Rogue Librarians

We were so excited to interview Lyn Miller-Lachmann about her new novel, ⁠⁠Eyes O⁠⁠pen. Lyn is an educator, an editor, and an author of young adult and middle grade novels, including Torch, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Moonwalking. Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, she enjoys traveling to new places and lived part-time in Lisbon, Portugal, for many years. She lives in New York City. 

In the interview, we discussed how Lyn decided to write a YA novel-in-verse about life in Portugal in the 1960s, conducted her research, created her characters, and focused on the importance of standing up to injustice, the power of poetry, and the resilience of young people.

To learn more about Lyn Miller-Lachmann, please visit: 

• her website: lynmillerlachmann.com (including a link to an educator guide for Eyes Open)⁠⁠⁠

• her Instagram: instagram.com/lynmillerlachmann⁠

The song at the end of the episode is "Triste Fado," which was recorded in 1939 and is available for public use; it can be found on the Library of Congress website. 

Thanks to Chris for our music, Heather and Lizzie for their assistance, Dorothy for her editing skills, and our patrons for their financial support. 

Please visit our website for a⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠of this episode. If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠. We appreciate your support! 

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We were so excited to interview K.A. Cobell about her debut novel, ⁠Looking for Smoke⁠, which comes out June 4, 2024. K.A. is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation. She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she spends her time writing books, chasing her kids through the never-ending rain, and scouring the inlet beaches for sand dollars and hermit crabs.

In the interview, we discussed how K.A. decided to write a thriller that focused on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement, selected the four main characters and wrote it from their perspectives, portrayed the characters' identities and complex emotions, and displayed the resilience of the Blackfeet people. 

To learn more about K.A. Cobell, please visit: 

• her website: kacobell.com (which includes her novel's educators' guide and resources about MMIW)⁠

• her Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/ka_cobell

Thanks to Chris for our music, Heather and Lizzie for their assistance, Dorothy for her editing skills, and our patrons for their financial support. 

Please visit our website for a⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠of this episode. If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠. We appreciate your support! 

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We discuss ⁠⁠⁠⁠Flamer⁠ by Mike Curato, which was first published in 2020. This graphic novel received a Lambda Literary Award, which recognizes excellent LGBTQ+ literature, as well as several starred reviews. Flamer was fifth on the ALA's list of the most challenged books in 2023 and fourth in 2022.

In this episode, we discuss our opinions of the book's characters, themes, and significance. Please listen to our twenty-fifth episode for a discussion of why this book has been banned.

Thanks to Chris for our music, to Heather and Lizzie for their assistance, to Dorothy for our audio editing, and to our patrons for their financial support! Please visit our website for a⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠of this episode. If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. 

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

Happy National Library Week! We are sharing a song by Dharmika, an artist and fellow advocate, called "I'll Read That Next."

You can find "I'll Read That Next" on Spotify and other streaming platforms: https://open.spotify.com/track/0XBI080NU6Sz9pNJYy1zIF.

To find Dharmika, please visit her social media accounts @dharmikamusic:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dharmikamusic
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dharmikamusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dharmikamusic

Additionally, this week, the ALA released its list of the top 10 most challenged books in 2023. You can find more information about the books here: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10. We have already discussed four of the books on the list and will discuss more soon. Thanks for joining us in fighting censorship!

We discuss ⁠Flamer by Mike Curato, which was first published in 2020. This graphic novel received a Lambda Literary Award, which recognizes excellent LGBTQ+ literature, as well as several starred reviews. Flamer was fifth on the ALA's list of the most challenged books in 2023 and fourth in 2022.

In this episode, we discuss why Flamer has been banned. We also offer our assessment of its pros and cons. Please listen to our twenty-sixth episode for a close reading of the book.

Some of the sources mentioned in this episode:

• ⁠https://pen.org/mike-curato-flamer-interview
• https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/flamer
  
• ⁠https://www.jstor.org/stable/40364966
• https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-69392-3_16
  
• https://www.npr.org/2020/10/22/926285834/flamer-offers-real-hope-not-just-rainbows-to-queer-kids
  

Thanks to Chris for our music, to Heather and Lizzie for their assistance, to Dorothy for our audio editing, and to our patrons for their financial support! Please visit our website for a⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠of this episode. If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. 

