#coming june 2022

[sundialsandsands]

aggie doodles I did yesterday and today over call while freaking out about the leaks 🤧😭

I won't be discussing the plot/spoilers for season 5 publicly until the English release but I will say one thing: the animation is honestly really good and they definitely undermined in the trailer for 0 expectations so that they can give us the best they got ^_^ ily Wildbrain studios and a huge thank you to the team at Wildbrain for giving us season 5 and hopefully 6 <3

[static-scribblez]

if i had a nickel for every time people attempted to cancel or deplatform will wood over stuff blown out of proportion just before a big ww event i would have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it's happened twice

[clairedaring]

Netflix Thai Original Line-up Information

(updated as of January 2024)

2024

1. Ready, Set, Love (Series)

Release: February 15, 2024

Summary: In a parallel universe, female newborns vastly outnumber their male counterparts due to an inexplicable pandemic. As men become rarer, they are hailed as “national treasures,” and women must win their affections in a government-sponsored competition called “Ready, Set, Love.” An ordinary young woman named Day is unexpectedly accepted into the competition where she meets Son, the most popular guy, and sparks fly. Together they uncover a conspiracy operating beneath the surface, which threatens their love and the world they have come to know.

Director: Yanyong Kuruangkura

Writer: Rangsima Akarawiwat, Phuwanit Pholdee

Producer: Anuthida Silanarong

Production Partner: Get More Film Plus

Cast: Blue Pongtiwat, Belle Kemisara, Lily Nichapalak, Man Trisanu

2. The Believers (Series)

Release: March 27, 2024

Summary: Three young and ambitious entrepreneurs must find a way to repay a mountain of debt from their failed startup, when they stumble upon an unthinkable “business” opportunity — exploiting people’s beliefs in religion for money.

Director: Wattanapong Wongwan

Writer: Aummaraporn Phandintong, Watcharapol Paksri Asamaporn Samakphan, Perapat Rukngam, Jiraporn Sae-lee

Producer: Chanajai Tonsaithong, Somprasong Srikrajang

Production Partner: Joy Luck Club Film House, Deluxe Production

Cast: James Teeradon, Peach Pachara Chirathivat, Ally Achiraya

3. Doctor Climax (Series)

Release: May 2024

Summary: In the late ‘70s when sex talk is still taboo, the life of a straitlaced skin doctor and specialist in venereal diseases is turned upside down when he starts moonlighting as a sex columnist under the pseudonym “Doctor Climax.

Creator: Ekachai Uekrongtham

Director: Kongdej Jaturanrasmee, Pairach Khumwan

Writer: Kongdej Jaturanrasmee, Tinnapat Banyatpiyaphoj

Executive Producer: Ekachai Uekrongtham

Production Partner: GMM Studios International

Cast: Ter Chantavit, Goy Arachaporn, Praew Chermawee, Ton Tonhon Tantivejakul, Tob Chaiwat

4. Terror Tuesday: Extreme (Series)

Release: TBA

Summary: A collection of haunting hit stories inspired by the “Angkhan Khlumpong (Terror Tuesday)” radio program with terrorizing twists and turns that are dialed up to the extreme.

Director: Prin Keeratiratanalak, Abhichoke Chandrasen, Prueksa Amaruji, Chayan Laoyodtrakool, Surapong Ploensang, Chookiat Sakveerakul, Eakasit Thairaat, Alisa Pien

Writer: Prin Keeratiratanalak, Abhichoke Chandrasen, Prueksa Amaruji, Kasidej Sundararjun, Pun Homchuen, Onusa Donsawai, Chookiat Sakveerakul, Thanamas Dhalerngsuk, Eakasit Thairaat, Kanokphan Ornrattanasakul

Producer: Chartchai Worapiankul, Genwaii Thongdeenok, Duangkamol Wongpratoom, Chayamporn Taeratanachai, Chuyot Mueagyot

