"Stellar Examples of Letters Supporting Libraries and Diverse Books
What does a good letter to the editor about book censorship and protecting libraries look like? Here are some examples. That, plus this week's book censorship news." --Kelley Jensen
bookbans
When Alice Gooblar-Perovic, Aahana Gupta, and Lydia Cruce were freshmen at Iowa City West High School, they learned that thousands of books, including "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Nineteen Minutes," were going to be pulled from classrooms across their state. This was in order to comply with Senate File 496, which said books and school materials must be "age appropriate." So they started a Banned Book Club. Two years later, the club is still going and growing, and the law is in trouble — the part of it that affected school libraries was temporarily blocked by a federal judge, while enforcement of book restrictions remains frozen under a second temporary injunction. @npr's Iowa Public Radio spoke with the three girls, who are now juniors, about how their goals have changed, and the community they've built.
#Books @bookstodon #BookBans #Iowa #TheKidsAreAlright #HighSchool #Children
Edited 324d ago
"Several large American #publishers sued #Florida…over a state law that prohibits sexual content in school #libraries. They argue that the law has ignited a wave of book removals in violation of the #FirstAmendment."
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/29/us/florida-book-ban-lawsuit.html
PS: This is one of the rare occasions when I side with publishers in a lawsuit. (FYI, see the next post in this thread for the last time this happened.) This is a case in which the interests of publishers, authors, and readers align.
#CallForPapers for #OnlineConference: Thinking of the Children: #BookBans, #Censorship, and #Literature for Young People
For this online conference, organizers invite contributions from #scholars at all career stages, from #librarians and #archivists, and from #teachers at all levels, to consider #BookBanning and censorship of literature for young people, past and present.
#YALit #YA #Resist #CFP #Books
Edited 1y ago
"What happens when publishers begin avoiding LGBTQ+ stories before a book is ever challenged? This article explores how years of censorship efforts are creating a chilling effect across the publishing industry, making it harder for queer voices & stories to reach readers"--Freedom to Ready Project (in Bluesky)
#FreedomToRead #BookBans #Censorship #Bigotry #Writing @bookstodon
In a state that has banned 35 books (16 already this year), Utah is super lucky to have some very cool, very queer local bookstores that are also community hubs.
Under the Umbrella
511 W 200 S, Suite 120
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
Support their Membership Drive & get cool shit:
https://withfriends.co/Under_the_Umbrella_Bookstore/join
#bookstodon #book #books #readersonbookstodon #readersofmastodon #localbookshop #bookbans #Utah #SLC
#CallToAction via Kelly Jensen: "For the last several years, I've asked folks to share with me the pushback they've received before, during, and after Pride when it comes to events, programs, and displays in libraries.
Here's this year's form. Please share far and wide and use it. All anonymous"
Edited 79d ago