A federal book banning bill is being considered in the Senate, and we need to make our voices heard! Library advocates will not stay silent: this is too important. Tell your Senators to reject S4925 and stand up for the right to read: www.action.ala.org/campaign/S4925

Monday #kidlit check-in: I'm back to updating my website, revising and writing a PB and early reader, and hopefully getting notes on my current PB project. But also continued household chaos... And it's a #kidlitartpostcard week on Thursday. Phew. What's ahead for you this week?

Good news for Sunday morning: Hernando residents spoke up and successfully saved their local public library from closure (for now). From the article… www.tampabay.com/news/hernand...

A Tampa Bay area library was set to be closed. Residents spoke up and saved it

But county commissioners and staff are still looking for budget cuts ahead of a November referendum that could lead to less money coming in.

tampabay.com

Are there any specialists in 19th century Peruvian history on here? Because I have a question that's important to me but probably nobody else.

Benjamin Alire Sáenz has passed away. This post he wrote for TLT is his final completed essay & the only one he wrote about his new book. Our hearts are with those who loved him That’s the Art of It: Writing When the World Was Happy, by Benjamin Alire Sáenz teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2026/07/29/t...

That’s the Art of It: Writing When the World Was Happy, a guest post by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

It isn’t hard to understand why I say that I was reluctant to write this book—but reluctance doesn’t make for good writing.

teenlibrariantoolbox.com

📣 JOIN us for The Art of the Short Story—a safer space for writers of color, including Black, Indigenous, SWANA, AAPI, Latine, LGBTQ+ writers, led by Kweli Founding Editor & Publisher Laura Pegram. ➤Craft seminars ➤In-class writing ➤Masterworks study ➤Peer reviews LEARN MORE at link in bio 👆🏿👆🏾👆🏽

✨COVER REVEAL ✨ We're thrilled to share SING THE TRUTH: The Kweli Journal Short Story Collection will be published by Authors Equity, distributed by Simon & Schuster in MAY 2025! Feat. Edwidge Danticat, K-Ming Chang & more. Learn about the book 👇🏾 #booksky #writersky #writersofcolor #bipocwriters

An attempt by the Missouri Attorney General and Secretary of State to shut down a public library’s “rainbow storytime” for children by threatening to withhold state funds, “grossly mischaracterizes” the event to force an “ideological agenda,” PEN America said today. pen.org/press-releas...

"A concentration camp, in its most basic definition, is a place where a targeted civilian population, not necessarily accused of a crime, is detained and at least some of their basic rights are suspended," writes @jwashing.bsky.social. "That’s precisely what’s happening in the United States today."

Don’t call them ICE detention centers. Call them camps | John Washington

I’ve spent a decade reporting on immigration enforcement. The word ‘camp’ best captures the political function of these facilities

theguardian.com

Jacqueline Woodson’s 2014 picture book ‘The Day You Begin,’ illustrated by Rafael López, will be hitting screens in the form of a one-hour animated special on August 4 from PBS Kids

TV Alert: ‘The Day You Begin’ by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson’s 2014 picture book The Day You Begin will be hitting screens in the form of a one-hour animated special on August 4 from PBS Kids.

buff.ly

CT friends: Come on out for ConnectiComix Art Festival! Sunday August 9th! FREE! 12PM-5PM: Comics and Zine Market 5PM: Music and Live Painting by @pocketvinyl.bsky.social Graphic novels! Zines! Art activities for kids! Counter Weight Brewing Co. 7 Diana Court Cheshire CT, 06410

My new graphic novel My Tokyo Summer will be out in just one month! (July 7) Utomaru and I are SO excited to share this story with you! Pre-ordering helps authors out a lot, so of you're interested, I encourage pre-orders! And request it into your library too! (author photo by Shigeo Kikuchi)

Let's help each other find BOOK PEOPLE who are *actively* posting about books & the industry here on Bluesky. Do you have a recommendation of someone whose posts are at least 50% about books, book industry? (not just self-promo or politics) My #BookPeepsToFollow rec: lawrenceschimel.bsky.social.