Production Partner: ATIME, BrandThink Cinema

Cast: Nat Kitcharit, Piglet Charada, Gee Sutthirak, Smile Parada, Earn Pattaravadee, Cherprang Areekul, Music Praewa Suthamphong, Rujira Chuaykua, Not Vorarit, Praew Narupornkamol, Poon Mitpakdee, Care Panisara, Tonhorm Sakuntala, Pat Chayanit, Point Cholawit, Bee Namthip, Sydney Supitcha, Kachapa Tonjaroen, Nina

Yarinda

5. Master of the House (Series)

Release: TBA

Summary: When a diamond tycoon dies mysteriously, a cutthroat battle over his estate erupts between his ruthless heirs and the housemaid whom their father recently married.

Director: Sivaroj Kongsakul

Writer: Nut Nualpang, Weerasu Worrapot, Vatanyu Ingkavivat, Sita Likitvanichkul, Athimes Arunrojangkul

Executive Producer: Kulp Kaljareuk

Production Partner: Kantana Motion Pictures

Cast: Yada Narilya, Bie Teerapong, Chai Chartayodom, Gap Thanavate, Nus Nusba, Claudia Chakrabandhu

6. Don’t Come Home (Series)

Release: TBA (Series)

Summary: A mother and her young daughter flee to their family’s abandoned mansion but soon find themselves haunted by paranormal incidents that lead to the little girl’s mysterious disappearance.

Director Woottidanai Intarakaset

Writer Woottidanai Intarakaset, Aummaraporn Phandinthong

Producer Thananuj Ebrahim

Production Partner: Hub Ho Hin Bangkok

Cast: Noon Woranuch, Pear Pitchapa, Cindy Sirinya, Ploypaphas Fonkaewsiwaporn

7. Tomorrow and I (Series)

Release: TBA

Summary: This anthology series explores the intersection of futuristic technologies and Thai culture, and the unimaginable tensions and moral dilemmas that arise out of their inevitable conflict

Director: Paween Purijitpanya

Writer: Paween Purijitpanya, Pat Pataranutaporn, Jirawat Watthanakiatpanya, Abhichoke Chandrasen, Tossaphon Riantong, Panuwat Inthawat, Eakasit Thairaat

Producer: Surawut Tungkarak

Production Partner: Jungka

Cast: Violette Wautier, Aelm Bhumibhat Thavornsiri, Ray Macdonald, Phuak Pongsatorn, Boy Pakorn, Ink Waruntorn, Poyd Treechada, Tangkwa Chananticha, Wanichaya Pornpanarittichai

8. Bangkok Breaking: Heaven and Hell (Film)

Release: TBA

Summary: When a dedicated rescue worker inadvertently gets caught up in the kidnapping plot of a mogul's tween daughter, he must save her from the clutches of rival gangs hunting them down with unpredictable dangers around every corner.

-> Note: Film sequel to 2021 Netflix Thai original series Bangkok Breaking

Director: Kongkiat Komesiri

Writer: Kongkiat Komesiri

Producer: Kongkiat Komesiri, Piyaluck Mahatanasab

Production Partner: Kongkiat Production

Cast: Weir Sukollawat, Duu Sanya, Mind Atitaya

2023

1. The Lost Lotteries (Film)

Release: November 16, 2022

Synopsis: A heist-comedy film about 5 losers united by a crazy mission to retrieve their 30-million-baht winning lottery tickets from a mafia gang headquartered in a firecracker factory.

Director and Writer: Prueksa Amaruji 

Producer: Ekachai Uekrongtham 

Starring: Wongravee Nateetorn, Phantira Pipityakorn, Napapa Tantrakul, Somjit Jongjohor, Thanaporn Wagprayoon, Padung SongSang 

Production Partner: GMM Studios International

2. Hunger (Film)

Release: April 8, 2023

Synopsis: Aoy, a woman in her twenties, runs her family’s local stir-fried noodles restaurant in the old quarter of Bangkok. One day, she receives an invitation to leave the family business and join team ‘Hunger’, Thailand’s number one luxury Chef’s table team led by the famously ingenious, and infamously nasty, Chef Paul.

