Amanda Gorman Addresses Book Bans in First Interview Since Poem was Restricted at Florida School
On Wednesday, poet Amanda Gorman appeared on CBS Mornings in her first interview since her poem was challenged at a Florida school. Gorman said that now students have to prove that they have the appropriate “reading level” before accessing her poem “The Hill We Climb.” When she found out her poem was being restricted, Gorman said she felt “a mix of shock and sadness.” The poet said, “There’s a huge loophole that exists where we expect if a book isn’t burned behind the school and thrown away, that’s not a ban…I think we have to broaden our understanding of the restriction and removal that’s going on…Just because a book is still technically in circulation doesn’t mean that the access to that book has been preserved. If anything, we’re seeing a lot of rolling back of that access.”
Meet the Painter Behind the Iconic Covers for The Baby-Sitters Club
Love the original, iconic covers from Ann M. Martin’s Baby-Sitters Club series? Washington Post recently sat down with the now almost-80-year-old painter behind them. Hodges Soileau, who currently lives in Venice, FL, is the artist responsible for all of those covers you know and love, from Mary Anne Saves the Day to the VHS cover of The Baby-Sitters and the Boy Sitters. Soileau is now selling the original oil paintings and says there’s been a huge uptick in requests for the artwork lately. “Somebody did a blog or something. When they mentioned my name, I got a barrage of emails,” Soileau told the Washington Post. “I was in the middle of switching my website, so my website just blew up. There are more inquiries than I have paintings left. I have 85 remaining. I kept seven for myself. I’m trying to be fair.” You can read the full interview here.
Ibram X. Kendi has Remade Stamped from the Beginning as a Graphic Novel
Bestselling author Ibram X. Kendi has remade his groundbreaking book on racism Stamped from the Beginning as a graphic novel. The author collaborated with award-winning historian and comic artist Joel Christian Gill for the new book, which hit shelves yesterday. Kendi told CBS Mornings, “I believe in the power of graphic novels, the ability of comics to tell complex stories, even in a humorous fashion, and just I’m constantly thinking about ways to reach everyday people—young people and older people—with this history of racist ideas.” Stamped from the Beginning: A Graphic History of Racist Ideas in America is now available in bookstores everywhere.
What A Drag Story Hour Actually Looks Like
As drag story hour is contested across the nation, one writer details what the reading event is actually like.