Alex Steele draws a deep breath, gathers her notes and leans into the microphone. Ready to record the second episode of her podcast, Steele begins with a message she hopes will inspire her listeners. 

“Together, we can create a world that values intellectual freedom,” Steele, an English and marketing senior, says. “Are you ready to begin?”

Steele first began production of her podcast, “Read Free,” to spread her anti-censorship message and advocate for greater autonomy in the literary world. Since October, Steele has released two podcast episodes cautioning her listeners about the dangers of recent book censorship in the U.S.

“I’m always hearing about (the censorship issue) … because of my major and my outside reading,” Steele said. “It is a real threat. I want to emphasize not only what is happening now, but the greater trend.”

Steele found inspiration to write and produce “Read Free” through her experience competing in the Miss America local and state circuits this year. Though Steele said she initially became interested in the program as an opportunity to win scholarship money to fund her graduate studies, she later found the experience an incentive to expand her philanthropic activities and advocate against censorship.

“To me, one of the most appealing things about the organization is that every title holder has a social impact initiative,” Steele said. “In fact, it’s no longer classified as a pageant — it’s a scholarship competition. It’s provided some pressure for me to get more involved with anti-censorship and earn scholarship money while doing it.”

Though she gained experience in local competitions as Miss Westlake 2023, Steele sought the advice of Stephanie Wendt, a UT alum and fellow marketing student. Wendt, crowned Miss Texas Outstanding Teen in 2017, offered Steele guidance for competing in a state circuit. 

Wendt, who also hosts a podcast called “Sit Down With Steph,” said she notices a growing trend of program competitors organizing advocacy-focused podcasts, and she thinks Steele’s platform raises awareness for a unique and interesting cause.

“(Podcasting) is definitely something a lot more girls are picking up on and doing, but I don’t know anyone that’s made one like (Alex’s) on reading and book censorship,” Wendt said. “I’m excited to listen to it.”

After enrolling at UT unsure of what field she would pursue, Steele said she enrolled in the course Banned Books and Novel Ideas as an introduction to English and felt immediately inspired. Dr. Abigail Adams, the current professor of the course, said Alex’s podcast and advocacy gives her hope that other students will take interest in issues of censorship. 

“I hope students are inspired by projects like Alex’s to go read some of those banned books,” Adams said. “These are books that have important things to teach us about ideas and identities that aren’t always recognized in American culture. The reasons they are banned are the same reasons why we should read them.”

Steele will compete for the Miss Texas title in June, with the opportunity to win up to $60,000 in scholarship funds. For now, she hopes her new podcast will educate a wide audience on the dangers of censorship — particularly for communities historically targeted by book bans. 

“It really is very notable when you look at the statistics of the BIPOC communities or the (LGBTQ+) community that are targeted by these bans,” Steele said. “This is a very real danger for readers and something I want to talk a lot about in competition. It’s really important that people have access to stories that show their own journeys and are exposed to perspectives that they might not have in their own life.”