Author: Betsy Gomez

CBLDF Heads to LA for the Festival of Books!

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CBLDF Deputy Director Alex Cox is headed to the West Coast this weekend for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, joining a cadre of authors and book lovers for the annual celebration of the printed word! If you live in the area, head over the University of Southern California campus this weekend for sunshine and literature!

Come by booth #856 to show your support for CBLDF and mingle with fellow supporters of Free Speech. CBLDF will have a vast array of signed premiums on hand for readers of all ages. We’ll have some of the world’s greatest comics, including Maus, Watchmen, Sandman, The Walking Dead, and Understanding Comics, all signed by their creators to support the fight for Free Speech! And that’s just the beginning! You’ll also be able to pick up your own “I Read Banned Comics” t-shirt and other apparel, tote bags, button sets, and more.

CBLDF is also delighted to have some amazing creators signing at booth #856. On Saturday, at 2:00 p.m, you’ll be able to get autographs from Sam Humphries, the writer behind the cult hit Our Love Is Real and Fraggle Rock and The Ultimates. On noon on Sunday, we’ll be joined by Lev Grossman, the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Magicians and The Magician King!

The weather forecasts are sunny for this weekend’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, so please join CBLDF at booth #856 this weekend to support Free Speech and celebrate books!

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Kurt Vonnegut’s Letter to the Man Who Burnt His Books

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On occasion, the victims of censorship take the opportunity to face their censors directly. However, few artists respond with the humor and aplomb exhibited in a letter written in 1973 to Charles McCarthy, the head of the school board at Drake High School in North Dakota. The author of this letter? Kurt Vonnegut.

Click through for excerpts from Vonnegut’s letter…

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Protestors Take Over Tucson School Board Meeting

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Last week, the Tucson Unified School Board voted 3-2 against renewing the contract for Sean Arce, the director of the school district’s disbanded Mexican American Studies program, in spite of support voiced during the public-comment period of the meeting. In response, protestors tied themselves together with zip ties and chanted in support of the MAS program. No one was injured or arrested during the protest despite tightened security at recent school board meetings.

Click through for more about the latest developments in the Tucson book ban…

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Judge Hears Arguments in Case Against Utah Law Restricting Speech on Internet

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Last June, CBLDF joined the ACLU of Utah and the Media Coalition in an effort to bar the enforcement of Utah House Bill 260, a law that seeks to restrict constitutionally-protected speech. US District Judge Dee Benson heard arguments about the case this week, but he didn’t issue a ruling. Instead, he directed the parties involved with the case to resolve their differences over two contentious sections of code in the law within the next 30 days.

Click through for more about the case…

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MUZZLED! The Thomas Jefferson Center “Awards” Censorship

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This week, the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression announced the Jefferson Muzzles, which “are awarded as a means to draw national attention to abridgments of free speech and press and, at the same time, foster an appreciation for those tenets of the First Amendment.” Among the dubious honorees on the 2012 list are the US State Department for banning the participation of a Palestinian political cartoonist in a conference on free speech and the Salem, Missouri, Public Library Board of Trustees for blocking access to websites related to minority religions.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. The Thomas Jefferson Center gives the awards to ten individuals or organizations, but they start with a very large list of nominees, an indication that Free Speech is still very much at risk. You can read the entire Jefferson Muzzles list here.

Have your say and stop people from being muzzled! Help support CBLDF’s important First Amendment work by making a donation or becoming a member of the CBLDF!

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LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS Launch Event to Benefit CBLDF

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This Saturday, CBLDF’s favorite photographer Seth Kushner is celebrating the release of his new book with co-author Christopher Irving, Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins of American Comics, with an unforgettable event in Brooklyn and the release of series of limited edition prints that benefit CBLDF!

Kushner explains: “To celebrate the release of Leaping Tall Buildings: The Origins Of American Comics, which I co-authored with Christopher Irving, I had the idea to commission artists who are featured in the book to create exclusive, limited edition art prints which would commemorate the book and give back to the comics community by having all proceeds go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.”

The artists involved include: Becky Cloonan (DEMO, Conan), Dean Haspiel (HBO’s Bored to Death, Billy Dogma), Peter Kuper (Spy vs. Spy, Stop Forgetting To Remember), and Paul Pope (100%, Battling Boy).

Click through for more details about the launch event for Leaping Tall Buildings…

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Graphic Novel THE COLOR OF EARTH Is Second Most Frequently Challenged Book of 2011

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This week, the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom released their list of the Top Ten Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2011. The second-most challenged book on that list was The Color of Earth, a critically-acclaimed Korean manwha, or comic book, series. In spite of numerous positive reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, the School Library Journal, and other outlets that praise the book as “richly literate and imaginative” (Booklist) and “a work of great humanity” (Publishers Weekly), the coming-of-age tale is challenged due to nudity, sexual content, and suitability for age group.

CBLDF is an official sponsor of Banned Books Week, which will occur this September 30 – October 6. Banned Books Week is dedicated to “celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment.” CBLDF is currently creating tools for retailers and librarians to raise awareness of important challenged and banned comics and graphic novels during this year’s 30th Anniversary Banned Books Week Celebration. To get a headstart on the festivities, please check out the CBLDF Rewards Zone, where we have items such as our I Read Banned Comics t-shirt available to help raise money for this important program.

Click through for more on the story…

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THREADLESS Hosts C2E2 Fashion Show Welcome Party to Benefit CBLDF!

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This Friday, April 13th, CBLDF Corporate Member THREADLESS is hosting a Fashion Show Welcome Party to ring in C2E2 and benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund! Free to CBLDF members with a suggested $20 donation for non-members at the door, this open bar event will boast a first look at several exciting new THREADLESS items, a raffle, comics stars, and much more! Don’t miss out on this must attend event!

Click through for more details!

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Intrepid Alaska Third Grader Overcomes Classroom Comics Ban

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Chris Wilson with The Graphic Classroom, a website dedicated to “promoting the use of high-quality comic literature in the elementary, middle school, and high school classroom,” shared a story over the weekend about a third grader in Alaska who used his science fair project to overcome his teacher’s ban on comics in the classroom.

Click through for more about third-grader Sam and the science fair project that opened a teacher’s mind to comics…

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In the Wake of Protest and Public Scrutiny, Arizona Legislature Pulls Back Electronic Speech Censorship Bill

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ABC 15, an Arizona affiliate is reporting that a sweeping electronic media censorship bill passed by the state’s legislature last week and headed to Governor Jan Brewer’s desk for signature has been pulled back in the wake of public outcry. Last week, CBLDF called attention to the bill and its constitutional deficiencies, helping to spark a wave of media coverage that turned the tide against the bill.

Lawmakers intended the law to protect people from online stalkers and bullies, but the law was so broadly worded that it would apply to the internet as a whole, not one-to-one communications, and the legislation does a poor job of defining the material that would run afoul of the law. As a result, anyone posting constitutionally-protected material could face charges if an individual deemed the material was intended to “annoy,” “offend,” “harass,” or “terrify.”

Read more about Arizona House Bill 2549 after the jump…

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