In its latest promotional effort, Visit Seattle is highlighting banned books. The tourism bureau has launched a series of short films featuring notable Seattleites reading excerpts from three locally penned books that have faced bans in other parts of the US. The #SeattleBookmarked video series, created in collaboration with advertising agency PB& and Atlantic Re:think, showcases works by Jewell Parker Rhodes, Shaun David Hutchinson and Jonathan Evison.
The campaign coincides with Banned Books Week (September 22-28) and aims to underscore Seattle's embrace of diverse voices. It's also a response to reporting by the American Library Association of record-breaking numbers of attempts to censor books, especially those by or about LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color. By sharing novels and memoirs by local writers and offering full, nationwide access to banned books (one of three US cities to do so), Seattle positions itself as a haven for free expression and progressive values.