Director: Sitisiri Mongkolsiri

Producer: Kongdej Jaturanrasmee, Soros Sukhum  

Writer: Kongdej Jaturanrasmee 

Starring: Aokbab Chutimon, Peter Nopachai Jayanama, Gunn Svasti 

Production Partner: Song Sound Production

3. The Murderer (Film)

Streaming date: July 27, 2023

Synopsis: When an English man is accused of murdering his Thai in-laws, his wife is the only witness that stands between guilt and freedom.

Director: Wisit Sasanatieng

Producer: Transformation Films

Writer: Abishek J. Bajaj

Starring: Mum Jokmok, Oom Eisaya Hosuwan, James Laver

Production Partner: Transformation Films

4. Once Upon A Star (Film)

Streaming date: October 11, 2023

Synopsis: Join the crew of a traveling pharma-cinema troupe as they go on the road to spread the joy of live-dubbed movies, all while overcoming difficulties, deceits, and reaching for their dreams.

Director and Producer: Nonzee Nimibutr

Writer: Ek Iemchuen

Starring: Weir Sukollawat, Noona Nuengthida, Kao Jirayu, Samart Payakaroon, Nat Sadaktorn 

Production Partner: 18 Tanwa

5. Delete (Series)

Streaming date: June 28, 2023

Synopsis: The story of a complicated relationship with secrets to hide, and a grim question to ponder: who do you want to delete from your life? 

Director and Producer: Parkpoom Wongpoom

Writer: Parkpoom Wongpoom, Jirassaya Wongsutin, Tossaphon Riantong

Starring: Nat Kitcharit, Ice Natara, Fah Sarika, Aokbab Chutimon, Jaonaay Jinjett 

Production Partner: GDH

6. Analog Squad (Series)

Release: December 7, 2023

Synopsis: At the turn of the millenium, a group of misfits is hired to play the part of estranged family members in order to fill in the cracks of one broken family.

Director: Nithiwat Tharatorn

Producer: Nalina Chayasombat

Writer: Nithiwat Tharatorn, Aummaraporn Phandintong, Chanathip Amonpiyaphong, Sopana Chaowwiwatkul

Starring: Peter Nopachai, Jaylerr Krissanapoom, Namfon Kullanut, Primmy Wipawee

Production Partner: Jungka Bangkok

[strxnged]

something something i'm not as interested in reading/writing x reader/r anymore something something

[nako-doodles]

every month of 2022 🎉

Link a creation from each month this year <3 (it’s totally fine to skip months!) and tag some creators you love!

i was tagged by truly some of the best cc's on this hellsite @anpanmann @astronautjin @avizou @kithtaehyung @rumue @sopekooks to do this lil tag so make sure to check theirs out 💜 thank you for making my 2022 so amazing and heres to an even better 2023 ✨🎊😚

wow uh this year was surprisingly productive, learning a new animation software, making an insta for my pixelly creations, fulfilling my new years resolution of making sthing for everyones bday 🥺🥰✨ thank you for writing such cute tags under my posts and supporting me for this past year! ive truly adored reading every single one of them and have been making heart eyes at yall from my lil blanket cave 💜🥰🥺

jinuary: jin the vogue

sopebruary: hobchwita | skirtgi

minch: tangyoonrine | flower cryoon

jinpril: dilf i mean ptdos seokjin

junebut day: gotta catch em all boyscouts

jhopely: hobipalooza

auggukst: vampire kookie

joontember: sunflowers and namtitties

chimtober: chaos chimmon

tearsvember: asjinaut TT

moretearscember: our eggie touchstone | tvrnip head | jinnies room

i know im very late but i wanna see @heybaetae @hobeah @jung-koook @namchyoon @rkivedfiles @rosebowl @taee @usertae @userjungkook97 @yooboobies 2022 in review bc i am a simply a simp. what can i say? 💜✨

i cant wait to see what everyone creates in 2023 labyuuuu💖✨😚

[baishouqijia]

i am desperately trying to be more active but i'm experiencing mental burnout. just want to say thank you for the interactions even when i'm only checking in here now and again - i'll respond when i'm feeling better! <3

