Amy talks a little about her experience with book bans during her career as a public school librarian. She also puts out a call for submissions for Uncensored Ink: A Banned Book-Inspired Anthology. More information about the anthology is below.

Anthologist: Amy Nielsen 

Coordinator: Ian Tan

Submission Window – October 1, 2023-February 29, 2024

Description: An anthology centered around the topics of intellectual freedom, censorship, and book bans, through the imagined lens of librarians and structured according to the Dewey Decimal System

Introduction: Here at Wild Ink, we are appalled and saddened by the censorship we see now and the censorship we have seen throughout history. To combat this intellectual outrage, we are issuing a call for submissions to speak truth to power: to tell book banners how dangerous their efforts are, and to encourage those who fear their stories being silenced.

According to the American Library Association, 2022 has seen more censorship attempts than any year since the organization began collecting data twenty years ago. Additionally, 90% of censorship attempts today target lengthy lists of titles, some well over a hundred books. Prior to 2021, most censorship attempts targeted one title. And with our country in an all-out culture war, it should come as no surprise, books featuring BIPOC and LGBTQ characters and themes are at much greater risk of being censored.

Highly educated instructors, media specialists, and public librarians are no longer entrusted to make selections that their readers can see themselves in, as well as books that challenge the status quo and give readers a different perspective. The very thing they were educated in. The very thing politicians were not. And in some extreme cases, politicians are accusing these same individuals of committing crimes simply by providing a title they disapprove of to a reader. 

Book banning is the floor for authoritarians and their supporters. They’ve yet to define the ceiling. What other forms of creative expression will be next on their hit list—music, theater, paintings, sculpture? When we lose our intellectual freedom, we lose our democracy.

All people deserve to see themselves reflected in books. Also, we develop empathy and compassion as humans when we read about someone else’s life experience. Something this world could always use a little more of. 

From The Librarians 

Intellectual freedom is the ability to contemplate and study what one chooses. As librarians, we value intellectual freedom and the profound impact of literature in shaping hearts and minds, even in the face of oppression.

But throughout history, we’ve witnessed those who’ve fought to censor ideas, stifle voices, and silence narratives. As librarians, it is our duty to preserve the voices of the past, celebrate the present, and inspire the future. We believe every book, every thought, and every perspective deserves a place on the shelves of knowledge. And we need your help. We are creating a thematic anthology about the danger of censorship and the power of diversity in the written word.

We’ve organized our submission requests by the familial Dewey Decimal System. So, pick a number (or two) and craft a poem, short story, or personal essay to help us with our cause—to put banned books back on shelves. We hope the thoughts about each section help you find your place in the fight to sustain and regain intellectual and creative freedom.

-The Librarians

000 – Generalities 

How does humanity’s enduring need to organize, classify, and make sense of the world’s collective knowledge impact modern society? How does our understanding of the historical evolution of information from ancient libraries to modern data centers help create an encompassing worldview?

100 – Philosophy and Psychology

What are the philosophical underpinnings of censorship? How is intellectual freedom incompatible with book bans? How can literature help shape human thought and behavior?

200 – Religion 

How do censored religious texts and myths showcase the balance between faith, tradition, cultural identity, and freedom of expression?

300 – Social Sciences

What is the impact of censorship on social issues, politics, and culture? How have banned books shed light on social injustices and inspired social change?

400 – Language

How does the suppression of certain vocabularies and languages challenge linguistic boundaries and the celebration of language’s richness?

500 – Science 

What are the struggles of scientific thinkers whose works have been censored for challenging conventional beliefs, and addressing controversial scientific topics? What is the importance of preserving scientific inquiry?

600 – Technology 

What are the ethical dilemmas around the impact of technological advancements? What are the consequences of suppressing ideas that push innovative boundaries?

700 – The Arts 

How can we embrace creativity in the face of censorship? How can we celebrate artistic expression and confront the attempts to stifle unconventional or provocative works of art?

800 – Literature

How can we protect the written word itself against the battle of censorship? From classic to contemporary mediums, how can we showcase the power of storytelling and its potential to challenge norms and influence generations?

900 – History and Geography 

How have banned books shaped historical narratives and challenged dominant perspectives? What is the importance of preserving diverse historical accounts?

Submission Guidelines 

To honor Banned Book Month, submissions will open on October 1, 2023. Publication will be on or before Banned Book Month in 2024. 

Thank you!

We look forward to reading your submissions!