China’s cyberpolice do not only target political dissidents; they also have the Sisyphean task of scrubbing the Internet of pornography. In the latest crackdown on “all online texts, pictures, videos and advertisements with…
Your Amazon Purchases Can Benefit CBLDF!
New Jersey Professor Suspended for “Threatening” Photo of Game of Thrones T-Shirt
Any good citizen of Westeros knows that the night is dark and full of terrors — particularly if you’re part of House Bergen Community College in New Jersey, where simply posting photos of a “threatening” t-shirt can land you in…
60 Years Ago Today: The US Senate Puts Comics on Trial!
What a difference 60 years can make. On this day, in 1954, the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee to Investigate Juvenile Delinquency was closing out a second day of hearings. These two days would prove a pivotal period in comics history,…
Using Graphic Novels in Education: Stuck in the Middle: Seventeen Comics from an UNPLEASANT Age
Welcome to Using Graphic Novels in Education, an ongoing feature from CBLDF that is designed to allay confusion around the content of graphic novels and to help parents and teachers raise readers. In this column, we examine graphic novels, including…
Support the Right to Read with CBLDF at WonderCon!
This weekend, CBLDF head’s to the West Coast for WonderCon! WonderCon takes place in the Anaheim Convention Center (800 W. Katella Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92802) April 18 – 20, 2014. CBLDF will be at booth #509 with a scarce few copies…
Fun Home Musical Travels to Charleston After Pulitzer Nod
Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home is no stranger to controversy. The beautifully composed Eisner-winning graphic novel, detailing Bechdel’s personal journey with sexual orientation, family, and self-image, has been the subject of two bans from South Carolina and…
Speak at 15: Laurie Halse Anderson Talks Teens, Resilience Literature, and Censorship
With Laurie Halse Anderson’s frequently-challenged YA novel Speak reaching its 15th anniversary this year, the author is marking the occasion with a campaign called #Speak4RAINN15 which aims to raise $30,000 for the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Recently she…
Of Mice and Men Overcomes Attempted Ban in Minnesota
In a week that has brought us ALA’s latest list of the ten most banned books (which inexplicably included Jeff Smith’s Bone!), we’re heartened to find that reason has ruled the day in Brainerd, Minnesota: The…
The Bluest Eye Removed From Oklahoma High School Library Pending Review
Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, which yesterday made the list of the top 10 most frequently banned and challenged books of 2013, is facing yet another challenge in Durant, Oklahoma. Parent Michelle Williams…
Preview Paul Pope’s ESCAPO this Saturday, Portion of Proceeds to Benefit CBLDF!
Indie artist/writer PAUL POPE is getting ready to celebrate his next project, the new edition of ESCAPO (Z2 Comics , Summer 2014). His book preview event will be a full on mash-up…
Bone Named Among 10 Most Banned Books of 2013!
Today, the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom posted their annual list of the ten most-challenged books. The 2013 list has many of the “usual suspects” and one not-so-usual suspect: Jeff Smith’s Bone secured the rank of tenth most…
Signed Books From Bechdel, Cruse, Staples & Robt. Wms. For CBLDF!
Last weekend the CBLDF had a spectacular time at the MoCCA Festival here in NYC, presented by the Society of Illustrators. It was CBLDF’s privilege to host signings with Guests of Honor Alison Bechdel, Howard Cruse, Fiona Staples, and Robert…
Lenny Bruce: When Censorship Ain’t No Joke
April 3 marked the 50th anniversary of Lenny Bruce’s arrest in New York on obscenity charges. His crime? Using phrases such as “jack me off,” “nice tits,” and “go come in a chicken” in his stand up routine. Within the…
Recent Studies Negate Idea that Violence in Video Games Causes Real World Violence
Despite overwhelming evidence otherwise, violent video games have long been a scapegoat for politicians, pundits, and more when discussing the causes of real world violence. Two recent studies have added to the evidence that strongly contradicts the idea that the…