[lesbianlenas]

how is it every time spotify is like there is a concert from a band u like near you :) and i’m like omggggg and go to click on it it’s always on a date where i won’t be in dc i’m literally screaming crying and throwing up rn………

[trulyinspiringmovies]

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On

“Marcel The Shell With Shoes On” is a simple story that’s done really well and sends a profound message in its own way.

Marcel is a one-inch tall shell with shoes on. He lives in an Airbnb which is currently hosting a man named Dean. Dean wants to make a documentary about Marcel and his grandmother, Nana Connie. It turns out, Marcel lost his community after the previous house’s owners decided to move out. One of them accidentally packed up everyone else in the community and left never to return again. Marcel and Dean use the documentaries to gain internet virality and hopefully, they can find Marcel’s family once more.

I didn’t realize that Marcel was from a YouTube series before watching this movie, so I went in completely blind. I saw the trailer for this movie multiple times in theaters, so it definitely caught my attention. I’m always down to give A24 films a chance because their movies are so different from everything else. “Marcel The Shell With Shoes On” continues the trend of A24′s unconventional filmography. I could understand if some people thought this movie was a little uneventful or boring, but I personally enjoyed watching Marcel because of his authentic personality. I was seriously blown away by how subtly brilliant the writing was for this movie. For a good chunk of this film, I forgot that Marcel was a fictional character. His personality was genuinely authentic in a way that could only come from writers who pick up on the smallest details of everyday conversation. I loved the story and theme of this movie because it tackles the fear of further change after a devastating one in a way that wasn’t ham-fisted. None of this movie ever feels ham-fisted. They could have easily made Marcel cute to the point where they were trying too hard, but it never comes off that way. I loved seeing all the creative ways he and his grandmother developed to get daily tasks done. Nana Connie was a great character too. She also felt like a grandmother that everyone had. She’s caring and teaches important lessons while also having this sternness that only the elderly can get away with. It was endearing to watch her take care of Marcel and even worry about how the tragedy is shaping him. I also love how the behind-the-scenes of this movie carry the themes of this movie. Marcel was a character who was made by Dean Fleischer Camp and Jenny Slate (the voice of Marcel). They were dating and eventually married, but ended up divorcing later. They still wanted to collaborate to make this film and I think elements of their divorce made their way into this movie. It’s amazing to see that the two of them ended things amicably enough to still work together and still find value in one another. For that reason, this movie gets a five-star rating from me.

★★★★★

Watched on March 8th, 2023

[toytulini]

feels very strange to get podcast ads about how pride friendly orlando is rn what with the current political conditions of florida for very large swathes of the queer community

i mean i dont have any suggestions for like idk the marketing team of the orlando tourism board to do any better like i certainly wouldnt know how to advertise rn, thats a rough hand youre stuck with and i hope your shit ass transphobe fascist politicians drop dead.

just. wild to hear rn

[just-illegal]

if the world is against 1.19 then i am against the world

[vitamin-zeeth]

stranger things has been making its way back to my reccomended on multiple socials and i am this close to diving back into the ao3 of it all cause jesus those fics were delicious but also i have an english exam tomorrow at like 9am. it would be so fucking funny tho hear me out-

[dingumama]

CHIRON SUPER SPORT

[a-skirmish-of-wit-and-lit]

Book Review: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

Emotional as well as suspenseful, Mad Honey is a buzzing beehive of a story with many separate yet interconnected pieces. Part teenage love story, part murder mystery, and part courtroom drama, it's a page-turner that swarms readers with compassion and empathy at the same time that it asks them to consider their own inner prejudices around a sensitive topic. Challenging them to learn to love people for who - instead of what - they are.

