Blue State Book in a Red State America
Publication Date
2026
College
Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business
Department
Entertainment Industry Studies
Presentation Type
Poster
Summary
Book banning in the United States has surged in recent years, particularly in the American South, where cultural narratives often frame the region as uniformly conservative. This poster challenges that perception by examining Nashville—a progressive hub within a traditionally “red” state—and Belmont University, a progressive Christian institution. Against this backdrop, a Belmont student’s engagement with censorship inspired the novel Ada Holloway’s Had Enough, a work confronting themes of resistance and autonomy. Drawing on my dual perspective as a publishing industry professional and an academic, this presentation explores the tension between native identity—the authentic voice and cultural context of the author—and product identity, the market-driven framing required to secure representation and reach readers. Initial efforts to place the book with a major publisher were unsuccessful, leading to an independent publishing path. Since then, the book has received strong early reviews and will release in April. Adding complexity, author Randi Smith works within a Kentucky public library system, creating real-time tension as the book enters spaces where censorship debates are most active. When this poster is presented, we will know how the book has fared in the marketplace and in library acquisition, offering a timely case study of cultural politics, market forces, and freedom-to-read advocacy.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Randi and Wigal, Sara, "Blue State Book in a Red State America" (2026). SPARK Symposium Presentations. 1095.
https://repository.belmont.edu/spark_presentations/1095
