This August we’re talking about book bans and how they affect our community, as well as the general public, and what you can do to help keep our literature on the shelves.

• Kris Bryant will be hosting a writing session on Tuesday, September 9 at 6 p.m. CT

• Avery will lead a meetup on Saturday, September 20 at 11 a.m. MT to discuss book bans

News Roundup

Book Ban Related

Beginning with good news, Judge Carlos Mendoza of the U.S. Middle District Court of Florida has ruled in a 50-page decision, available here, that the law used to pull books from Florida public schools is "overbroad and unconstitutional." The ruling states that the law encourages removal of any material with "sexual conduct"–a phrase with no specific parameters, per the state. The court ruling emphasizes that materials are to be judged by the prevailing Supreme Court standard known as the Miller Test. The Miller Test requires review of the materials as a whole, rather than through passages or excerpts. This applies even when reviewing materials for children. The ruling specifically states that Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (among others) is not obscene. Florida’s governor announced that the ruling is being appealed.

Prior to the court’s ruling, eight Florida public school districts agreed to remove any of 55 titles on their shelves deemed to have "sexual content." Removals will be done without formal review of the titles. The districts who have agreed to removals publicly include Hillsborough, Broward, Columbia, Escambia, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Palm Beach, Pinellas, and St. Johns. Among those banned are Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo and One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. It is as yet unclear if the districts will refrain from these removals based on the court’s ruling.

Ballotpedia put together a map of all the states with laws related to school library materials.

Both Florida and Texas have some of the most dedicated anti-book ban and intellectual freedom fighters on the ground. If you haven’t gotten to know the Florida Freedom to Read Project, the Texas Freedom to Read Project, or the Texas FReadom Fighters , no better time than now.

A new national survey of 4,096 secondary English teachers offers urgent insight into how censorship unfolds in K-12 schools, and who really bears the burden. This research, published in Reading Research Quarterly, is a pivotal resource for advocates of intellectual freedom, educators, and community organizers pushing back against book bans. Read the full report here. Among the teachers surveyed, 1,793 reported that books were censored in their schools, underlining the prevalence of censorship across districts. The study revealed troubling patterns:

• Teachers in suburban or more affluent schools were more likely to report censorship.

• For every 10% increase in the percentage of white students, the odds of censorship rose by 4.8%.

• Schools in the South Atlantic states experienced five times more censorship than those in New England.

• Overall, teachers in the South were 3.7 times more likely to face censorship compared to those in the Northeast.

Long Beach Public Library (CA) is joining Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned program, providing even more access to ebooks for young people.

International News

The UK’s LGBTQ Polari Prize 2025 (similar to the Lammies and Goldies) has faced backlash, including some authors withdrawing and a judge resigning from the UK’s leading LGBTQ+ writing award, after self-described ‘TERF’ author John Boyne’s novel Earth was included. Boyne is a friend of Harry Potter author JK Rowling; in July this year, he wrote a tribute to Rowling in the Irish Independent, in which he described himself as a “fellow TERF” – a trans exclusionary radical feminist.

In a statement issued on August 18th, Polari organizers confirmed that this year’s proceedings had been put on hold in the wake of the backlash, which has seen other nominated authors withdraw from the competition. “We have decided as a result to pause the prize this year while we increase representation of trans and gender non-conforming judges on the panels for all the awards and undertake a governance and management review to include our aims and values and work to better support everyone within our LGBTQ+ Polari community. We have already secured strong representation for next year, which we will build on.”

From Jae: Itch.io, a digital storefront that has been increasingly used by indie authors to sell their books, has de-indexed all "Not Safe For Work" content, including many LGBTQ+ e-books. That means they will no longer appear in searches, making them basically invisible to readers unless they have a direct link to a specific book. Apparently, Collective Shout, an Australian "anti-pornography" group with ties to the religious right, got payment processors (Stripe, Visa, and Mastercard) to put pressure on Itch.io to remove content they deemed objectionable. As you can imagine, LGBTQ+ content is especially affected by this shadow ban. For more details and ways to fight back, check out this article by Press Space to Jump.

Girl Guides of Canada says it is pausing all trips to the U.S. starting next month over concerns some members could be impacted by border changes put in place by the Trump administration.

In an email to Global News, the organization said it had made the decision to pause U.S.-bound trips as of Sept. 1 “after careful consideration.” “This decision is rooted in our commitment to inclusivity and the safety of all our members,” Girl Guides wrote. “At Girl Guides of Canada, we prioritize creating a safe, inclusive and accepting environment for all members. These values extend to the travel experiences we offer.”