Told in dual perspective, the book follows Lily Campanello, an 18-year-old-girl who is navigating her first brush with love while also tackling her own sense of personal identity, and Olivia McAfee, a mother, a beekeeper, and a domestic abuse survivor whose son, Asher, has been arrested, accused of murdering his girlfriend. The narrative flits back and forth between the past and present, giving rise to a bevy of real world issues, obstacles, and complications. Not only are there delicate secrets revealed about the characters, but there are also poignant themes about depression, abuse, abandonment, judgment, and acceptance.

I was drawn in by the plot, by the characters. They were well-developed and dimensional, making it easy for me to connect to them. Whenever Lily was toiling over who she was, over whether or not she could share the most private personal parts of herself with Asher, so was I. Whenever Olivia was questioning her own son's guilt or innocence, terrified that he might be violent like his father, I was right there with her. I cannot count the number of times I was suspicious, skeptical, surprised. I cannot tell you how overcome I was with curiosity, with emotion.

There were so many times when all I could do was hold my breath...and wait. Just wait for whatever was going to unfold next.

This is absolutely a story designed to give readers pause, make them think. Force them to ask questions. It's tragic in a lot of ways, upsetting, too, but also moving. The twists are the sort that surprise, perhaps even astonish because of the way they come together one single thread at a time, but I have to admit I liked the sense of trepidation, doubt, and worry I carried with me the entire time I was reading. I didn't know where I was being lead but I knew I wanted to follow. I didn't know how the story would end, if things would conclude the way that I hoped or anticipated, only that I wouldn't put the book down until I finished--heart torn, still sticky with tension, from my chest.

A soul-stirring read, indeed! Seamless collaboration. Great social and psychological insight into difficult topics, too.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and Ballantine Books for the ARC in exchange for my review.

4/5 stars

**Follow me on Goodreads

[rivertigo]

LET ME BE DELUSIONAL!! ITS THE ONLY THING STOPPING ME FROM CRASHING MY CAR INTO A TELEPHONE POLE!!!

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

average United States contains 1000s of pet tigers in backyards" factoid actualy [sic] just statistical error. average person has 0 tigers on property. Activist Georg, who lives the U.S. Capitol & makes up over 10,000 each day, has purposefully been spreading disinformation adn [sic] should not have been counted

I have a big mad today, folks. It's a really frustrating one, because years worth of work has been validated... but the reason for that fucking sucks.

For almost a decade, I've been trying to fact-check the claim that there "are 10,000 to 20,000 pet tigers/big cats in backyards in the United States." I talked to zoo, sanctuary, and private cat people; I looked at legislation, regulation, attack/death/escape incident rates; I read everything I could get my hands on. None of it made sense. None of it lined up. I couldn't find data supporting anything like the population of pet cats being alleged to exist. Some of you might remember the series I published on those findings from 2018 or so under the hashtag #CrouchingTigerHiddenData. I've continued to work on it in the six years since, including publishing a peer reviewed study that counted all the non-pet big cats in the US (because even though they're regulated, apparently nobody bothered to keep track of those either).

I spent years of my life obsessing over that statistic because it was being used to push for new federal legislation that, while well intentioned, contained language that would, and has, created real problems for ethical facilities that have big cats. I wrote a comprehensive - 35 page! - analysis of the issues with the then-current version of the Big Cat Public Safety Act in 2020. When the bill was first introduced to Congress in 2013, a lot of groups promoted it by fear mongering: there's so many pet tigers! they could be hidden around every corner! they could escape and attack you! they could come out of nowhere and eat your children!! Tiger King exposed the masses to the idea of "thousands of abused backyard big cats": as a result the messaging around the bill shifted to being welfare-focused, and the law passed in 2022.

