints? You still have the power to vote” in the 2026 Midterms and the 2027 off-year elections, and the telethon “is about educating people as to the kinds of things to look for, and to use your voice, use your vote, to support causes.”

Ferrell highlighted that there would be no recording shared after the fact, making the telethon an exclusive one-time event. “This is something special for the people that show up,” she noted, “so if you want to find out what Judy Blume says, this is your chance.”