—by Cindy Rizzo

SASS Book Ban Panel Discussion

Anna Burke chats with Macon Leigh, M.J. Lowe, Tagan Shepard, and Salem West about book bans, supporting libraries during this time, and how readers and authors can fight back.

Resources:

• ALA Book Ban Data

• Five Ways to Fight Book Bans

• The National Coalition Against Censorship

• Every Library

• National Council of Teachers of English

• Banned Book Statistics

• Red, Wine & Blue

• We Need Diverse Books

Book Bans by the Numbers

The number of banned books has been increasing at an alarming rate over the last few years. PEN America analyzed book bans in public schools nationwide for the past three years. In that short time, the instances of book bans jumped from 2,532 to over 10,000, with the number of unique titles banned increasing from 1,643 to 4,218.

In the 2025 analysis of the 4,218 banned titles, PEN America found that certain identities are overwhelmingly targeted with 36% (1,534 titles) of banned titles featuring characters or people of color and 25% (1,066 titles) featuring LGBTQ+ characters or people. Of the banned titles with LGBTQ+ characters, 28% included trans and/or genderqueer characters. In addition, many banned books feature multiple marginalized identities; 54% of books with LGBTQ+ characters or people also included characters or people of color.

Banned graphic and illustrated titles play an important role in erasing LGBTQ+ identities by not allowing readers to see depictions of marginalized identities. Of these titles, 73% featured visuals with LGBTQ+ representation, people or characters of color, or depictions of race or racism. Of the banned picture books, 64% had pictures or illustrations depicting LGBTQ+ characters or stories.

Of all banned titles, 20% contained LGBTQ+ themes or metaphors and 20% addressed race and racism.

Which books are being banned? Here is the list of the most banned books from the 2023-2024 school year. PEN America also compiled a banned book reading list for Pride month.

In addition to PEN America’s analyses, the American Library Association compiled the following general data on efforts to censor library materials in 2024, providing important insights into who is challenging books and where the challenges are taking place.

—by Avery Brooks 

Helping Your Public Library in Perilous Times

Libraries, especially Public Libraries, are under attack in both ludicrous and dangerously organized ways. Book banning requests come from people who have never read the book in question, and don’t live in the state, let alone the library’s service area. Books with diverse content of any kind, especially queer, are on their radar.  There are defunding efforts in the name of “government efficiency.” This is especially true with the efforts to defund the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Funding from the IMLS is distributed to public libraries across the country, particularly in rural areas where the library is one of the few resources still available to folks. In the current political climate, these attacks are likely to get worse.  

What can you do?

Get a library card. Search for and check out the kind of books you want in your library. If you’re not finding your favorite author, request their books. Request queer and culturally diverse titles to be added to the library’s physical and e-content collection. Be sure to request a hold for the book. Because you don’t just think the library “should” have it; you want to check it out. Libraries tend to take that request more seriously. Besides, this way you know they ordered it.  When the books arrive, check them out! Show the library “those books” are wanted! Circulation statistics are part of what drives collection development. Return them in a timely manner, of course.

Check your local library’s collection policies. It’s possible that donating books isn’t the best way to get a title into your library. Sometimes donated books end up in the library’s annual book sale. This can depend on their acquisition policy and their business contracts, which might include some processing and cataloging. Depending on the library system, it can cost a library more in labor and processing if a book is donated. Instead, you might donate money for a particular title or subject. These policies or procedures are often on the library’s website. If you’re not seeing them, ask staff.

Volunteer your time to the library friends’ group. Find out if your library is run via a Board of Trustees or another method. Attend meetings! Most places have public meetings whether it’s part of the city council or a Board of Trustees and in our post-Covid world, you might be able to do so virtually. Find out what issues the library is dealing with. Consider running for a Board position. Be informed and participate! 

Vote. Assuming we will have the opportunity in the future, do not let this civic duty slide.

—by M.J. Lowe

Action Items

Alarmed by the escalating attempts to censor books? Here are six steps you can take now to protect the freedom to read.

1. Follow news and social media in your community and state to keep apprised of organizations working to censor library or school materials.

2. Show up for library workers at school or library board meetings and speak as a library advocate and community stakeholder who supports a parent’s right to restrict reading materials for their own child but not for all

3. Help provide a safety net for library professionals as they defend intellectual freedom in their communities by giving to the LeRoy C. Merritt Humanitarian Fund.

