Librarians, break out those tote bags! Starting today, thousands of library and publishing professionals are converging on Chicago for the American Library Association’s Annual Conference. For anyone attending the conference who has a particular interest in comics and/or intellectual freedom,…
Author: Maren Williams
Librarian Offers Tips for Handling Ugly Book Challenges
Two years ago this month, Hood County, Texas library director Courtney Kincaid embarked on what would ultimately be a successful defense of two LGBTQIA-themed children’s books that were challenged by more than 50 local residents: My Princess Boy by Cheryl…
Kentucky School District Pulls Thirteen Reasons Why from Middle School Curriculum
The school district in Anderson County, Kentucky has pulled Jay Asher’s novel Thirteen Reasons Why from middle school classrooms, despite the fact that it had been approved for instructional use last school year. According to the local newspaper, Superintendent Sheila…
Report Highlights Cartoonists Under Threat Worldwide
Two years after the attack on Charlie Hebdo staff, the world’s free expression focus has largely shifted away from cartoonists. That certainly does not mean the danger has disappeared, however, as a recent 30-page report from the French nonprofit Cartooning…
Library of Congress Celebrates Comics During D.C.’s Awesome Con
Comics old and new are in the spotlight this week at the Library of Congress! Today through Saturday, June 17, the nation’s library is showcasing comics from its collection in the pop-up exhibit Library of Awesome. On Friday, Librarian of…
Thirteen Reasons Why Author Cites Reader Experiences to Fight Censorship
Jay Asher’s young adult novel Thirteen Reasons Why, first published 10 years ago, has recently returned to the national spotlight due to this year’s Netflix series based on it–which is both a hit with teens and a source of anxiety…
New Jersey Student’s Trump Art Removed from High School Show
A high school junior in Morristown, New Jersey, is finding himself in the limelight after his satirical portrait of President Donald Trump was removed from his school’s annual art show. Morristown High School student Liam Shea said that Principal Mark Manning…
Awards & Nominations Pile Up for Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye
Singapore’s government may not have appreciated Sonny Liew’s graphic history The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye, but everyone else certainly does! Despite losing a promised National Arts Council publishing grant due to “sensitive content” just before the book’s initial…
Moscow Librarian Receives Four-Year Suspended Sentence for ‘Extremist’ Literature
Natalya Sharina, the former director of Moscow’s Library of Ukrainian Literature who has been under house arrest since her home and library were raided by police in October 2015, has been convicted of “inciting hatred against Russians” and given a…
10 Banned and Challenged Comics for Summer Reading!
Happy June! With summer unofficially underway, here are some challenged and banned comics to read at the beach or on those lazy backyard hammock days. Signed copies of several of these titles are available in our Rewards Zone, so we’ve…