Podcast appearances and mentions of David Levithan

Our website - www.perksofbeingabooklover.com. Instagram - @perksofbeingabookloverpod Facebook - Perks of Being a Book Lover. To send us a message go to our website and click the Contact button. You can find Alyson Richman at www.alysonrichman.com or on IG @alysonrichman.   If you're a historical fiction lover, you've probably read something by Alyson Richman. She's the author of 11 novels, including The Missing Pages, which was published last fall. We were delighted that she agreed to come on the show and speak to us about this book, although we did sneak in a question about The Velvet Hours published in 2016, which our book club read many years ago. It is about a real Paris courtesan in the Belle Epoque who in her later years as World War II approaches shares her life story with her granddaughter.   The Missing Pages is a historical fiction novel that is about a man's love of books, but it is also a ghost tale, a romance, and a story of the Titanic all rolled into one. Richman is known for making the reader feel the sumptuous details of the world she is writing about, and she does it again in this book.   Our book rec segment of the show is all about musicians, but we're not talking solely about musician memoirs, although we do have one of those. We've got a children's nonfiction book about a Ukrainian pianist who performed for Nazsis, a National Book Award winner, a mystery about a stolen violin, a story about a wedding singer whose own relationship is on the rocks, and a coming of age story set in the 1970s that includes a rock star.    Books Mentioned in This Episode: 1- The Missing Pages by Alyson Richman  2- The Velvet Hours by Alyson Richman  3- The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray  4- All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley  5- Buckeye by Patrick Ryan  6- The Hare with the Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal  7- Underlake by Erin L. McCoy  8- The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower  9- A Five Star Read from fellow Book Lover Anima D. @autopsyofbooks - And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie  10- The Encore by Juliet Izon  11- Songs For Other People's Weddings by David Levithan and Jens Lekman  12- Alias Anna: A True Story of Outwitting the Nazis by Susan Hood and Greg Dawson  13- Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau  14- The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by David Grohl  15- The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb        

A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders from all corners of our community. The show is produced by a collective of media makers, deejays, and activists. Tonight on APEX Express, join the Powerleegirls Host Miko Lee speaks with children's book authors Lorraine Nam, Uma Krishnaswami and Maggie Tokuda-Hall about Library Joy in honor of National School Library Month! To Learn More Lorrraine Nam, illustrator and  author Michael Threet's book: I'm So Happy You're Here: A Celebration of Library Joy    Uma Krishnaswami Her books: Book Uncle Triology   Maggie Tokuda-Hall Her book: Love in the Library  Every Library Authors Against Book Bans   Show Transcript [00:00:00] Opening: Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express.   [00:00:35] Ayame Keane-Lee: Welcome to tonight's episode of Apex Express Celebrating Library Joy. I'm Ayame Keane-Lee the editor of tonight's show, and part of the PowerLeeGirls bringing you the introduction to tonight's show. Did you know that April is National School Library Month and in just 10 days from April 19th to 25th is National Library Week? The theme for this year's National Library Week is Find Your Joy with Honorary Chair Mychal Threets. The first of three interviews you'll hear my mom, Miko Lee have tonight is with Lorraine Nam the illustrator for the newly released children's book written by that very Mychal Threets called, “I'm So Happy You're Here”. You will then hear Miko speak with Uma Krishnaswami about her children's book “Book Uncle and Me,” and lastly with Maggie Tokuda-Hall about her children's book, “Love in the Library,” and the important work of Authors Against Book Bans. As a library kid and current library worker, I have experienced firsthand the transformative power of library access and the importance of inclusive and diverse storytelling. In and out of schools, libraries are vital to nurturing and uplifting the autonomy and sovereignty of children, which always has and continues to be a liberatory practice. We hope tonight's show will inspire you right into your local library to check out some of the great books mentioned here or to put them on hold. Let's listen in.    [00:02:06] Miko Lee: Welcome, Lorraine Nam, illustrator of amazing  children's books. Welcome to Apex Express.    [00:02:13] Lorraine Nam: I'm excited to be here.    [00:02:16] Miko Lee: I wanna start with a question I ask all of my guests, which is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?    [00:02:24] Lorraine Nam: Who are my people? I would say creative people. People who are interested in having an open mind, and looking at the bright side of things, the beautiful things, people who are curious. The type of legacy that I bring I think is just my parents who are creative and then bringing that, to this new generation.    [00:02:57] Miko Lee: Thank you for sharing. I am, I'm looking at your beautiful face, and behind you is this, find your joy and, and it's in lots of colors on this pink banner and in at the top we see opening up of a library door with Mychal Threets, who's the author of this book, “I'm So Happy You're Here: A Celebration of Library Joy.” I'm wondering if you can talk about your collaborative process with Mychal Threets.    [00:03:25] Lorraine Nam: The first impression that you have of writer and illustrator for a picture book is that they work really closely together, and that's actually not the case. We work pretty separately, but I was very excited. Mychal wrote the words to this book and they were looking for an illustrator and my agent called me and she asked me if I was interested. I was very excited about the project. I signed up for it and we worked pretty separately. We connected on Instagram, but he pretty much had no art notes, everything was pretty much whatever I was open to. Then we met for the first time and we got our very first copy of the book and we met in New York.    [00:04:10] Miko Lee: And what was that like?    [00:04:12] Lorraine Nam: Um, amazing. He is exactly who he is in his videos.    [00:04:18] Miko Lee: Can you share for our audience who he is and a little bit more about him, just in case folks don't know.   [00:04:24] Lorraine Nam: The book calls him a librarian ambassador. He describes himself as a reader, a lover of librarians or the number one fan of libraries. This is his first book and he's also the host of Reading Rainbow on PBS. We met at the New York Library, public Library for the first time, and he's just so nice, very kind. Honestly, it felt like we already knew each other just because we had been talking through the publisher about the book.   [00:05:02] Miko Lee: Thank you for sharing. It's so beautifully illustrated and you have a incredibly diverse,, amount of people in the book, both racially but also physically, and I really appreciate how you encapsulated that. I'm just wondering what inspired you to develop this specific imagery for this book?    [00:05:22] Lorraine Nam: Yeah, so one of the only stipulations in the art notes was that he wanted to have a diverse group of people attending the library. People of all ages of all color, all sizes, all disabilities. That seemed like a no brainer to me because I just know the message that he puts into the world. The only difficult part was narrowing down the cast. There's all these different types of people and just trying to figure out who to focus on. I wanted to make sure that you still see the same group of kids over and over. So it felt like you were following the along throughout the day, while still having lots of diversity and lots of different types of people.    [00:06:11] Miko Lee: Had you set what the cover was gonna be at the beginning or did that come after you had already finished the whole book?   [00:06:19] Lorraine Nam: Oh, that came much later. We pretty much had the art for the interior nailed down, and then we were working on concepts for the cover. I knew from Mychal's social media presence that maybe he didn't want to be the poster cover of the book. He wanted to be about the library goers and the people rather than himself. And so I was kind of towing that line of like obviously people wanna see him, it's his first book. They're such huge fans, and so like how much to put Mychal in and how much to showcase him, as well as showcase like all the other people who go to the library.   [00:07:02] Miko Lee: He definitely does have a joyous kind of ebullient vibe to him. I recommend for audience to check out his socials because he has this, you wanna listen to him. He's so inviting and I love the poster behind you because he is saying, like, “welcome, come into the library. This is my world.” And you also made him look so cute. Really looks like a cartoon version of him. So sweet. In your artistic process, I'm wondering what helps you define the style of art you utilize? I'm thinking about the paper cutouts that you did for a tale of two princes. What is it about the work that inspires you to select that type of style?   [00:07:43] Lorraine Nam: I actually had a very winding path to the style that I have today. So the style that I have today is very much layered. It's painted, a lot of it is painted. And then I cut it out and then I glue and collage different elements, and then I scan everything in and enhance certain aspects through Photoshop. But a lot of it started actually in wanting to make a physical book. So it was with book binding and then with book binding, because that's just a technique to produce a product, it was what goes in those pages and that's when I started doing cut paper. So just silhouetted, cut paper. And I was doing that for a long time, just cutting out rice paper to make silhouettes. I wanted to tell more of the story and depict people. So then I started making paper cut [laughs] sets. So I would build —almost like Legos— a whole set of paper buildings and paper people and paper objects that are three dimensional. And then I would photograph them. And then from there, I landed in this more 2D, but playing with still technique and texture and layers.    [00:09:10] Miko Lee: Wow, that's so interesting. Can you share a little bit more about your artistic process? Do you start at a certain time of day? Do you only work at night? Do you have a whole studio set up?   [00:09:20] Lorraine Nam: well, For the book projects because there's such a timeline to 'em and they're very specific. I'll do very loose sketches on Post-it notes. They're readily available and then you can stick two of them next to each other to make a full spread. I use these post-its, and then I would just fold them in half and use that as like very quick pencil drawings. And then if I had something that I liked, I would just go in and pen. But they were still very small. So it was more about looking at silhouettes and composition. And then I would print, it's a very old school technique, but I would print out all the text for the book and cut 'em out. And double sided tape and just stick them on to see where the text should be on the page and where it could fit. I would just do that manually until I had something that I liked a little bit more. Then I would start creating digital, like line drawings.    [00:10:21] Miko Lee: And are you lining this all up on a wall or putting it on the desk?   [00:10:26] Lorraine Nam: Um, so they're in like a notebook.    [00:10:29] Miko Lee: Oh, you put 'em in book format?    [00:10:31] Lorraine Nam: It's all the spread. So it should take about two pages basically. You should be able to look at it and look at it from like an eagle eye perspective of what the entire book will look like and what the flow will be like, and if there's closeups or this is like a far away saying, you get more of the like, setting of the library.   [00:10:52] Miko Lee: And with the font printed out really small so that it's on the bottom of that Post-it note.    [00:10:56] Lorraine Nam: Mm-hmm.    [00:10:57] Miko Lee: Wow, that is so fascinating. And what is it when you're eagle eye-ing, what are you looking for?    [00:11:04] Lorraine Nam: I'm pretending that I'm a kid looking at a book for the first time, with zero context and maybe zero reading level skill and just looking at the pictures and seeing if I can spot the same character and if there is a story that follows along, because this is a library book where it doesn't talk about specific people. I wanted to be able to follow each character in the book and see what their day was like in the library. So when they first came into the library, what they were doing during the day, what friends they made, and then maybe them leaving or, you know, a resolution of some kind, like their parents are checking out symbols at the library.    [00:11:52] Miko Lee: the concept of having the character go throughout the book. Was that in the instruction or was something that you created.   [00:11:59] Lorraine Nam: That was something that I wanted. Because I know looking at picture books, the pictures can also tell a story where, the words, it might not be in the words. So I wanted there to be more of a layered storytelling through image.    [00:12:18] Miko Lee: I appreciate that as a mom. I remember when my girls were little, they would always say, where is that rabbit on the page? Or where is that thing? And so being able to track a character all the way through, is quite delightful. It adds another dimension for the multiple readings. You mentioned before about how you didn't really meet Mychal, the author of the book until the very end, and I guess that's common as an illustrator and you've worked with so many different experts in their fields from, physicist Neil Degrasse Tyson to Skater Nathan Chen. How is their very different fields, how does that impact your art making?    [00:12:57] Lorraine Nam: It's actually the most fun. It's what drew me to illustration in the first place. I love being able to do like a deep dive and a specific subject that I wouldn't necessarily have gravitated towards and do that research. I actually do go to the library. I start the process at the library and I look at all the books about that particular topic, and then see what other people have done. And so working on the book for Neil deGrasse Tyson, it was so much fun looking at different how space is depicted the idea of galaxies and making that tangible and real for kids. And then for Nathan Chen, I was already a fan before I got the project, so it was very easy. But watching the videos, seeing all the different techniques and for his book it was more looking at sports books. Because he's such a unique person in his specific field in figure skating that there weren't very many books on figure skating and most are of a female portrayal. I was looking more at sports and how people show different types of movement, , and show like form. And the more technical aspects that are very, very, very specific and very critical to those things.    [00:14:32] Miko Lee: And how did that manifest into your book?    [00:14:35] Lorraine Nam: Um, a lot of drawings of like, the breakdown of his jumps and trying to figure out can a child do this jump [laughs]? And also doing a lot of research 'cause he's a very private person. His book is not about him, it's not a biography, but it's also loosely based off of him. You know, I have two other siblings. If I had a book based off of me, I want my siblings to be involved and represented in that as well. So I included his family, even though they're not a huge part of the book, his siblings are not like big characters. But they're still represented in there. So he can still be like, oh that's my family. This is based off of my story.   [00:15:32] Miko Lee: So when you're doing these approaches, like including Nathan's family or in the library book, making sure characters go all the way through, is that something you have to check in with the writer about, to see if they're okay? Or is that something that you just do and then you submit and you see if they like it?   [00:15:50] Lorraine Nam: That's something that I do, that I find joy in and see. Usually the first eyes on my sketches are the publisher and the art director. And I actually have no idea what, at what stage they really share the sketches, if it's like at a more finalized stage or if it's an early on one, but I usually just go with my own ideas and see what they think about it.    [00:16:20] Miko Lee: Wow. I didn't know that you could have that much say into it. That's lovely. You talked a little bit about using the library for research. Gosh, I imagine that Neil deGrasse Tyson, there's so much research on it, that must have been a deep dive. I'm wondering what the library meant to you as a child.    [00:16:38] Lorraine Nam: Yeah. I grew up as a big reader. The library for me it was a magical space that I wasn't really sure what it was. My parents, because they grew up in Korea and moved here to the States, there was a big language barrier between us and they're also very not talkative people. They just took us to this place one day and it was our local public library and it was right before closing and we were able to check out as many books as we wanted in whatever type of book that we wanted. I felt like that was magical, that there was no limit to it.    [00:17:19] Miko Lee: My last question is, what are you working on now?    [00:17:22] Lorraine Nam: I'm working on a few books, actually. I'm juggling a few, but they're all very fun and different. I'm doing a book about a boy dreaming of flying, being a pilot. So I think that will be a really fun imaginative book.    [00:17:43] Miko Lee: What is one of your books that you would've liked to read to your younger self?    [00:17:50] Lorraine Nam: Mm, I probably Wei Skates On, the book with Nathan Chen. ‘Cause his story is about overcoming obstacles and being disappointed. And just feeling frustrated and upset. And I feel like that's an important lesson even in adulthood. It's not really resolved through words. It's more of like the, everyone is there for him, his family is there for him, and they all just want him to enjoy what he's doing and to not care about winning or losing.    [00:18:33] Miko Lee: Lorraine Nam, thank you so much for chatting with us about your work and about the library as a magical place, appreciate talking with you.    [00:18:42] Lorraine Nam: Thank you so much. I had so much fun talking with you.   [00:18:45] Miko Lee: Welcome, amazing award-winning children's book author Uma Krishnaswami, I'm so happy to have you here on Apex Express.   [00:18:54] Uma Krishnaswami: Miko, it's my pleasure to be here.    [00:18:57] Miko Lee: I wanted to start with a question I ask all of my guests, which is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?    [00:19:05] Uma Krishnaswami: What a wonderful question. Who are my people? My people are children who are, my ideal readership is the eight to 12-year-old group. I write for children. I'm not particularly thinking about audience when I begin writing. But at some point I want my readership to feel validated, whether they recognize themselves as being in my stories or my stories are offering them a window into a world that they are not immediately familiar with. So I would say those are my people.    [00:19:45] Miko Lee: And what is the legacy that you carry with you?    [00:19:48] Uma Krishnaswami: I grew up in India. The year that I was born India had been independent for all of nine years. So I carry very much that colonial legacy. I also am an immigrant to two countries, early in my adulthood to the United States and about 12 years ago to Canada. So my legacy is one of moving and finding new roots, finding community. Those are the things that I try to carry forward in my stories. When I began writing, I lived in the US and I started writing when my son was born. So there I was with a little brown baby and I went looking for books that would represent him and I didn't find them. And I think that is what made me think in my early thirties that, real life people could write children's books because of course the books I had read as a child were all written by people from England and many of them were dead. I kind of thought you had to be dead and British to be a writer. So yeah, it's complicated, isn't it? All of that works into, what you think of as, as your legacy. Having done this for 30 plus years now.    [00:21:03] Miko Lee: And you've written so many beautiful books. Tell us about a little bit more about that first book.   [00:21:09] Uma Krishnaswami: So the very first book, it was called Stories of the Flood. I realized very quickly that I didn't really know what I was doing. I looked to folk tales and traditional tales as a way to teach me about story. My second book called The Broken Tusk Stories of the Hindu God Ganesha. That is the one that I consider as the book that taught me how to write. I had a wonderful editor [unintelligble] Thorpe at a small press in Connecticut, Linnet Books. She told me to lean into story and to see myself as a storyteller. In a way, every book I've written has taught me how to write.   [00:21:47] Miko Lee: Can you tell us about your favorite book as a kid?    [00:21:52] Uma Krishnaswami: My favorite book as a kid, it would have to be Winnie The Pooh.    [00:21:58] Miko Lee: And what was it about Winnie the Pooh that enamored you?    [00:22:01] Uma Krishnaswami: I came to it very early and aunt had traveled to England and she brought me my copy of winnie the Pooh in the House of Poo Corner. And I read them, sitting in very Indian gardens, sometimes up in trees. I spent lots of time up in trees and I took my own geography and placed it over the geography of the book. , So that for me, the a hundred acre wood had lime trees and banyan trees and possibly mango trees. It didn't occur to me, until much later when I read an Enid Blyton reader. I had my moment of disillusionment with Enid Blyton and that's when it really occurred to me that there was an us and a them in, in some of the storytelling I was consuming.   [00:22:49] Miko Lee: What age was that where you recognized that?    [00:22:51] Uma Krishnaswami: My post-colonial moment?    [00:22:53] Miko Lee: Yes.    [00:22:54] Uma Krishnaswami: I might have been a 11.    [00:22:56] Miko Lee: Oh, wow. And were you still living in India at that time?    [00:22:59] Uma Krishnaswami: Yeah, yeah. 11 was a very formative year for me. My grandfather passed away, so it sort of brought mortality , into the framework for me. Also that was my year of disillusionment with Blyton. 'cause I read The , river of Adventure. And the villain in it had my name. He was called. Uma, Raya or Raya Uma or something like that. And yeah, I was just shocked. Just totally shocked. It was pure coincidence, I'm sure. She probably just, pulled the name out of the air and plunked it in. But. I began to notice that he was described as dark skinned and he was described as cunning. All this language that had slid right past me before began to be apparent. So, yeah,    [00:23:47] Miko Lee: I love that. That is so amazing. This name, like what? That's my name as the villain.    [00:23:53] Uma Krishnaswami: I'm the Bad Guy. No, I'm not.    [00:23:56] Miko Lee: And all of your books are such a wonderful clap back to that because you have a multitude of characters and so many different worlds. Initially reached out to you because I started reading book Uncle this trilogy of books that are so lovely. Can you first share a little bit about what the Book Uncle's Trilogy is about.    [00:24:16] Uma Krishnaswami: Okay, so it didn't start out as a trilogy. It didn't even start out as a book. It started out as a short story and then it didn't quite fit. It wasn't a picture book. It seemed to have more layers than that, so it kind of grew. But what started Book Uncle and Me was I was visiting my parents in India. At the time, and I was on this very busy urban street and there was this kid sitting on this on the, on the sidewalk. Um, it was kind of a broken brick sidewalk, and she was sitting cross-legged right in the middle and she was reading book and she was just oblivious to the crowd going around her and the. Buses on the road and there were, you know, random goats and dogs running around and she just was ignoring everything and she was absorbed in her book. And I remembered that I had been that kind of reader as a child. There was an election going on at the time as well, and I thought, I wonder what would happen if I put those two things together. And that is how Book Uncle came to be.    [00:25:14] Miko Lee: And then there was just, you wanted to live in those characters more, so you ended up writing additional books?    [00:25:20] Uma Krishnaswami: Hmm and that's a very good question. And actually no, I didn't, I thought I was done. I wrote Book Uncle and Me back in, I'm say 2009, 2010, something like that. I probably started it in 2010. Um, it got published originally in India in 2012, I believe. And then it was picked up by Ground Wood in Canada and published in Canada and the US so North American edition in 2016. And I thought, you know, I'm done. I'm writing other things. And then come the pandemic and we're all in lockdown. And like a lot of writers, I was doing, um, many, many, virtual. Presentations and programs. Um, and I did something through the North Vancouver Public Library and, there were kids zooming in from, you know, some from home, some from their bubbles, some from classrooms, whatever. And we were talking about book uncle and one of the kids, I think in third grade maybe, she said, Are you gonna write a sequel? And I am just joshing, right? I am. I said, yeah, should I? And they're all going, yeah, you should. And you should write three because you've got three characters you should give them each a [story]. And I'm like, all right guys i'll think about it. I absolutely will but not really taking it seriously. And then as often happens. the session ended and, you know, there we were all in lockdown going nowhere. And I thought maybe, maybe there's something there. Maybe I could return to that. And in a way I was kind of intrigued because I hadn't, had never thought about a trilogy and I was interested in how that would play out. Um, and it was kind of a writing challenge to myself, but honestly, once I started writing Birds on the Brain, which was book two it just kind of, I hesitate to say wrote itself 'cause I, that just seems, you know, so kind of woo woo. But, um, it did, it did. Uh, the, the kid came in and she took over and then a bird flew onto the rooftop and there I was on my way. So that's the story of, of how that that happened. In retrospect, I'm really sorry I didn't ask that child's name because I would've absolutely loved to have acknowledged her in the book. But thank you child from North Vancouver, whoever you are.    [00:27:40] Miko Lee: That is so amazing. That's by request, by audience request. You fulfilled this goal of a trilogy and and I I love that they even said, not just a sequel, but a trilogy.    [00:27:52] Uma Krishnaswami: Oh, they were. Yeah. They had it. I mean, they had, then they, they figured it out, which was really lovely.    [00:27:58] Miko Lee: And those, that trilogy is really geared, as you were saying to the second and third grade audience and I So many of your books are written around kids that can make a difference. What is it about that age that appeals to you and that motivation to show them how they can change the world?    [00:28:16] Uma Krishnaswami: I think they have this really, strong sense of what's fair. It's the age at which, you know, you start pushing back against what you see as small unfairnesses in your life. Parental restrictions quite often, or older siblings. You're pushing back. You're doing a little bit of finding who you are. And I think that uh, you begin to get a sense of awareness of the big world outside your small circle. And I think also one of the things that drives me, with writing to this age is that, I feel that it is so unfair that grownups, the adult world, has created so much injustice. And we just kind of expect the next generation to step up and step into it and, and do the best they can. and it just, it doesn't seem right not to at least give them the wherewithal to think about that. And they do, they have children have voices and their voices matter. As we found out with, the climate strikes. I mean it really was young people who brought those messages out into the world and forced us to think about them and talk about them. So, I think that we owe children that.    [00:29:34] Miko Lee: So which of your books would you want to read to the second or third grade Uma?   [00:29:43] Uma Krishnaswami: [Laughs] Maybe Book Uncle and Me. Because I think there's a lot of second and third grade Uma in that book. I was a compulsive reader like Yasmin. I would've absolutely read a book every day for the rest of my life if I'd had that many books available to me. I didn't. So I read the ones I had over and over again. I lived in an imaginary world, quite a bit of the time.   [00:30:06] Miko Lee: Speaking of having access to lots of books, I'm wondering what your relationship was like to libraries, both as a child and then now.    [00:30:15] Uma Krishnaswami: I'm a proud and inveterate library goer. I put holds on things. I go browse on shelves. I download eBooks and audio books. I always have a pending list. I'm very, very grateful for libraries and also for librarians whom many of whom I have come to know over my life and am immensely grateful for. I did not have access to libraries much as a child. We didn't have a public library system that was free and available and open to everybody. There were the kind of unofficial lending library types that I feature in Book Uncle and Me. There are sadly fewer of them now, but you still find them on street corners in India. I remember taking a book and giving one and then getting one back in return. That was, that was part of my life in some of the places we lived.   [00:31:07] Miko Lee: Did you know an actual book uncle?   [00:31:10] Uma Krishnaswami: I didn't actually pay much attention, to the people who handed those books out. I was much more, focused on the books I was getting. There are characters who I've seen who have run these things. I once had somebody email me and say, I'm a book uncle. This is what I do. So that was really nice.    [00:31:31] Miko Lee: That's sweet. I wanna roll back and talk a little bit more about your artistic process. I'm wondering if you, as a writer, as illustrator, you can sometimes be in your own world, and I'm wondering what your process is.   [00:31:43] Uma Krishnaswami: My place is right here. This is my office room, and I'm standing at a treadmill desk, and usually what I will do, is when I'm writing, I will turn that on very, very slowly. I usually start out at the idea stage with a notebook and a pen. I have fountain pens with very varied colors of ink, and I use those always to write my initial notes and questions about a new story idea. I don't go to the computer and the keyboard until the idea has started showing up quite a few times. In, perhaps in a few iterations, almost as if I'm actually pushing it away at first, you know, saying, don't scratch up my window until you are developed a little bit more. I'm not going to, indulge, the initial shallowness that usually the first idea is often not what it's gonna end up being. I question that, and sometimes this is gonna sound really crazy, but, if I write those questions many times over in different colored inks, the answers begin to break out in clumps. Once I've begun to think, okay, well maybe I, I know what I could do with this. That's when I open up a file.    [00:32:56] Miko Lee: Ooh share a little bit more about the different colored inks. How does that work?    [00:33:00] Uma Krishnaswami: Um, right over there, there's a whole row of inks, and right over here is a fountain pen, and I have several of them. I change the ink colors, and when I get stuck with something, it really does help to write those questions to myself, in a journal notebook. I have a terrible handwriting, so I used to really worry about when people gave me nice notebooks. Little empty notebooks with beautiful glossy pages. I used to think, God, my writing is so awful. I feel like I'm desecrating this beautiful book. I've gotten over that and it's actually really helpful to physically write that thought for me is very, very useful.   [00:33:39] Miko Lee: And when you see the different colors, is it like words that stand out to you, that you piece together? Yeah.    [00:33:44] Uma Krishnaswami: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Or sometimes I'll write something, in a paragraph, and then I'll break it up and write it in a lineated way, maybe in a different color. You just start seeing things differently when you try different ways of thinking about the same thing. It's all a trick to get the kind of managerial editorial mind out of the way. You need her later, but I don't need her when I'm trying to shape something.    [00:34:13] Miko Lee: The, for the creative process. Mm-hmm. The multiple colors just helps    [00:34:16] Uma Krishnaswami: Right.    [00:34:16] Miko Lee: Pull you into that.    [00:34:17] Uma Krishnaswami: Yeah. It just loosens, it loosens my mind up so I don't feel so focused on the objective. I often tell myself, I think Linda Sue Park used to say this. You don't have to write a whole novel. You just write a scene. And so that's what I tell myself, I'm a sceneist. I'm not a novelist. I'm just a sceneist. I write one scene. And that's all I need to write. Then I will write another one and so forth.    [00:34:38] Miko Lee: And do you use sticky notes or something to keep those scenes separately or    [00:34:42] Uma Krishnaswami: just all kinds of things? I use sticky notes. I use little boards on which I draw plot lines, and then I write, notes to myself. I use the journal notebooks. I've started using Scrivener and I actually have found that helpful but not until I've got something, in enough shape to plug things in.   [00:35:01] Miko Lee: Oh, I love hearing about artistic process. That's so fascinating. I appreciate you and you're showing your beautiful pen and everything. It's so great.    [00:35:08] Uma Krishnaswami: It's messy, right? One of the things I've learned is to lean into the messiness and not try to organize things too fast, too early.    [00:35:16] Miko Lee: Mm-hmm. Giving yourself the time for the creative juices to flow.    [00:35:20] Uma Krishnaswami: Yeah. Yeah.    [00:35:21] Miko Lee: So my last question is, what are you working on now?    [00:35:25] Uma Krishnaswami: I've actually just got done with edits on a picture book, which is going to be called Mango Sun. And then I'm working on another picture book. That's just gone to my agent. It's got to do with wildlife rescue and conservation in the Himalayas. It's an Indian setting, but a very different setting from Mango Sun.   [00:35:44] Miko Lee: And most of the ideas from your books are just coming from your imagination or something you read or where are you pulling from to get your inspiration?    [00:35:52] Uma Krishnaswami: Everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. I have a picture book that came out of a trip that we took to Galapagos and will it ever take form? I don't know, it's about the rewilding of an island , and how when you bring one species back, the other one follows. Some of it's from my childhood. I have two picture books that came out of a memory of planting a mango seed and watching it grow.   [00:36:21] Miko Lee: Sounds lovely. Two of my favorite things, mango and Sun [laughs], appreciate you joining us and sharing about your artistic process and your amazing book. And I'll put a link to your website in our show notes. And thank you so much for joining us and talking to us about Book Uncle and your work.    [00:36:37] Uma Krishnaswami: Miko, thank you so much. It's really a delight.    [00:36:41] Miko Lee: Welcome, Maggie Tokuda Hall to Apex Express.   [00:36:45] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Thank you so much for having me.   [00:36:47] Miko Lee: I'm so happy to have you talking about, your wonderful book, love in the Library. But first I wanna, ask you a question I ask my guest, which is, who are your people and what legacy do you carry with you?   [00:37:01] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Oh man. I feel like I have so many tribes that I identify with in different ways. , Gosh, who are my people? I mean, generally speaking, angry queer teenage girls very much my people. Tired Jewish aunties also my people. Exhausted Asian mothers also my people, [laughs] librarians and book people are my people. I, I, I don't know. I feel like I have so many people that I feel an affinity toward and an affection for, and kinship with.    [00:37:38] Miko Lee: I like you naming all of those because we're multifaceted people and there's many different things that make up who we are. Yeah. And what is the legacy that you carry with you from all these tribes you're a part of?   [00:37:50] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: From my mother, I carry a legacy of honoring the truth, like really believing that children are owed the truth and that part of being an adult is being courageous enough to tell it. but I also come from like a vibrant family of Jewish storytellers and I feel like I have that, that I carry with me as well.   [00:38:17] Miko Lee: Thank you. So you've written the book Love in the Library about Tamma, a woman who works at a library in the Minidoka concentration camp during World War ii.    [00:38:28] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Mm-hmm.    [00:38:28] Miko Lee: And she meets George and falls in love. Can you tell me about how you very first heard this true love story of your grandparents?   [00:38:40] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: I can't actually, I don't remember the first time I heard this story. It is a story that I've just always known. like for me it's very much a fabric of how I came to understand the world and my place in it. Like sky is blue, grandma and grandpa met in a prison camp, you know, normal stuff. And so, um,    [00:39:00] Miko Lee: so it's just part of the family lore?   [00:39:03] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Yeah. Like, it's not something my mother was ever shy about telling us. And I truly do not remember the first time she talked to me about it because I remember being very small and already feeling like I knew that story.    [00:39:15] Miko Lee: Okay. Then how did you decide to turn it into a children's book?    [00:39:19] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Yeah, so, in 2017 when President Trump took office for the first time, in his very first executive order was to sign the travel or Muslim ban where he was banning people from Muslim majority countries from coming to the United States. It was clear immediately that he was gonna be using his time and power to enact a white supremacist agenda. I knew I needed to do all the things that we're supposed to do. Like I called my representatives and I wrote my postcards and I marched and I did all those things. But I really did try to audit what I had to offer, particularly children in that moment. That was unique to me. And I realized I had this beautiful story in my own family, not just about the cruelty of those sorts of policies, but also the resilience and power of the people who they target.    [00:40:05] Miko Lee: Ooh. Fired up the, that truth teller part of you just became ready to go.    [00:40:11] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Yeah.    [00:40:11] Miko Lee: Um, speaking of the impact of politics and what's going on and how that relates to books, I know that in April, 2023, Scholastic wanted to include love in the library in a collection around AANHPI folks, but they wanted to edit your amazingly fierce author's note. Can you share with our audience what happened?   [00:40:34] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: I mean, first of all, thank you for calling it amazingly fierce. In my author's note, I talk about how what happened to my grandparents wasn't an isolated moment in American history and that it was racist, which I think is a, a reflection of a very basic understanding of that history. It, it's not, a creative extrapolation and. Scholastic offered to license the book, but my licensing offer came with a caveat, which was that I had to remove that entire paragraph. Um, and I had to remove the word racism from the text altogether. And so I decided to say no and say no publicly. And for about three months, my full-time job was talking about Scholastic, but also about our obligation to tell children, American history, honestly.   [00:41:19] Miko Lee: And they wanted you to get word of the word racist. Did they say why?    [00:41:24] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Yes, they basically said, the language is too strong and we fear that some teachers won't bring it in for fear of this political climate, which is the nice way of saying like, we have to sell into places where book bans are happening and we think that this language is too incendiary for people who would ban books, which to me was always really, Unsatisfactory logic, because books about Japanese American incarceration are banned all the time and they don't use as strident of language as I use in that author's note. baseball saved us, gets banned. They called us, the enemy gets banned. This story is already considered dangerous by the people who would ban books, so they were trying to hold a center that just doesn't exist.   [00:42:04] Miko Lee: And so what did you end up doing?    [00:42:07] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: I said no and said no publicly, just with like, sort of the hope of, sparking some intra community conversation among kid lit creators about what sort of edits are appropriate to offer people. I would, I still posit, that that's a completely inappropriate edit and that's about sanding down people of color's, history and perspective to cater to a white audience. And I was unwilling to do it. and Scholastic initially released like a very, incomplete apology. And then when they received a lot of pushback about that, they offered a much more full apology. They offered to meet with me and my publisher, the CEO of Scholastic and the head of their education divisions, which is the division that made me this offer. And then they also had me work with a restorative justice consultant, for like a year to try to figure out what they could do better. But what I said to them at the end of that time that I told them, I was extremely transparent that I would be talking about this publicly. So I don't feel bad saying exactly what I said to them here is, I think the exact same thing would've happened. It just would've happened more politely.    [00:43:17] Miko Lee: Wow.    [00:43:18] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: I don't think that they actually reexamined what their role is as a publisher of Books for Children under Unconsolidated authoritarianism. They just figured out how to ask people to make racist edits more, more, uh, gently.    [00:43:33] Miko Lee: And you worked with them for one year with an RJ consultant.   [00:43:36] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: I mean, like, not every day, but we had, you know, meetings over the months. And she was a smart lady. Like I don't think that she, you know, did nothing. I think she was trying her best, but I think that, you know, big institutions are very slow to institute cultural change and that that on the one hand has to happen from the top down, but also can't happen from the top down.   [00:43:56] Miko Lee: Mm-hmm.    [00:43:56] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: And so I genuinely believe that there CEO was trying his hardest to, to make a meaningful change, but without them really stopping and examining and questioning what their own role in this moment is in a critical way. I don't think that they are going to be able to have answered what I would've required for them to, for me to then accept their licensing offer. ‘Cause they made it again.    [00:44:25] Miko Lee: So at the end of the one year long, they made the licensing offer to you again?    [00:44:29] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Yeah. I think just to be kind, just as like a gesture of like, listen, we know we messed up. We'd love to license your book and I still said no because I don't think that they made meaningful enough change.   [00:44:40] Miko Lee: Hmm. Wow. I love this. What did you learn from this experience?    [00:44:47] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: That it is very unusual for people to blow the whistle within publishing, even when the examples are egregious.    [00:44:54] Miko Lee: Tell me about your connection with Authors Against Book Bans. Did that come out of this experience with Scholastic, or were you involved actively involved in this prior to that?    [00:45:05] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: No, it absolutely came as a result of my experience with Scholastic. Authors against Book Bans is an organization that I'm currently the president of. We're over 5,000 book creators across the country who are united under a single point of view, which is that the government shouldn't be allowed to tell us what to read. That's what we believe and that's what we fight for. And I got involved in founding the group along with specifically David Levithan, who's a really wonderful young adult and middle grade author, who had put together most of this group before I even came on board. Cause we realized that authors needed a central place to fight. There was no one organizing specifically us. And so Authors Against Book Bans was born out of necessity and, the dearth of a place that existed for us. Everyone would call on us to come speak, but it was extremely ad hoc. We weren't making any kind of unified movement, even though we all so passionately agree that, you know, book bans are anti-American and in violation of our First Amendment rights. And, you know, the freedom to read is a necessary freedom for a free and democratic society. and the reason I'd reached out to David initially was because I was hoping to put together something like Authors Against Book Bans, but just by myself, which is, maybe a testament more to my own personality [laughs] problems than anything else, but I was like, I'll just figure