4. Educate friends, neighbors, and family members about censorship and how it harms communities. Share information from Banned Books Week.

5. Join the Unite Against Book Bans movement and visit our Fight Censorship page to learn what you can do to defend the freedom to read in your community

6. Become a Supporter of the American Library Association and help ALA fight for libraries and everyone’s freedom to read.

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Teachers & Writers Magazine is seeking submissions to its Banned Books Writing Prompts series until August 31st! T&W publishes this series with the aim to push back against the growing movement to censor what students can read and to show what happens when we enthusiastically embrace banned works rather than fear them. Do you have a favorite banned book? Do you have writing prompts for that book that can be used in a creative writing classroom? Please share this with us! 

To learn more about the Banned Books Writing Prompts series, you can read Editor Susan Karwoska's introduction to the series here, and you can explore past pieces published in the series here. All submissions are reviewed in Submitable. Please read our complete submission guidelines before submitting. 

* * *

This is a handy guide on how education laws are made and how you can have an impact. Also, School Boards Matter: A Guide to Effectively Advocating at the School Board Level contains information aimed at helping readers understand how school boards operate, including how to understand meeting schedules, follow local policies, and develop talking points. The guide also contains information on how to give impactful public comments and create LGBTQ+-friendly initiatives.

—by Cindy Rizzo

Quick Marketing Tips for a Graphic Promotion

Toni Logan shares her tips for creating an eye-catching promotional graphic to market your book.

Submitting Your Work to a Traditional Publisher: Some Dos and Don’ts

Note: This is not meant to represent any particular publisher’s submissions instructions. Rather, it’s meant as a set of guidelines/strong suggestions for authors considering submitting their work to a publisher that invites unagented submissions.

So, you’ve decided to test the waters of traditional publishing. You’re ready to submit your novel—your blood, sweat, and tears—for publication consideration. You’ve gotten beta-reader feedback and self-edited and polished your manuscript and taken it as far as you can take it on your own. You’ve done your due diligence, and you’ve identified the publisher who seems like the best fit for you.

DO:

• Create a dedicated professional email address. Do not create it on Yahoo! or AOL (do they even exist anymore?) because those domains get funneled to spam by many ISPs, and especially since you’ll be sending email with attachments, you want to maximize the odds that your email gets where it’s been sent.

• After you’ve finished your last polish of the manuscript, run spellcheck again.

• Check the publisher’s website for info on submissions. If you don’t see it, search the homepage for “submission” or “publish”; every publisher has this information on their website, even Penguin Random House. If you can’t find it after searching, email the publisher for guidance.

• Verify that the publisher is open for submissions. Some publishers accept submissions all year round. Others open and close their submissions. A publisher not accepting submissions right now will note this on their website.

• Follow instructions. Different publishers ask for different things. Some want the whole manuscript. Some want just a summary. Some want a few chapters.

  • Format the manuscript per publisher guidelines. If no guidelines are supplied, you’re safe with 1” margins all around, Word docx, Times New Roman 12pt, double spaced, number your pages.

  • Supply whatever information is requested about your book and about your writing. They’re not being nosy; they’re deciding whether to invest thousands of dollars in your writing career.

  • Tip: If a publisher wants a summary, they want you to spoil the ending.

• Add the email address you’ve submitted to to your friends list or safe senders list, so that when the publisher emails you, the message won’t go to your spam folder. With that said, check your spam folder daily until you’ve received acknowledgment of your submission.

• If a week has passed and you’ve received no acknowledgment of your submission, follow up with the publisher.

• Publishers generally state a time to decision. If two weeks have passed beyond their longest estimated time to decision, you can follow up, or you can wait.

• Start working on your next book.

• If after reviewing your manuscript the publisher gives you editorial notes and invites you to revise and resubmit, take this invitation seriously.

DON’T:

• Most publishers explicitly state in their instructions that they will not review simultaneous submissions. Do not submit to more than one publisher at a time.

• If your book is based on or inspired by intellectual property that is not either owned by you or in the public domain, don’t hide this information when you submit it to a publisher for consideration. Revealing this information is absolutely not a deal-breaker, but the publisher will want to make an informed decision, and familiarity with source material may be part of the editorial process. Publishers and editors are not psychic, and they’re not going to recognize every kind of source material. You do not want a proofreader to identify something as fanfic a week before your book goes to print.

• Don’t assume that a long wait means a no.

