Jordanian writer Nahed Hattar, who was facing a blasphemy charge for sharing a cartoon depicting God and an ISIS militant on Facebook, was assassinated outside an Amman courthouse yesterday before the start of his trial. The alleged shooter, Riad Abdullah,…
Author: Maren Williams
MacArthur “Genius Grants” Recognize Sequential Artists
In the midst of his two-year term as National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, American Born Chinese creator Gene Luen Yang got another major honor this week: a MacArthur Fellowship, more commonly known as the “genius award.” The five-year, $625,000…
PEN America Report Analyzes Challenges for Diverse Youth Literature
Banned Books Week 2016 starts this Sunday, and this year’s theme celebrates diversity! A high proportion of frequently challenged and banned books are by or about people of color or LGBTQ individuals. In advance of the annual celebration of the…
ACLU Sues Idaho Over Speech-Chilling Liquor Law
The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the state of Idaho regarding an antiquated law that bans “sexually suggestive art” in establishments that serve alcohol. A cinema in neighboring Utah filed suit over a similar law there in May after…
Teachers and Librarians Praise Benefits of Comics for Kids
With teachers and students across the country getting into the swing of the new school year, Publishers Weekly recently took an in-depth look at the seemingly endless advantages of incorporating comics into the K-12 curriculum, and the accompanying growth in…
VICTORY in Chesterfield County: Challenged Books Remain in Middle School Libraries
In a victory for the freedom to read, a school district review committee in Chesterfield County, Virginia voted last week to keep three challenged books on middle school library shelves. A small faction of parents had publicly complained at a…
Algerian Man Sentenced to Three Years for Religious Insult
An Algerian appeals court last week sentenced 49-year-old Slimane Bouhafs to three years in prison for insulting Islam and the prophet Muhammad on Facebook. One of the posts included a 2006 Charlie Hebdo cover which showed the prophet weeping over…
Facebook Blocks, Then Restores Famous Vietnam War Photo Due to Nudity
In the face of international condemnation and ridicule, Facebook reversed course Friday after initially blocking one of the most famous war photographs of all time because it includes a nude minor. Taken by photographer Nick Ut, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo…
Collier County School Board Voters Reject Censorship Agenda
Two school board candidates in Collier County, Florida who supported an effort to ban four books from high school libraries last year have been defeated at the polls by two other candidates who favor intellectual freedom. The overall board is…
Daughter of Detained Hong Kong Publisher Campaigns for His Release
The daughter of Gui Minhai, the Hong Kong-based publisher who has been detained in an undisclosed location on the Chinese mainland for almost a year, is hoping to promote international awareness of his case with a recent op-ed in the…