The Big Cat Public Safety Act created a registry, and anyone who owned a private cat and wanted to keep it had to join. If they did, they could keep the animal until it passed, as long as they followed certain strictures (no getting more, no public contact, etc). Don’t register and get caught? Cat is seized and major punishment for you. Registering is therefore highly incentivized. That registry closed in June of 2023, and you can now get that registration data via a Freedom of Information Act request.

Guess how many pet big cats were registered in the whole country?

97.

Not tens of thousands. Not thousands. Not even triple digits. 97.

And that isn't even the right number! Ten USDA licensed facilities registered erroneously. That accounts for 55 of 97 animals. Which leaves us with 42 pet big cats, of all species, in the entire country.

Now, I know that not everyone may have registered. There's probably someone living deep in the woods somewhere with their illegal pet cougar, and there's been at least one random person in Texas arrested for trying to sell a cub since the law passed. But - and here's the big thing - even if there are ten times as many hidden cats than people who registered them - that's nowhere near ten thousand animals. Obviously, I had some questions.

Guess what? Turns out, this is because it was never real. That huge number never had data behind it, wasn't likely to be accurate, and the advocacy groups using that statistic to fearmonger and drive their agenda knew it... and didn't see a problem with that.

Allow me to introduce you to an article published last week.

This article is good. (Full disclose, I'm quoted in it). It's comprehensive and fairly written, and they did their due diligence reporting and fact-checking the piece. They talked to a lot of people on all sides of the story.

But thing that really gets me?

Multiple representatives from major advocacy organizations who worked on the Big Cat Publix Safety Act told the reporter that they knew the statistics they were quoting weren't real. And that they don't care. The end justifies the means, the good guys won over the bad guys, that's just how lobbying works after all. They're so blase about it, it makes my stomach hurt. Let me pull some excerpts from the quotes.

"Whatever the true number, nearly everyone in the debate acknowledges a disparity between the actual census and the figures cited by lawmakers. “The 20,000 number is not real,” said Bill Nimmo, founder of Tigers in America. (...) For his part, Nimmo at Tigers in America sees the exaggerated figure as part of the political process. Prior to the passage of the bill, he said, businesses that exhibited and bred big cats juiced the numbers, too. (...) “I’m not justifying the hyperbolic 20,000,” Nimmo said. “In the world of comparing hyperbole, the good guys won this one.”

"Michelle Sinnott, director and counsel for captive animal law enforcement at the PETA Foundation, emphasized that the law accomplished what it was set out to do. (...) Specific numbers are not what really matter, she said: “Whether there’s one big cat in a private home or whether there’s 10,000 big cats in a private home, the underlying problem of industry is still there.”"

I have no problem with a law ending the private ownership of big cats, and with ending cub petting practices. What I do have a problem with is that these organizations purposefully spread disinformation for years in order to push for it. By their own admission, they repeatedly and intentionally promoted false statistics within Congress. For a decade.

No wonder it never made sense. No wonder no matter where I looked, I couldn't figure out how any of these groups got those numbers, why there was never any data to back any of the claims up, why everything I learned seemed to actively contradict it. It was never real. These people decided the truth didn't matter. They knew they had no proof, couldn't verify their shocking numbers... and they decided that was fine, if it achieved the end they wanted.

So members of the public - probably like you, reading this - and legislators who care about big cats and want to see legislation exist to protect them? They got played, got fed false information through a TV show designed to tug at heartstrings, and it got a law through Congress that's causing real problems for ethical captive big cat management. The 20,000 pet cat number was too sexy - too much of a crisis - for anyone to want to look past it and check that the language of the law wouldn't mess things up up for good zoos and sanctuaries. Whoops! At least the "bad guys" lost, right? (The problems are covered somewhat in the article linked, and I'll go into more details in a future post. You can also read my analysis from 2020, linked up top.)

Now, I know. Something something something facts don't matter this much in our post-truth era, stop caring so much, that's just how politics work, etc. I’m sorry, but no. Absolutely not.

