The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) is pleased to announce the 2026 Freedom to Read Award has been conferred to Ira Wells, associate professor of literature and humanities at the University of Toronto and author of 2025’s On Book Banning: Or, How the New Censorship Consensus Trivializes Art and Undermines Democracy. The award is presented annually by TWUC in recognition of work that is passionately supportive of access to books and the freedom to read. Past recipients include poet Bänoo Zan, journalist Brandi Morin, authors David A. Robertson, Ivan Coyote, Jael Richardson, Mohamed Fahmy, and Lawrence Hill, and booksellers and community-builders Anjula Gogia and Janine Fuller.
Ira Wells serves as President of PEN Canada. His writing has appeared in The Walrus, The Atlantic, The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, The New Republic, The Los Angeles Review of Books and many other venues, and he is author of the biography Norman Jewison: A Director’s Life.
Wells was nominated for the Freedom to Read Award by a fellow Canadian author. The nomination reads (in part):
Author Ira Wells, born in Alberta, is well-known for his long-held stance against censorship. This is witnessed by his record of publications, which often touch on the subject of societal thought control. His most recent book, On Book Banning is an extended exploration of the ways libraries have been ransacked, often under the guise of “protecting children.”
February 22 to 28, 2026, is Freedom to Read Week in Canada: a national annual celebration that encourages Canadians to think deeply about and value access to print materials, and their rights to read, write, and publish freely on all topics and subject matter. The week has become a regular feature of the annual programming of schools, libraries, and literary groups across Canada. Freedom to Read Week is a joint project of Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian Urban Libraries Council, the Ontario Library Association, and the Book and Periodical Council. TWUC is a proud supporter of Freedom to Read Week. For more information, please visit freedomtoread.ca.
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The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) is the national organization of professionally published writers. TWUC was founded in 1973 to work with governments, publishers, booksellers, and readers to improve the conditions of Canadian writers. With almost 3,000 members, TWUC advocates on behalf of writers’ collective interests, and delivers value to members through advocacy, community, and information. TWUC believes in a thriving, diverse Canadian culture that values and supports writers.
For additional information:
John Degen, Chief Executive Officer
The Writers’ Union of Canada
jdegen@writersunion.ca
DATE: February 27, 2026