• Don’t continue to revise your manuscript (or the part of the manuscript you submitted) while waiting for an answer (see “Start working on your next book” above).

• Don’t copy/paste the cover email you used for one publisher when submitting to another. Not only will this ensure that you don’t accidentally send incomplete information—each publisher wants different info in the cover email—but it will save you from accidentally copying the salutation line.

• Don’t be discouraged. Different publishers are looking for different things.

• On the other hand, don’t ignore a “revise and resubmit” as just another rejection. It is not.

The right publisher can be an amazing partner for your writing career. Best of luck on your submissions journey, and here’s to great success at your destination.

—by Ruth Sternglantz

Sapphic Culture

My Own Personal L Word

When my wife and I first met in grad school in 2007, my sexuality was more theoretical than anything else. I had never had a serious relationship, and I’d hardly dated (I was a late bloomer).

When I met Charlotte, I felt an immediate attraction. She was at least a thousand times cooler than I was and had read a thousand more books than I had (not an exaggeration). She was also confident in identifying as an out lesbian whereas I…was not. I still didn’t know what exactly I was.

It didn’t take long for me to realize I was falling in love with Charlotte. We were in the same cohort in our doctorate, we shared an office, and we even TA’ed for the same professor our first semester. We were also spending a lot of our free time together off campus, often watching movies or TV shows.

One day—I don’t remember exactly when—she suggested we watch The L Word together while hanging out. At first, I thought she was referring to the HBO show about Mormon polygamy (Big Love), so it was both a pleasant surprise as well as a titillating thrill when we first sat down on the couch together, and I realized that this was a show about lesbians. Stormy arguments. Married lesbians. Bisexuals. Established lesbians and theoretical lesbians and everything in between.

With lots of steamy lesbian sex.

Watching The L Word made me feel like I came from a sheltered background indeed. Here was a show that unabashedly represented lesbians living out loud as their own authentic selves; it was a show that, regardless of its imperfections, at the time, made the explicit argument that lesbians were sexy, lesbians were normal people, and lesbians were here to stay.

My experience until meeting Charlotte had been very sheltered indeed, when it came to LGBTQ topics. There had been no GSA in my high school; in fact no one had been out in my high school in the late 90s. I had no lesbian or bisexual female friends in college either, and I knew few queer people of any kind at that point. To watch a show all about lesbians, in particular, felt revolutionary and exciting.

To watch the show on the couch next to my own personal Shane…well, that was another story. Let me just say, by the end of the semester, I was professing my love for Charlotte, my romantic and sexual attraction most definitely not theoretical any longer.

When I think back on that fall semester eighteen years ago, I have to wonder: did she do it on purpose? Was I wooed by my wife via queer media? Aside from The L Word, we watched the American version of Queer as Folk and the miniseries Tipping the Velvet all while supposedly “just friends.” All at her suggestion. The thought now makes me smile.

Looking back, I can see that The L Word, if not the only reason we got together, certainly speeded things along by making loving a woman seem possible, normal, and incredibly sexy, satisfying, exciting, and fulfilling.

—by Ursula Klein

Reader’s Nook

An exclusive clip of the incredible Quinn Riley narrating Bloom Town: Genesis

An excerpt from Melissa Brayden’s upcoming release Can We Skip to the Good Part?

Chapter Three: Porchlight Chemistry

 Max wasn’t sure what made her ask Ella to take a walk, other than the obvious. She wanted a few more minutes with her. First of all, she was captivating. Pretty and blond, with eyes that latched onto anything she found intriguing, which tonight had been a lot. They were newly into September, which meant the days were chilly but the evenings were cold. At least tonight there was no harsh wind to brace against and a nice bright sky to enjoy. It almost felt like the stars had joined them for their walk. “So, what’s your story, Ella?”

Ella eased her hands into her pockets and glanced over at Max as they walked. “I was at a crossroads in my life, and a good friend suggested I move to where she lived here in Everly Springs. That’s code for I lost my job and needed a clean slate.”

Max nodded. “Completely understandable. I see a lot of that.”

“At work? What do you do?” They followed the road as it curved to the right.

“I’m an attorney who specializes in mediation. Mainly for divorcing couples.”

Ella’s brows shot up. “Oh, so you really do see people looking for a new start.”

“I’m the local expert,” she said with a sardonic laugh.

“No wonder you’re a romance skeptic.”

“I’m not a skeptic when it comes to romance. I believe it’s real. It’s just not as monumental as those kinds of books would have us believe. Doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy pretending.”