Laws that will impact the welfare of living animals must be crafted carefully, thoughtfully, and precisely in order to ensure they achieve their goals without accidental negative impacts. We have a duty of care to ensure that. And in this case, the law also impacts reservoir populations for critically endangered species! We can't get those back if we mess them up. So maybe, just maybe, if legislators hadn't been so focused on all those alleged pet cats, the bill could have been written narrowly and precisely.

But the minutiae of regulatory impacts aren't sexy, and tiger abuse and TV shows about terrible people are. We all got misled, and now we're here, and the animals in good facilities are already paying for it.

I don't have a conclusion. I'm just mad. The public deserves to know the truth about animal legislation they're voting for, and I hope we all call on our legislators in the future to be far more critical of the data they get fed.

[redgoldsparks]

My very last comic for The Nib! End of an era! Transcription below the cut. instagram / patreon / portfolio / etsy / my book / redbubble

The first event I went to with GENDER QUEER was in NYC in 2019 at the Javits Center.

So many of the people who came to my signing were librarians, and so many of them said the same thing: "I know exactly who I want to give this to!" Maia: "Thank you for helping readers find my book!" While working on the book, I was genuinely unsure if anyone outside of my family and close friends would read it. But the early support of librarians and two American Library Association awards helped sell two print runs in first year.

Since then, GENDER QUEER been published in 8 languages, with more on the way: Spanish, Czech, Polish, French, Italian, Norwegian, Portugese and Dutch.

It has also been the most banned book in the United States for the past two years. The American Library Association has tracked an astronomical increase in book challenges over the past few years. Most of these challenges are to books with diverse characters and LGBTQ themes. These challenges are coming unevenly across the US, in a pattern that mirrors the legislative attacks on LGBTQ people. The Brooklyn Public Library offered free eCards to anyone in the US aged 13-21, in an effort to make banned books more available to young readers. A teacher in Norman, Oklahoma gave her students the QR code for the free eCard and lost her job. Summer Boismeir is now working for the Brooklyn Public Library. Hoopla and Libby/Overdrive, apps used to access digital library books, are now banned in Mississippi to anyone under 18. Some libraries won’t allow anyone under 18 to get any kind of library card without parental permission. When librarians in Jamestown, Michigan refused to remove GENDER QUEER and several other books, the citizens of the town voted down the library’s funding in the fall 2022 election. Without funding, the library is due to close in mid-2024. My first event since covid hit was the American Library Association conference in June 2022 in Washington, DC. Once again, the librarians in my signing line all had similar stories for me: “Your book was challenged in our district" "It was returned to the shelf!" "It was removed from the shelf..." "It was moved to the adult section."

Over and over I said: "Thank you. Thank you for working so hard to keep my book in your library. I’m sorry you had to defend it, but thank you for trying, even if it didn't work." We are at a crossroads of freedom of speech and censorship. The future of libraries, both publicly funded and in schools, are at stake. This is massively impacting the daily lives of librarians, teachers, students, booksellers, and authors around the country. In May 2023, I read an article from the Washington Post analyzing nearly 1000 of the book challenges from the 2021-2022 school year. I was literally on route to a festival to talk about book bans when I read a startling statistic. 60% of the 1000 book challenges were submitted by just 11 people. One man alone was responsible for 92 challenges. These 11 people seem to have made submitting copy-cat book challenges their full-time hobby and their opinions are having an outsized ripple effect across the nation. WE NEED TO MAKE THE VOICES SUPPORTING DIVERSE BOOKS AND OPPOSING BOOK BANS EVEN LOUDER. If you are able too, show up for your library and school board meetings when book challenges are debated. Send supportive comments and emails about the Pride book display and Drag Queen story hours. If you see a display you like– for Banned Book Week, AAPI Month, Black History Month, Disability Awareness Month, Jewish holidays, Trans Day of Remembrance– compliment a librarian! Make sure they feel the love stronger than the hate <3

Maia Kobabe, 2023

The Nib