This weekend, Gene Luen Yang’s “Reading Without Walls” initiative will officially launch in its new permanent incarnation. Originally conceived as Yang’s platform during his term as the Library of Congress’ National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, the program encourages readers…
Author: Maren Williams
NC School District Pulls Jacob’s New Dress from Curriculum After Legislator Complaints
Under pressure from North Carolina state legislators, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools this week reversed course on a plan to have all first graders read the picture book Jacob’s New Dress, which centers on a gender-nonconforming boy who wants to wear a dress…
Judge Hears Arguments Over Removal of Student Painting from Capitol
A federal judge heard arguments this week in a lawsuit over the removal of a painting by a St. Louis teen from the hallway of an office building in the U.S. Capitol complex. The painting by David Pulphus on the…
Proposed Federal Budget Cuts Funding to Local Libraries and Museums
Media coverage of cuts in the proposed federal budget unveiled by President Trump last week has focused on several well-known and important programs: the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the federal funds…
China Imposes New Restrictions on Foreign Picture Books
The Chinese government this month abruptly placed new restrictions on the publication of children’s picture books from abroad, reportedly in order to “reduce the influence of foreign ideas and enhance ideological control.” Authorities are not commenting directly, but four publishers…
Turkish Artist and Journalist Sentenced to Two Years for Painting
A Turkish artist and journalist has been sentenced to two years and 10 months in prison for her painting showing the aftermath of the government’s assault on a Kurdish city last year. Authorities claim that Zehra Doğan endangered security by…
Bare Shelves at Moscow Library of Ukrainian Literature
Over a year after the former director of Moscow’s Library of Ukrainian Literature was arrested and charged with “inciting ethnic hatred” through books, the city government appears to be quietly shutting down the library with a specious “merger” into a…
Egyptian Cartoonist Featured in New Documentary
The new documentary Tickling Giants puts the spotlight on the important role of satire and humor in political dissent–in this case, Egyptian heart surgeon-turned-comedian Bassem Youssef, who launched a Daily Show-inspired TV program in the midst of the Arab Spring…
Arkansas Bill Would Ban Howard Zinn Books from Classrooms Statewide
A state legislator in Arkansas earlier this month introduced a bill with a very specific and highly unconstitutional goal: to ban all books by or about historian Howard Zinn from public school classrooms in the state. The bill is scheduled…
VICTORY in Wisconsin: The Glass Castle Remains in High School Curriculum
In another victory for the freedom to read, a school district review panel in Marshfield, Wisconsin unanimously voted last week to keep Jeannette Walls’ memoir The Glass Castle in the curriculum for high school sophomores. A parent initially complained of…