It shouldn’t be news to anyone that self-published erotica is big business. One need only look to the Fifty Shades trilogy, which began as self-published Twilight fan fiction but was later snapped up by Vintage Books and spawned a feature…
Author: Maren Williams
Young Adult Novel Banned from Distribution in New Zealand
After a series of back-and-forth censor board reviews, the award-winning young adult novel Into the River by New Zealand writer Ted Dawe is now completely banned in the author’s native country, pending yet another review that will likely come next…
Fellow Cartoonists Honor Atena Farghadani at CRNI Courage Award Ceremony
When political cartoonists from around the country and the world gathered in Columbus, Ohio last week for the annual convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, many of them were thinking of a colleague who couldn’t attend. At a…
UNC Freshman Alleges ‘Literature of 9/11’ Course Sympathizes With Terrorists
Shortly after some Duke University freshmen made news by publicly opting out of reading Fun Home for an all-class summer reading program, another new student at the public university just down the road is also offering his thoughts on books…
Newspaper Comics Stuck “Between a Crock and a Hard Place”
Nearly everyone can agree that most newspaper comics have a certain stodgy aura, particularly compared to the dynamism and diversity of their cousins in book form. In a three-part extravaganza this week, the Washington Post’s Michael Cavna has been delving…
Illinois Officials Burned by 1950s Library Purge
In the modern popular imagination, the 1950s represent the height of repression, conformity, paranoia, and of course censorship. To be sure, the era did see the brief rise of Sen. Joseph McCarthy, the continued effects of the Hollywood blacklist (instituted…
School Allegedly Deems Wonder Woman Lunchbox Too Violent
According to a post that appeared on Reddit this week, a secular private elementary school in an unidentified English-speaking country allegedly sent home a note to a student’s parents indicating that her Wonder Woman lunchbox would no longer be allowed…
Now Your Humble Store Purchase Can Benefit CBLDF Every Time!
Over the past year, CBLDF has been a grateful beneficiary of numerous pay-what-you-want Humble Bundle promotions, which allow buyers to sample some awesome books and help out charity at the same time. But in addition to the bundles, there’s also…
Experts Pick Apart APA Report on Video Game Violence
A task force appointed by the American Psychological Association made a big splash last week with a report that claimed to identify a link between “violent video game use and increases in aggressive behavior, aggressive cognitions and aggressive affect,” but…
Duke Students Debate Fun Home Summer Reading Selection
As incoming freshmen at Duke University wrapped up orientation week on Friday, campus newspaper The Chronicle checked up on the reaction to the choice of Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home as an all-class summer reading book. Although some freshman have opted…