Insightfully Immersed and Influential
Devilish advocacy
Hi Friends:
Because writer’s block isn’t the same as censorship, this issue includes:
A sip…
Although absinthe was banned, the muse contends that statutory illegality would cause Sazarac to be considered non-existent…
Stupid is contagious; perhaps it is time to ban/challenge ignorance, not books? -Anonymous Well-Dressed Grey Haired Lady at Recent Wine Tasting
A shout out…
If youth is wasted on the young, author, producer, and speaker Angie Thomas is old enough to be among the first to dispute that. Living proof that many good things
come from below the Mason-Dixon Line, she is one of the successful litigants in the recent court ruling against Florida’s book restriction law.
The first Black student to graduate from the Belhaven University creative writing program (BFA, 2011), she is best known for writing the banned and challenged young adult novel The Hate U Give, lists Tupac Shakur as a creative inspiration, and adamantly believes writing is a form of activism.
A writer committed to showing truth and tearing down stereotypes with two of her six titles (already) adapted into films. Her production company, A Tough ACT Productions, is dedicated to showcasing stories of Black Girl Magic and Black Boy Joy on screens.
The inaugural winner of the Walter Dean Myers Grant (2015), a bestseller and native Mississippian now based in Atlanta, she also holds an unofficial degree in Hip Hop, perhaps because she is also old enough to understand the importance of promoting empathy and of writing something so political that it feels personal.
A chaser…
Velshi Banned Book Club presents ‘The Hate U Give’ with Angie Thomas
A sentence…
Prompts inspired by The Hate U Give:
“It’s dope to be black until it’s hard to be black.”
“Intentions always look better on paper than in reality.”
“People say misery loves company, but I think it’s like that with anger too.”
“Don’t let them put words in your mouth. God gave you a brain. You don’t need theirs.”
“What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”
“Once you’ve seen how broken someone is it’s like seeing them naked—you can’t look at them the same anymore.”
“People like us in situations like this become hashtags, but they rarely get justice. I think we all wait for that one time though, that one time when it ends right.”
“That’s the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What’s the point of having a voice if you’re gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn’t be?”
“Funny. Slave masters thought they were making a difference in black people’s lives too. Saving them from their “wild African ways.” Same shit, different century. I wish people like them would stop thinking that people like me need saving.”
A snack pairing…
While there aren’t specific dishes definitively attributed to originating in Jackson, MS, the city is known for Comeback Sauce, a creamy, tangy, and savory condiment with a hint of spice.
A sweet melody…
Mississippi is the birthplace of the Blues, and Jackson is the center of Delta Blues - characterized by a raw, stripped-down sound featuring acoustic guitar with slide techniques, raw vocals, and sometimes harmonica, and Blue Monday Jam at Hal & Mal’s:
A book list…
A few titles featuring a young protagonist navigating constrained space:
Dear Martin, by Nic Stone
American Street, by Ibi Zobo
Promise Boys, by Nick Brooks
The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
Anger is a Gift, by Mark Oshiro
Monster, by Walter Dean Myers
Tyler Johnson Was Here, by Jay Coles
This Is My America, by Kim Johnson
Ghost Boys, by Jewell Parker Rhodes
The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
The Sun Is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon
Monday’s Not Coming, by Tiffany D. Jackson
The Black Kids, by Christina Hammonds Reed
Love, Hate, and Other Filters, by Samira Ahmed
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
A literary freebie…
The List of the Most Banned and Challenged Books
A literary listicle…
Jackson, MS, has its history, but there is more to Angie Thomas’ birthplace than its recent water crisis. Its inspiration includes:
A chance to follow the Freedom Trail;
Sugar’s Place, the tiny wing shack with no printed menu;
Tougaloo College, the academic grounds that hosted The Tougaloo Nine;
Shopping farm fresh and city sweet at Foot Print, the largest urban farm in the state; and
An opportunity to explore the movement that changed the world within the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.
A few useful tips…
On writing a banned book:
Personify addiction;
Use profanity gratuitously;
Include perversions and proclivities;
Explore complex and overlooked themes;
Take an unfavorable political or social stand;
Write what is unsuited for general audiences; and
Acknowledge every iteration of sexual intercourse imaginable.
