Nancy Fleming to be honoured by Freedom to Read Award

The Writers' Union of Canada has marked Freedom to Read Week by honouring the woman who was largely responsible for the annual week's success. The Freedom to Read Award goes to the late Nancy Fleming, former executive director of the Book and Periodical Council of Canada.

“Nancy Fleming was a tireless foe of anyone who tried to limit the rights of Canadians to read or to write what they wished,” said Wayne Grady, chair of the Union. “Her years of fighting censorship have earned her this award. Although she has sadly passed on, her energy continues to drive Freedom to Read Week. We are honoured to be a part of it.”

She helped launch Freedom to Read Week in 1984. Since then, a yearly catalogue has been published of challenges to free expression in Canada, including the fatwa issued by the Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini against author Salman Rushdie for his book The Satanic Verses. More recently, the Writers' Union said in a release, book challenges have included the multiple charges brought against Stephen Williams and his wife Marsha Boulton, following the publication Williams’ book on Karla Homolka (all but one of the charges were later dropped), and the efforts by the Canadian Jewish Congress to remove a child’s book, Three Wishes, from an Ontario school book award reading list.

“Nancy Fleming’s dedication to fighting censorship continues to inspire us all,” said Deborah Windsor, executive director of the Writers’ Union. “The Writers’ Union of Canada has long been involved with the Freedom of Expression Committee, and we are determined to help continue the fight against censorship. It’s what Nancy Fleming would have wanted.”

The award is to be presented at a special Freedom to Read Week event on February 25 at Toronto’s Gladstone Hotel. The evening will feature interviews with previous award winners, journalist Derek Finkle, and Janine Fuller, owner of Vancouver’s Little Sister’s bookstore, noted for its long-standing dispute with Canada Customs over that agency’s frequent seizures of books destined for gay bookstores.The Writers' Union of Canada is our country's national organization representing professional authors of books. Founded in 1973, the Union is dedicated to fostering writing in Canada, and promoting the rights, freedoms, and economic well being of all writers.