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We were so excited to interview F.T. Lukens about their new book, Otherworldly, which comes out April 2, 2024. F.T. is a New York Times bestselling author of YA speculative fiction, including the novels Spell Bound, So This Is Ever After, and In Deeper Waters.

In the interview, we discussed how F.T. created a queer normative world and incorporated particular myths and ideas, portrayed the characters and relationships in certain ways, and explored concepts like faith, skepticism, and agency. We really enjoyed talking with them.

To learn more about F.T. Lukens, please visit: 

• their website: www.ft-lukens.com

• their Instagram: instagram.com/ftlukens

Thanks to Chris for our music, Heather and Lizzie for their assistance, Dorothy for her editing skills, and our patrons for their financial support. 

Please visit our website for a⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠of this episode. If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠. We appreciate your support! 

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

Thanks to Heather for joining us again to discuss ⁠Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.⁠ by Judy Blume, which was first published in 1970. Blume's popular novel has frequently been challenged since then; in the 1990s, it was the 60th most challenged book during that decade.

In this episode, we share our favorite scenes and book covers and discuss why the book was meaningful to us. Please listen to the twenty-third episode for our discussion of why this book has been banned.

Thanks to Chris for our music, to Heather and Lizzie for their assistance, to Dorothy for our audio editing, and to our patrons for their financial support! Please visit our website for a⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠of this episode. If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. 

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We were so excited to interview R.A. Spratt, the bestselling author of many books for children, including the Friday Barnes, The Peski Kids, and The Adventures of Nanny Piggins series. She is also the host of a popular podcast, Bedtime Stories with R.A. Spratt. Her new book, Hamlet Is Not Ok, was released in the United States on March 12, 2024; it was released in Australia in 2023. 

In the interview, we discussed how R.A. Spratt became a writer, chose to write about Hamlet, decided to portray the characters and discuss mental illness in certain ways, and approaches her work now. We had so much fun talking with her.

To learn more about R.A. Spratt, please visit: 

• her website: https://raspratt.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raspratt
• her podcast: https://bedtimestories.buzzsprout.com

Thanks to Chris for our music, Heather and Lizzie for their assistance, Dorothy for her editing skills, and our patrons for their financial support. 

Please visit our website for a⁠⁠ ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ ⁠⁠of this episode. If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. Please consider supporting our podcast on ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠. We appreciate your support! 

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We discuss Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume, which was first published in 1970. Blume's popular novel has frequently been challenged since then; in the 1990s, it was the 60th most challenged book during that decade. It has also been included on multiple lists of the best novels for children.

In this episode, we discuss why Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. has been banned. We also offer our assessment of its pros and cons. Please listen to our twenty-fourth episode for a close reading of the book.

Some of the sources mentioned in this episode:

• https://www.booksontrial.com/are-you-there-god-its-me-margaret-the-passages-that-got-this-book-banned/

• https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/story/2023-05-05/opinion-how-did-judy-blumes-story-are-you-there-god-its-me-margaret-effect-readers

• https://sojo.net/articles/puberty-spiritual-are-you-there-god-it-s-me-margaret 

• https://afuse8production.slj.com/2020/10/08/are-you-there-god-its-me-a-historical-novel-margaret-turns-50/ 

• https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/04/29/judy-blume-books-are-still-transgressive-00094250
  

Thanks to Chris for our music, to Heather and Lizzie for their assistance, to Dorothy for our audio editing, and to our patrons for their financial support! Please visit our website for a⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠of this episode. If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. 

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians

We discuss ⁠This Book Is Gay⁠ by Juno Dawson, which was the tenth-most-challenged book in 2022. First published in 2014 and revised in 2021, This Book Is Gay was included on the ALA's Over the Rainbow Project book list in 2016.

In this episode, we share our favorite chapters and discuss why the book was meaningful to us. Please listen to the twenty-first episode for our discussion of why this book has been banned.

Thanks to Chris for our music, to Dorothy for our audio editing, and to our patrons for their financial support! Please visit our website for a⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠transcript⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠of this episode. If you would like to join our conversation, please visit ⁠⁠theroguelibrarians.com⁠⁠ or follow us on social media. 

Linktree: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Instagram: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Facebook: ⁠⁠@roguelibrarianspod⁠⁠ 

Patreon: ⁠⁠patreon.com/roguelibrarians