Every so often, Kris and Tara put out a call for questions on Twitter. Late this spring, publisher and author Salem West asked about one of the most important topics in queer media: the rise of legislation aimed at criminalising LGBTQ+ books.

So, of course they invited Salem to join them, along with John Copenhaver, author of the crime novels Dodging and Burning and The Savage Kind. Together, the four discuss the history of book bannings, the different effects felt by large and independent publishers, and how we can all push back against this tide of discrimination.

Works/People Discussed

• Ann Bannon
• Marijane Meaker
• Anyda Marchant
• Barbara Grier
• 1984 by George Orwell
• PEN America's resources about book bans
• "So, what are agents seeing in the era of book bans?: Book Censorship News, April 21, 2023" by Kelly Jensen (Bitch Media)
• Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevntion
• Raphael Lemkin

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