Fired Kingsland librarian receives Champion of Writers Award
Four major awards were presented during the Authors Guild Foundation gala in New York to author Heather Cox Richardson (left), author Jesmyn Ward, former Kingsland librarian Suzette Baker, and author W. Paul Coates. Photo courtesy of Authors Guild Foundation/Beowulf Sheehan
The Authors Guild’s first-ever Champion of Writers Award was presented to fired Kingsland librarian Suzette Baker during a recent gala in New York City. The honor was established to recognize librarians who fight against book bans.
Baker was fired in March 2022 from her job as head librarian of the Kingsland Branch Library, one of three libraries in the Llano County Library System. She filed a wrongful termination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in September 2022, which is still under investigation. In March of this year, she filed a civil lawsuit for wrongful termination against Llano County. The suit claims Baker was fired for refusing to remove books about racial minorities and LGBTQ+ individuals from the library’s collection.
“Baker’s brave defense of her community’s right to read is a testament to the vital role librarians play in upholding free speech and creative expression in the face of censorship,” said Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild, the nation’s oldest and largest writers organization.
Baker took the stage with renowned authors Jesmyn Ward, W. Paul Coates, and Heather Cox Richardson, who were also honored at the Authors Guild Foundation gala on May 30.
Coates, the founder and director of Black Classic Press, received the Publisher Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community; Cox Richardson, author of numerous acclaimed history books and the popular newsletter “Letters from an American,” received the Baldacci Award for Literary Activism; and Ward, the first woman and first person of color to twice win the National Book Award for Fiction, was honored with the Preston Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community.
When accepting her award, Baker spoke of the power of literature to spark change.
“Authors are the voices of society,” she told the gala audience. “You can pull stories of who we are out of everyday life. You can entertain us, educate us, fortify us, and take us on journeys that we never imagined. And the library is where your stories are available to everyone, equally and freely.”
3 thoughts on “Fired Kingsland librarian receives Champion of Writers Award”
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Congratulations Suzette Baker for standing up for what’s right!!!
We need more people like you. Ty for standing up and protecting our rights. It would have been easier just to pull the books and keep your mouth shut. Than you for your personal sacrifice to our community and to writers and the country
Congratulations to Ms. Baker !