Learning to Fight Book Bans

Dominique Cimina is SVP, Publicity, Corporate Communications and Author Brand Strategy for Random House Children’s Books (RHCB). Over the course of her 15 year career at RHCB, Dominique has developed and executed publicity campaigns, as well as managed relationships for talent including Christopher Paolini, Mary Pope Osborne, Carl Hiaasen, R.J. Palacio, Marie Kondo, Ken Burns, Jason Segel and Jimmy Kimmel. Dominique currently oversees the team that manages PR and event strategy for all authors, illustrators and brands published by RHCB. She leads the division’s internal and external communications efforts, philanthropic initiatives, and has recently began focusing on the development of RHCB’s author brands. She has a B.A. in Sociology from Brown University and a MBA from Columbia University.

Philomena Polefrone (she/her) is the Senior Manager, Freedom to Read at PEN America. In her role, she oversees the research portfolio on book bans and educational censorship in K-12 schools and public libraries, raises awareness of book censorship, and contributes to advocacy and mobilization against it nationwide.

Before joining PEN, she was the Associate Director of Advocacy, Public Policy, and American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE) at the American Booksellers Association (ABA), where she led bookseller opposition to censorship, expanded ABFE’s education offerings with dozens of in-person and online events, and created The ABA Right to Read Handbook.

As a lifelong opponent of censorship, she was previously a full-time researcher, educator, and writer, roles that she still inhabits. She also published articles in American Literature, ISLE, Extrapolations, Public Books, and co-authored Alethea, a near-future dystopian audio drama featuring Helen Hunt, Rachel Dratch, and Becca Blackwell.

Polefrone holds a Bachelor’s in English and American Literature, and a PhD in American Literature from Columbia University, where she taught literature, writing, and political philosophy until 2023.

Rosalie (Rosie) Stewart is Senior Manager of Public Policy at Penguin Random House. A skilled grassroots organizer with a passion for youth, LGBTQ+ advocacy, and championing the freedom to read, Rosie has extensive experience working at the federal, state, and local levels on issues including appropriations, intellectual freedom, and voting access. Most recently, she served as Manager of Grassroots Communications for the American Library Association’s Public Policy and Advocacy (ALA PPA) Office, managing the OneClickPolitics program and Congressional Fly-In events. Prior to her time at ALA, Rosie spearheaded the inaugural funding cycle of a capacity-building grant program for Interior Design focused on membership expansion and contract lobbying projects. She also co-founded MOVE (Mobilize, Organize, Vote, Empower) Texas, an organization focused on empowering underrepresented youth communities through civic engagement, issue advocacy, and leadership development. Rosie holds a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and is also a graduate of the University of Texas, San Antonio. She is based in Washington, DC.