Banned Books Week: Let Freedom Read: Home

Kelly Jensen

Kelly Jensen is an editor at Book Riot, the largest independent book website in North America. She covers all things young adult literature and has written about censorship for nearly ten years. She is the author of three critically-acclaimed and award-winning anthologies for young adults on the topics of feminism, mental health, and the body. She was named a person of the year in 2022 by Publishers Weekly and a Chicagoan of the year in 2022 by the Chicago Tribune for her anti-censorship work. She has also earned commendation from the American Association of School Librarians for her censorship coverage. Prior to her work at Book Riot, she was a public librarian for children, teens, and adults in several libraries in Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. She is currently enrolled in a clinical mental health counseling master's program to bolster her work with mental health.

Panel Moderator: Mr. Seth Hershberger

Seth Hershberger is the director of Wicomico Public Libraries. Previously, he worked for the U.S. State Department as a Public Diplomacy Professional Associate and Community Liaison Office Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Guyana. Before that he worked in a variety of positions in public libraries including for 10 years as Head of Public Services at Cass County Public Library in Missouri. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer, serving for two years in Tonga. He earned his master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Missouri. He lives in Salisbury.

Dr. Erin Stutelberg

Dr. Stutelberg coordinates, teaches, and supervises in the undergraduate and MAT secondary English education programs at Salisbury University. Prior to her career in higher education, she taught middle and high school English. She earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction: Critical Literacy and English Education, from the University of Minnesota in 2016. Her scholarship engages critical whiteness studies and intersectional feminist theories to study literacy practices, teacher identity, and teacher education.

Ms. Ashley Teagle

Ashley Teagle is the CEO of the Southern Maryland Regional Library Association (SMRLA). She is originally from Salisbury, MD and relocated to Southern Maryland to pursue a career in public libraries. Ashley has her B.A. in English & Communications Arts from Hood College (Frederick, MD) and a Master’s of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Ashley’s prior experience includes a variety of positions with the Charles County Public Library (MD) system. She was the Executive Director of the Wicomico Public Libraries (MD) in Salisbury, MD prior to joining SMRLA.

Ashley’s professional interests include digital equity, intellectual freedom, and developing inclusive libraries.

Ashley is active in a number of professional organizations including:

• American Library Association
• Black Caucus of the Maryland Library Association Founding Member and Membership Committee Co-Chair
• Library Associate Training Institute (LATI) Oversight Committee
• Maryland Association of Public Library Administrators President
• Maryland Library Association Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Panel Co-Chair
• Maryland Library Association Executive Board Member
• Maryland Library Association Legislative Panel Member
• Maryland Library Association Library Leadership Training Committee Co-Chair
• Public Library Association Advocacy and Strategic Partnerships Committee Chair

Ashley has a passion for libraries and enjoys telling anyone who will listen about how awesome they are!

Ms. Emma Cohn

Emma Cohn Matthews is a high school English teacher in Wicomico County and is starting her sixth year teaching. She earned her undergraduate degree in English Secondary Education and a graduate degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Salisbury University. Emma currently chairs her school's English Department and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team. Outside of the school day, Emma can be found at the after-school program tutoring or advising her school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club. Emma has also filled the role of a mentor teacher for the last three years, working with Salisbury University’s Regional Professional Development Schools (RPDS) program. Emma has continued her studies by beginning the process of becoming Nationally Board Certified in Adolescence and Young Adulthood/English Language Arts.

Ms. Allison M. Jennings-Roche

Allison Jennings-Roche, MA, MLIS is the Lead Teaching & Learning Librarian for Towson University and a PhD Candidate in Information Studies at the University of Maryland. She has professional experience in public libraries, archives, academic libraries, student affairs, and undergraduate teaching. Her research interests include information policy, advocacy, and ethics; rhetoric; and intellectual freedom; as well as critical information literacy and inclusive leadership. Allison's research has been published in The Political Librarian, Library Quarterly, Exploring Inclusive & Equitable Pedagogies: Creating Space for All Learners, Volume 2 by ACRL Press, and is forthcoming in the Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy. Her work has been presented at ALA Annual, ACRL, MLA/DLA, other library and writing conferences, and in invited workshops for EveryLibrary Institute, Lyrasis, and Library Journal.

Teen Panelists

Students from Wicomico County High Schools will be sharing their viewpoints.