Wendy Wright
@wendywright.bsky.social
I wonder. Dedicated to defending intellectual freedom and the freedom to read. Posts are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of my employer. Reposts do not equal agreement.
Obamas, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush Among 1,500 Books Banned in Texas School District pen.org/1500-books-b...
Obamas, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush Among 1,500 Books Banned in Texas School District
Barack and Michelle Obama have joined the ranks of banned authors thanks to a sweeping ban of 1,500 books from Texas Hill Country.
pen.org
Ready to put this year's batch of banned & challenged book into the little free library for Freedom to Read Week 2026! Honorary titles are On Book Banning by Ira Wells & Is This a Cry for Help? by Emily Austin which discusses intellectual freedom in public libraries.
"... collections aren’t meant to be “a comfort zone.” Instead, she said, collections should be “a record of what a society dared to look at.” www.theglobeandmail.com/culture/art-...
AGO rocked by resignations after failed Nan Goldin acquisition
Senior curator and two volunteers stepped down over gallery’s vote not to acquire work
theglobeandmail.com
Tom Gauld on why a book should be banned – cartoon www.theguardian.com/books/pictur...
Tom Gauld on why a book should be banned – cartoon
Just get rid …
theguardian.com
We can always count on This Hour Has 22 Minutes to call it like it is. ;) www.facebook.com/watch/?v=787...
Redirecting...
facebook.com
"... the graphic novels in Alberta school libraries that are now to be removed... speak to real issues in the lives of many teens – self-doubt, sexuality, consent, sexual assault, suicidal feelings, gender identity, community violence, family discord and violence." cfe.torontomu.ca/blog/2025/09...
Embarrassed Alberta Revises Its School Censorship Order. This One Is Worse | Centre for Free Expression
Having been so widely ridiculed for its first Ministerial Order banning all books with “explicit sexual content” from all school libraries, the Government of Alberta just issued a
cfe.torontomu.ca
Naught but a leap to the left And thanne a clockwyse tread; Put thyne handes on thyne hippes, And be thy knees yn-gatheréd: Lo, it ys the pelvique thruste That maketh mirthe down to rayne - Let us do the Tyme Warpe agayne!
Some of my kid lit peers in Canada think I'm overreacting about Alberta's new guidelines, arguing (like Danielle Smith) that this is about protecting kids from porn. But this exact rhetoric has led to bans of many LGBTQ+ books in the US- and we can expect it here. This article explains so well.
School Library Journal@slj.com · last yr.The nine picture books cited in Mahmoud v. Taylor are not pornography. Nor are they obscene. "What is obscene is a Supreme Court decision that denies the basic humanity and equality of LGBTQIA+ people." @penamerica.bsky.social
"...the new rules... ensure that staff assist students in accessing materials." Our reach should exceed our grasp. Will this open school librarians to discipline if a child browses or borrows a book they are interested in that is "above their age level?" www.interior-news.com/national-new...
Alberta sets new standards for school libraries, bans sexually explicit content
New ministerial order requires school boards to review collections, publish catalogues, and adopt age-appropriate content policies by 2026
interior-news.com
"...[N]one of the books in the SOGI programs... as referred to by Action4Canada & other groups or any of the 4 titles mentioned by the Min. of Ed. of Alberta, would pass the litmus test of obscene material based on its legal definition in Canada." cfe.torontomu.ca/blog/2025/06...
Librarians and Educators Should Decide Books for School Libraries, Not Politicians | Centre for Free Expression
On Monday, May 26th, 2025, Alberta Minister of Education Demetrios Nicolaides announced that the government was bringing in new rules to ensure only "age-appropriate" books are available in school lib...
cfe.torontomu.ca
SCOTUS has set a dangerous precedent in Mahmoud v. Taylor, writes Elly Brinkley, staff attorney with PEN America. It's "the latest case in recent years to use religious freedom arguments to justify decisions that infringe on other fundamental rights." www.washingtonblade.com/2025/06/30/s...
Supreme Court decision on opt outs for LGBTQ books in classrooms will likely accelerate censorship
Mahmoud v. Taylor ruling sets dangerous precedent
washingtonblade.com
"... millions of children who may no longer see themselves or their families reflected in stories read in classrooms, while others will be denied the chance to build understanding and empathy for those different from themselves."
PEN America@penamerica.bsky.social · last yr.The Supreme Court ruling today mandating opt outs for children whose parents object to LGBTQ+-relevant picture books in public schools deals a deeply disappointing blow to the right to read under the First Amendment and is a betrayal of public education. pen.org/press-releas...
How did a Canadian children’s book about a puppy lost during a Pride Parade land before the U.S. Supreme Court? And what does this mean for 2SLGBTQ+ books for kids in Canada? @spaikin.bsky.social speaks with @robinstevenson.bsky.social, author of "Pride Puppy."
A Canadian Picture Book at the U.S. Supreme Court | The Agenda
YouTube video by TVO Today
youtube.com
PEN Canada unequivocally condemns the #Alberta government’s decision to pursue policies that are likely to lead to widespread book bans in the province’s schools. In May, the government announced plans to impose “consistent provincewide standards” for school library books.
A mind-boggling list of hundreds of books purged from some Tennessee school libraries includes works by Magic Tree House author Mary Pope Osborne, children’s poet Shel Silverstein, and Calvin and Hobbes cartoonist Bill Watterson. pen.org/magic-tree-h... #bannedbooks #censorship
‘Magic Tree House’ Author, ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ among hundreds of Tennessee book bans - PEN America
The removals in Tennessee are the result of a growing political movement to control information through book banning.
pen.org
#G7 leaders are meeting in #Canada this week. Writer and media publisher #JimmyLai will die in prison unless action is taken now. We ask G7 leaders to work together to #FreeJimmyLai. #G7Kananaskis2025
Librarians, not government, are trained experts with the knowledge to make age-appropriate & reading level recommendations. Children & youth are experts in their own interests & abilities. Age recommendations should be guidelines, not barriers. www.thenorthernview.com/news/bc-mla-...
B.C. MLA calls for review of 'age-appropriate' resources in schools
BC Conservative MLA proposes bill for 'Parental Transparency and Age-Appropriate Education Act'
thenorthernview.com
"As a western Canadian book awards organization, we can’t help but be deeply disturbed by the growing trend of politicians politicizing education which directly targets marginalized authors, illustrators, and students." Read the full statement here: bcyukonbookprizes.com/2025/05/30/s...
THIS. Alberta's government is listening to a far-right Christian nationalist group- Action 4 Canada, a group that promotes anti-LGBTQ hate- while ignoring the expertise of the teachers and librarians who work in the provinces' public schools. www.libraryassociationalberta.com/news/laa-let...
LAA Letter to Minister Nicolaides - 05-29-2025 : Library Association news for Library Association of Alberta in Alberta Canada
LAA Letter to Minister Nicolaides : The LAA continues our advocacy work in relation to Minister Nicolaides' May 26, 2025 announcement regarding new policy to govern materials available in school libri...
libraryassociationalberta.com
Statement from Canadian School Libraries on Alberta's new plan to ban (mostly queer) books.
Well-deserved. I will have to revisit The Blind Assassin. www.thebookseller.com/british-book...
The British Book Award for Freedom to Publish
The 2025 British Book Award for Freedom to Publish
thebookseller.com