Lawrence Schimel (@lawrenceschimel.bsky.social)

Reader. Multilingual author & literary translator. Kidlit. Poetry. SF/F/H. Comics. 🌈 He/él I’ve translated: Maggie Nelson, Danez Smith, George Takei, Juan Villoro, Carmen Boullosa, Trifonia Melibea Ob...

lawrenceschimel.bsky.social

Have you called your Senators yet to tell them to oppose S4295 & HR 2616? Great! Your next assignment is to find a way to encourage more people in your state to call them. Reach out to the group chat, local Facebook group, put up some flyers at the coffee shops, write a letter to the editor...

Summer apprenticeship show at the Ely Center im Fairhaven… local high school students interpret and respond to the concepts of “safety” through their art

Well, BookSirens is a flop so far - only 2 people signed up for my book. Is it because it's all adventure and no sex? Crazy. Anyway, THIEFTESS is still live on the site if anyone would like to read it for free - and if you use this link I don't have to pay! booksirens.com/book/A1ILD0W... #Booksky

Thieftess (Woodcutter Sisters: Book 4) by Alethea Kontis - Review Copy | BookSirens

Join the review team for Thieftess. Read it for free before the rest of the world does. Share your honest review. Discover hundreds of other books in your favorite genres.

booksirens.com

A sweet book of poetry featuring little witch and wizard friends for all the little book lovers in your life! Adorable illustrations by Bianca Roman-Stumpff, original poetry by Alethea Kontis Available in hardcover and oaperback: bookshop.org/a/3015/97819... #BookSky #kidlit

Co-signing this site. Seems solid. For example, if you're buying cookware? We agree: Lodge for cast iron. Le Creuset for enamel. Ignore everything else.

David Ho@davidho.bsky.social · 2w ago

This is kind of an incredible website: Why your stuff stopped lasting, who profited, and what's still built right.

In 2001, Walter Cronkite appeared on the David Letterman show and shared his thoughts.

These SociALiStS must be stopped! 🙃 ⚽️

A sky awash in cloud

The internet’s blessed me by reminding me of Stéphan Gladieu’s insanely hard photos of costumes made by Young Congolese artists from all the shit we dump there I don’t want to ever see another leather jacket wearing billy idol clone in a cyberpunk setting again www.stephangladieu.fr/homo-detritus/

Park rangers fined Sandra Shachar for vandalism this morning at the President’s House, hours after the Trump admin installed its version of history. The 72 year old has been posting news articles on the site’s walls since the slavery exhibit was removed. If she does it again, she’ll be arrested.

Good morning! Please nominate THIEFTESS for this year's YA/MG Dragon Award! All you need is an email and 5 minutes. Thank you! ⚔️🖤🏴‍☠️ linktr.ee/aletheakontis #BookSky #DragonCon

POLITICO: “Black lawmakers and activists across the Deep South argue they’ve been abandoned by the Democratic Party to fight an existential crisis on their own…” www.politico.com/news/2026/07...

Reminder that we are still sending out anti-ICE whistles to anyone who needs them! Any quantity from 100-3000. Free. linktr.ee/3Dwhistles

Asawin Suebsaeng@swin24.bsky.social · 4w ago

Don’t look away from Memphis. Don’t look away from Houston. Don’t look away at the nationwide ICE surge. The trump administration is counting on you losing interest and falling for its tweak in tactics. zeteo.com/p/trumps-vio...

NEW: The ICE office that customarily probes employee misconduct is being refocused to investigate ICE critics, opening hundreds of "doxing and threat" cases and subpoenaing tech companies to unmask anonymous posters. Detention facility inspections, meanwhile, are plummeting. by @regret.bsky.social

ICE’s Internal Watchdog Is Now Investigating Online Critics

The Office of Professional Responsibility has opened more than 100 cases over what ICE officials call “incidents of doxing and threats” against ICE employees.

wired.com

Original Jabba toy reads comics

Archaeologists: D.C. Capitol May Have Once Been Used For Legislating

Archaeologists: D.C. Capitol May Have Once Been Used For Legislating

WASHINGTON—Calling the discovery the “clearest proof yet” of how the U.S. government was originally designed to function, archaeologists published new evidence Thursday that suggests the Capitol build...

theonion.com

As a graduate of NYC public schools and as a parent of another grad, I condemn the forcing of A.I. on students. I signed this letter. Please consider signing, too. Thank you @aimoratoriumnyc.bsky.social for standing up for these kids. Proud to be a part of @comixaction.com, a partner in this fight.

AI Moratorium for NYC Schools@aimoratoriumnyc.bsky.social · last mo.