In early December, the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) abruptly canceled a planned Teen’Scape author talk—Teen’Scape being the Central Library’s young adult department—that was scheduled as part of Read Palestine Week, an international initiative promoting Palestinian literature and authors.

The literary event—designed to give young readers the opportunity to learn about Palestinian stories and heritage directly from Palestinian authors themselves—was set to feature award winners, Nora Lester Murad, author of the Young Adult book, Ada in the Middle, and Jeran Matari, author of the children’s book, Everything Grows in Jiddos Garden.

Later in December, according to an NCAC Instagram post dated December 24, 2025, they said, “…we issued an open letter arguing that the cancellation actually threatens the diversity and excellence of the library’s public programming and undermines its core mission,” and refers to a link in their bio where the letter can be read.

Also in December, an internal email to library staff was issued by City Librarian John Szabo and published in the LA Reporter (though I couldn’t find the page where the letter was published on the Reporter’s site, I was able to link to the letter through the February 10, 2026 joint letter between the NCAC and the ACLU of Southern California regarding the LAPL’s lack of a “substantive response” to the NCAC’s letter they sent in December “to the Library Board of Commissioners detailing its concerns about the library’s cancellation” of the Read Palestine author’s talk). From the letter, Szabo said about the event that,

	our library is committed to intellectual freedom and…
        we consistently endeavor to provide diverse collections, 
	programs and exhibitions that reflect a broad range of 
	viewpoints… 
	
	As a department of the City of Los Angeles, the Libary 
	has a responsibility to remain nonpartisan and 
	apolitical. All library programs must also align with our 
	core values, including welcoming everyone and 
	affirming that ll people have dignity and deserve 
	respect. We became aware that Matari's social media 
	posts related to October 7, 2023, did not meet these 
	requirements. Cancellation of the program was 
	necessary to uphold the Library's commitment to an
	inclusive environment free of hate, discrimination, and 
	harassment.
	
	The event was never calendared, and program staff 
	knew by November 20, 2025, that the event was 
	cancelled. Matari proceeded to post an event flyer on
	her social media on November 25, 2025. The posting 
	did not represent an approved or scheduled Library 
	event...
	
	Program decisions do not constitute censorship when 
	access to materials or ideas is maintained. The Library
	has not restricted, removed, or otherwise limited access 
	to the authors' work; one is on our shelves, and the
	other was ordered weeks ago. Both will be available to 
	the public through the Library's collection.

On February 10, 2026, the NCAC put out a joint letter with the ACLU of Southern California that was sent to the LAPL Library Commission. In the letter, they said the NCAC had

The letter also notes in a footnote that “the cancellation also likely violated the California Constitution’s Liberty of Speech Clause, which is more protective than the First Amendment.” The clause affirms free expression while holding individuals accountable for its abuse. The letter also cited an open letter signed by 100 LAPL employees, who argued that the event selection and review process was undermined when Szabo ordered the cancellation five days before the event.

The NCAC and the ACLU of Southern California further claim that contrary to Szabo’s claims that the LAPL has “a responsibility to remain nonpartisan and apolitical” as a city department, the library has featured authors and others who, in the past year “have expressed their own political beliefs online or elsewhere” and mentions the actor and commentator Courtney B. Vance, local author Alex Espinoza and author Sarah Sassoon, who have supported Kamala Harris in her presidential bid, been critical of the current Trump administration and is a vocal supporter of Isreal “who has echoed the idea that the anti-Zionist movement is inherently antisemitic,” respectively.