“Pretending! Listen to you. I just got here, and you’re already trying to kill it for me.”

Max laughed. This woman was beyond cute. She wanted to take her to bed and maybe protect her from the world for as long as possible. Did she go there, or just let things be what they were? “I would never want to do that. I like that we disagree. It will make our life together more interesting. Our grandchildren will enjoy the bickering as they eat pancakes in the kitchen.”

Ella laughed loudly. “Wow. I’m coming up short after that one.”

Max softened. “I’m kidding. You’ll learn I like to tease.”

 But …”

“Yes?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but did we have a moment earlier tonight?”

“I think that’s left to one’s interpretation.”

“Okay. What’s yours?” Ella asked. She seemed nervous, which just made Max like her all the more.

“We definitely did.”

“Oh.”

Max couldn’t tell if she was blushing because her cheeks were already pink from the cold. What she did notice, however, was that she was not wearing gloves and was rubbing her hands together.

Max stopped them beneath the streetlight. “Where are your gloves? Give me your hands.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Ella said, but she placed her hands in Max’s. Max was wearing her cashmere-lined leather gloves and used them to cover Ella’s likely frozen fingers.

“I don’t have to. No.” She met Ella’s gaze and lost herself in those blue eyes that were both beautiful and sincere. Max was a sucker for that very combo. A flutter arrived in her midsection, confirming the attraction. The two of them just stood like that, content in the silence underscored by the very distant buzz of the haloed streetlight.

“I wonder if the others are wondering what happened to us.” Ella’s voice was quieter now. Her gaze didn’t move from Max’s.

“They probably forgot all about us.”

“Yeah.”

She was hypnotized and in love with this moment. She would stand on this street corner with this captivating woman for hours if she could. How long had it been since someone truly snagged her attention in this short a period? And right after she’d denounced romance in front of Sonya and the book club. Almost as if fate was daring her.

“Let’s get a drink sometime.”

Ella blinked. “Yeah. Let’s do that.” The way her mouth formed the words sent a ripple through Max’s midsection. She wasn’t the type of woman who could let a moment like this pass unseized. It needed something, and she knew just what. Without waiting, she took one step in and caught Ella’s mouth with hers. Satisfaction rained down in heaps when Ella kissed her back, slow and perfect. God, she could have luxuriated in those lips all day, lost herself on the street corner, and never regretted a second of it.

She pulled back ever so slightly and locked onto the blue eyes. “Had to.” Her hand was still on Ella’s chin.

“Do you always act on impulse?” she asked, looking up at Max, her breasts pressing against her white sweater, visible beneath her unzipped coat. Max had been aware of the perfect way it hugged her curves all night.

“No. That’s the tricky thing about tonight. I seemed to have left my control back there. Or you absconded with it when you arrived.”

“Absconded is a big word.”

“If that impresses you, I have lots more words I can say.” Max straightened fully and took a step back. She enjoyed their volleys. Ella was quick in addition to attractive.

“Let’s not go using them all up,” Ella said and passed her a grin.

“Yet, you mean.”

Ella watched her as if trying to figure this all out. “Wow. You are very unexpected.” She whispered with her eyes bright. Max loved the shade of blue, somewhere between slate and sky.

Max handed over her phone. “Give me your number so we can schedule that drink.”

Ella typed and returned it. “If nothing else, I’ll see you at next week’s meeting.”

“I don’t want to wait. I want to hear all about Tulsa.”

“Oh, you do, huh? Tulsa is riveting conversation material for you?”

Max nodded eagerly. “Hell yeah, it is. Oklahoma is on my list of must-get-to destinations. You can tell me all the ins and outs.”

“Tornados.”

Max raised a brow. “Mhmm. All about those.”

“Ranching.”

“Riveting.”

Ella offered a sideways smile that Max liked very much. “Even got a little oil and gas to toss in.”

“See?” She leaned in close. “Now, how can I resist drilling stories?”

“I had no idea you had such strong feelings on the topic. I guess you’ve found the right girl to get drinks with then,” Ella said, holding her ground.

“My lucky night.”

“It’s also a cold night. Walk back with me?”

“What? Before we get into even more trouble?”

“Yes, Counselor.”

The SASS newsletter provides our community with information, analysis, resources, and even short sapphic fiction to keep us informed, mobilized, and connected. By working together to defend our community, our literature and our livelihoods, we can surmount the obstacles placed in our path and thrive!