A few contests…
Bardsy Fall First Chapter Anthology Contest
Commonwealth Short Story Prize
WOW! Creative Non-Fiction Essay Contest
WOW! Fall Flash Fiction Contest
A few creative resets…
Multi-Date Options
A fee-based accountability/retreat/workshop opportunity…
Series
October 9th – October 11th
Sholeh Wolpé on Attar’s The Conference of the Birds ($150)
A few fellowship/grant/scholarship opportunities…
Massachusetts Grants for Creative Individuals
Nebraska Individual Fellowships
North Carolina Artist Support Grants
Silvers Grants for Work in Progress
Southarts Creative Practice Grants
A few teaching artists’ opportunities…
A few freelance opportunities…
Cake Zine is seeking pitches that explore the cultural impact of red meat and the classic steakhouse, as well as unexpected non-fiction stories that take a broad approach to steak.
Contingent Magazine is seeking essay pitches offering historical perspectives on monsters in any geographic or temporal context.
The European Correspondent is currently accepting pitches for stories from freelance journalists across the European Union.
Fatherly is currently accepting pitches for its Gear, Life, and Health & Science verticals.
Gizmodo is seeking Freelance News Writers to produce news stories for their Tech News vertical. jobs@gizmodo.com
Heat Death is seeking to commission guest essays and pieces that delve deeply into history, ecology, culture, and the unexpected intersections between them.
The Local Magazine seeks pitches for stories about privatization and the intersections of money and health.
The Motley Fool is seeking a Freelance Financial Copyeditor & Fact-Checker.
The National Forest Foundation is seeking essay pitches about recreating in a National Forest or Grassland.
New Lines is seeking pitches for a review-essay on boys and men, connecting the Netflix series Adolescence, Richard Reeves’s work, Scott Galloway’s new book Notes on Being a Man, ‘To Be A Boy’ podcast, Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys (UK), Michael Smerconish’s CNN special, and related stuff.
Publicis Health is looking for Freelance Copywriters.
QueerAF is seeking four early-career, emerging, unpublished, or marginalized Black LGBTQIA+ journalists to write think pieces.
A few submission opportunities…
Blackbird Journal has an open call for fiction submissions.
The Fiddlehead is open to writers with disabilities for an upcoming themed issue, Disability: The Revolution.
Flame Tree seeks fiction that embraces the horror/thriller genres with elements of bleak, black humor, wry observation, a touch of irony and satire, and hints of the absurd for an upcoming anthology.
Flash Fiction Online is open for submissions of all genres and topics of flash fiction.
Faun By Moonlight seeks stories that feature complex characters, trust the intelligence of their readers, and defy easy categorization.
Into the Deep, Dark Woods Anthology seeks PG-13 story submissions with the setting of deep, dark woods at the heart of the story.
The Paris Review is accepting submissions for prose, poetry, and translation.
Solarpunk Magazine seeks submissions in any genre of sci-fi with apparent but not dominant speculative elements.
A few sessions & workshops…
October 7th
October 8th
October 9th
Creative Spark Writing Workshop
Heirlooms: Creative Life Writing Workshop - Ancestor Writing
October 10th
October 11th
Multi-Date Options
Culture Yard Creative Writing Workshop
Friday Evening Shut Up & Write! Session
Infusing Activism into Writing Workshop
Next Chapters Creative Writing Group
A few virtual artist/author/creative events…
October 7th
October 8th
October 9th
BookWoman 2nd Thursday Poetry presents Courtney LeBlanc and Valerie Nies
A few virtual book/script clubs and discussions…
Limitless Stories Book Club – The Mountain is You
Mystery Book Club: The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson
Page Turners Virtual Monthly Book Club
SBC Virtual Pajama Party Readathon
Spiritual Soul Sisters Book Club
Virtual Silent Book Club of Death
And a final thought…
Hi there,
Banned Books Week (US) 2025 began yesterday.
Still, I take the core principle, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” as enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, very seriously—and that includes reading whatever I choose.
What is your favorite banned or censored book?
On a related note, reading is fundamental, and eating is also -and that is why this post includes embedded links; if you purchase a book after clicking on one, I will earn a commission.
Read critically, and take it easy,
And another bold, clever issue—equal parts bite and brilliance. 🖋️ That quote—“ban ignorance, not books”—lingers like good absinthe.