Rogue Librarians

We were delighted to be interviewed by Tricia Friedman on her wonderful podcast, Be a Better Ally. We're sharing that episode, "We're Not One Thing," here as well. Please learn more about Be a Better Ally at allyed.org, and listen and subscribe wherever you find your podcasts!

Be a Better Ally's "We're Not One Thing" Episode Notes:

The conversation revolves around the importance of libraries ...

We discuss Crank by Ellen Hopkins, which was a New York Times bestseller and was first published in 2004. Crank was also 38th on the ALA's list of the 100 most challenged books from 2010 to 2019, and it was number 4 on the top 10 list in 2010 and number 10 in 2022.

In this episode, we discuss why Crank has been banned, as well as its historical context. We also offer our assessment of its pros and cons. Please listen to our twe...

We were so excited to interview Rachel Lynn Solomon about her new novel, Past Present Future. Rachel is the New York Times bestselling author of Today Tonight Tomorrow, The Ex Talk, and other romantic comedies for teens and adults. Originally from Seattle, she’s currently navigating expat life in Amsterdam, where she’s on a mission to try as many Dutch sweets as possible. 

In the interview, we discussed how Rachel decided to write ...

We were thrilled to have the opportunity to interview Cindy Hohl. Cindy Hohl is the 2023-2024 President-Elect of the American Library Association. Her inauguration is on July 2, 2024, at the end of the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition. She is a member of the Santee Sioux Nation and works as the director of policy analysis and operational support at the Kansas City Public Library.

Cindy spoke with us about her time as the presi...

We were so excited to interview Lyn Miller-Lachmann about her new novel, ⁠⁠Eyes O⁠⁠pen. Lyn is an educator, an editor, and an author of young adult and middle grade novels, including Torch, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Moonwalking. Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, she enjoys traveling to new places and lived part-time in Lisbon, Portugal, for many years. She lives in New York City. 

In the interview, w...

We were so excited to interview K.A. Cobell about her debut novel, ⁠Looking for Smoke⁠, which comes out June 4, 2024. K.A. is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation. She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she spends her time writing books, chasing her kids through the never-ending rain, and scouring the inlet beaches for sand dollars and hermit crabs.

In the interview, we discussed how K.A. decided to write a thril...

We discuss ⁠⁠⁠⁠Flamer⁠ by Mike Curato, which was first published in 2020. This graphic novel received a Lambda Literary Award, which recognizes excellent LGBTQ+ literature, as well as several starred reviews. Flamer was fifth on the ALA's list of the most challenged books in 2023 and fourth in 2022.

In this episode, we discuss our opinions of the book's characters, themes, and significance. Please listen to our twenty-fifth...

Happy National Library Week! We are sharing a song by Dharmika, an artist and fellow advocate, called "I'll Read That Next."

You can find "I'll Read That Next" on Spotify and other streaming platforms: https://open.spotify.com/track/0XBI080NU6Sz9pNJYy1zIF.

To find Dharmika, please visit her social media accounts @dharmikamusic:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dharmikamusic
• TikTok: https://ww...

We discuss ⁠Flamer by Mike Curato, which was first published in 2020. This graphic novel received a Lambda Literary Award, which recognizes excellent LGBTQ+ literature, as well as several starred reviews. Flamer was fifth on the ALA's list of the most challenged books in 2023 and fourth in 2022.

In this episode, we discuss why Flamer has been banned. We also offer our assessment of its pros and cons. Please listen to our twenty...

We were so excited to interview F.T. Lukens about their new book, Otherworldly, which comes out April 2, 2024. F.T. is a New York Times bestselling author of YA speculative fiction, including the novels Spell Bound, So This Is Ever After, and In Deeper Waters.

In the interview, we discussed how F.T. created a queer normative world and incorporated particular myths and ideas, portrayed the characters and relationships in certain way...

Thanks to Heather for joining us again to discuss ⁠Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.⁠ by Judy Blume, which was first published in 1970. Blume's popular novel has frequently been challenged since then; in the 1990s, it was the 60th most challenged book during that decade.

In this episode, we share our favorite scenes and book covers and discuss why the book was meaningful to us. Please listen to the twenty-third episode...

We were so excited to interview R.A. Spratt, the bestselling author of many books for children, including the Friday Barnes, The Peski Kids, and The Adventures of Nanny Piggins series. She is also the host of a popular podcast, Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt. Her new book, Hamlet Is Not Ok, was released in the United States on March 12, 2024; it was released in Australia in 2023. 

In the interview, we discussed how R.A. Spratt be...

We discuss Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume, which was first published in 1970. Blume's popular novel has frequently been challenged since then; in the 1990s, it was the 60th most challenged book during that decade. It has also been included on multiple lists of the best novels for children.

In this episode, we discuss why Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. has been banned. We also offer our assess...

We discuss ⁠This Book Is Gay⁠ by Juno Dawson, which was the tenth-most-challenged book in 2022. First published in 2014 and revised in 2021, This Book Is Gay was included on the ALA's Over the Rainbow Project book list in 2016.

In this episode, we share our favorite chapters and discuss why the book was meaningful to us. Please listen to the twenty-first episode for our discussion of why this book has been banned.

Thanks to Chr...

We discuss This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson, which was the tenth-most-challenged book in 2022. First published in 2014 and revised in 2021, This Book Is Gay was included on the ALA's Over the Rainbow Project book list in 2016.

In this episode, we discuss why This Book Is Gay has been banned. We also offer our assessment of its pros and cons. Please listen to our twenty-second episode for a close reading of the book.

Some of the ...

We were thrilled to have the opportunity to interview Emily Drabinski. Emily is the 2023-2024 American Library Association president and Associate Professor at the Queens College Graduate School of Library and Information Studies. She talked with us about the upcoming Library Learning Experience conference, some of her experiences as president, the ALA’s efforts to fight censorship, and the importance of investing in libraries and ...

In this bonus episode, we discuss the controversial "See You at the Library" event that was hosted by Brave Books and Kirk Cameron in August, as well as some efforts to make banned books more available.

Some of the sources mentioned in this episode:

• https://thehill.com/opinion/education/4086179-six-reasons-why-moms-for-liberty-is-an-extremist-organization/
• https://bookriot.com/book-fairs-will-see-an-increas...

We discuss Jerry Craft's ⁠New Kid⁠, as well as ⁠Class Act⁠ and ⁠School Trip, which have been challenged and banned in some schools and libraries. First published in 2019, New Kid is the only graphic novel to win the John Newbery Medal, and it is the only book in history to win the Newbery Medal, the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature, and the Coretta Scott King Author Award.

We discuss our opinions of New Kid's char...

We were thrilled to interview Elana K. Arnold, the bestselling and award-winning author of many books for children and teens. Her newest novel, The Blood Years, was released in October 2023. In the interview, we discussed how she knew it was the right time to write this story about the Holocaust, how it was based on her grandmother's life, how she chose the title, and how she writes novels in general.

To learn more about Elana ...