Banned books and LA’s literary landscape: An interview with Michelle Meyering

Written by
Michelle Meyering

In a culture where a tawdry book like “50 Shades of Grey” makes it to the bestseller list, it’s hard to imagine that there are books that are still banned.

Each year, in the interest of promoting free speech, the literary group PEN Center USA selects books that have been banned over time or censored.

To garner support and momentum for Banned Books Week from Sept. 22-28, PEN Center USA is holding a “Forbidden Fruit” event on May 5.

Some of the books that will be read at the event are such classics as, “Catch 22,” “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “Huckleberry Finn,” and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover.”

KCRW’s Lisa Napoli spoke with Michelle Meyering, the director of programs and events at PEN, about the need to celebrate banned books.

Meyering also discusses “The Rattling Wall,” a literary journal she founded in 2010, and her efforts to create a vibrant literary landscape in Los Angeles.