Bayfield, Wis. (May 26, 2026)— Five years ago, when Honest Dog Books owner Julie Buckles pulled together a day-long event to raise awareness about book-banning efforts, she thought it would be a one-time deal. But in the past five years, according to the American Library Association, efforts to ban books have only escalated. So, Stand With the Banned has grown as well, this year expanding to three days, June 4-6.
Buckles is joined by Kate Clark, owner of Bayfield’s Penny Print Studio in hosting the event, providing limited edition screen prints featuring original art created by Washburn, Wis. artist April Lehman.
The event kicks off 7 p.m. Thursday, June 4, with a screening of the award-winning documentary, “The Librarians,” at Honest Dog Books. The film, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, highlights the efforts of heroic librarians who have found themselves on the front lines of defending free speech and the right to read as book banning efforts mount.
On Friday, June 5, keynote speaker Danny Caine, author of the newly-released “How to Defend Books and Why” takes the Honest Dog stage at 7 p.m. for a lecture on book bans the broader implications banning books has for democracy.
Caine, a poet, former bookstore owner and the author of “How to Resist Amazon and Why,” and “How to Defend Bookstores and Why,” says he is looking forward to speaking in Bayfield.
“My books are grounded in action, in the ‘how to,’” Caine said in a recent telephone interview. “I love to share a roadmap for resistance.”
Caine, who now lives in Columbus, Ohio and works for the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, said it is alarming that the book banning movement is still gaining steam – propelled mostly by pressure groups, government leaders and decision makers, according to the American Library Association.
Caine said the emphasis of his talk will be the seriousness of book bans in the broader context of how far right groups are trying to remove books from school libraries and prisons.
“It’s a crisis, and I want people to realize how these efforts sit in a larger context,” he said.
He hopes to take lots of questions from the audience and have a lively discussion.
Caine says local organizing is one key to pushing back on outside organizations.
“Get on your local library or school board, and don’t be afraid to speak out,” he said. “You’re not going to run into Donald Trump at the grocery store, but you will run into your mayor or local elected representative, and you can talk to them.”
On Saturday, three bands provide music from noon to 7 p.m. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit honestdogbooks.com and hit the “stand with the banned” or events tab.