it out. And he was like, you know, I'm actually assembling a group that's trying to do this. Would you like to be a part of it? And that's how I came aboard. But I had gotten interested in it because as a result of the Scholastic fiasco, I was invited to give the keynote speech at the Idaho Library Association in 2023. I gave my little speech that I'd been giving a lot then, um, about how we have an obligation to tell American history honestly. And, people were like, the reaction was so emotional to it and so profound and like, I thought it was a good speech. I'm proud of the speech, but like it, something else was going on and I could feel it. And I started talking to the people who were there and when these librarians started telling me what they had gone through, just for making books like mine available to children, stalking, harassment, death threats. One of them had been followed home, like really frightening, scary things happening to them on like, in some cases a daily basis. I realized like I was gonna be a part of this fight. That was that. I wasn't gonna let them fight alone. And so, you know, in, in my advocacy work now, Idaho still holds like a very precious place in my heart because I think that it's a very forgotten state. When we think about places that need help, when we think about places that have been gerrymandered, when we think about places where there are so many good people who are disenfranchised and unable to affect meaningful change in their state level, governments. That have just been absolutely run roughshod over by Christian nationalists. We should be thinking about Idaho. They have, I think, like the highest neo-Nazi population in the United States. so it's a very direct line between my grandparents being incarcerated to the activism that I do now. And it wouldn't have happened without Scholastic's offensive offer.   [00:48:22] Miko Lee: I did not realize that librarians were personally being assaulted or attacked or followed. For books.    [00:48:29] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: You should watch, the librarian's documentary that's now streaming on PBS. Okay. Um, it's common across the country. Amanda Jones, who's an Authors Against Book Bans member no big deal, is a librarian in Louisiana that can't go grocery shopping in her own hometown anymore for fear for her own safety because she has taken a stand to like refuse to remove lgbtq plus books from her school library shelves. It's really dire. And I think people understand objectively that book bans are a problem in our country. I do not think that they understand how violent that this fight is. It's a really dark and hard time to be a librarian. So if you're a person who supports libraries, you should be thanking your librarians and letting them know one-on-one and in person face-to-face that you appreciate the work that they do, because there are people who are making their lives really difficult.    [00:49:25] Miko Lee: Can you talk about what the library meant to you as a child?   [00:49:30] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: I mean, honestly it was like a part-time babysitter. You're a kid, there's a library. Entertain yourself, you figure it out. I think the first time I really felt like a sense of belonging in the library was in middle school. We moved from LA to Northern California and I had to start a new school in seventh grade. I didn't really know anyone and it was embarrassing to not have people to eat lunch with and things like that. So I would eat lunch in the library. And the librarian was really kind about it. Like she never called attention to it. She never embarrassed me about it. She would let me sneakily eat in there, even though there was a very specific rule that you weren't allowed to eat in the library. she put, the Enchanted Forest Chronicles on an end cap once, and that's how I found them and ended up reading the entire series and that was really when I became a fantasy reader and you know, my debut novel was a fantasy novel. I still feel very much like a fantasy reader kind of at heart, and that started there. I mean, we never know when libraries are going to save a kid's life.    [00:50:39] Miko Lee: Can we go back to how you ended up writing this book about your grandparents' experience? Sure. And what was the first spark for you to say, I wanna turn this into something. It's a family lore, but I want more people to know about it.   [00:50:54] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: I mean, the Trump administration thing,    [00:50:56] Miko Lee: it was truly that. You said it was    [00:50:57] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Yeah. Trump was it    [00:50:58] Miko Lee: Trump got elected. People should know this happened.    [00:51:00] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Yes. What do you have to tell children in this moment If they're Muslim, they're scared, and if they're not, they need a way to understand what it means to feel afraid. Both of those things need to happen at the same time of like, you have to offer comfort to the children of the marginalized. You have to offer perspective to the children who have the privilege not to feel that fear. And so I have this story and what I love about this story is. I know that children are capable of holding the complexity of this story is both very romantic and very sweet, and also the circumstances it happened under were completely unfair. That's the kind of logic children are able to hold, and they should be given the opportunity to hold that kind of complexity because it'll serve them for the rest of their life because most of most situations we confront are complex.   [00:51:57] Miko Lee: And how were you able to eke out more details of that story? Did you do family interviews or was it more from your imagination?    [00:52:05] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: My mother is a journalist and she kept my grandmother's journals from the time she was in Minidoka. So some of it comes from my grandmother's journals. Some of it comes from working with my mother to make sure that it felt accurate, tonally and factually. ‘Cause she was not gonna let me publish a book that was nonsense. I always say it's Truman Capote true. ‘Cause the situation, the sensory details, all that stuff real, but the dialogue is made up. The dialogue is art. The dialogue is a way for children to understand how they might've been feeling. They never had succinct, quick conversations like this about their humanity and how they felt about each other. It was a long courting process, and so, you know. That part is made up for children,    [00:52:49] Miko Lee: but you, but you did include actual quotes from her journal too, right?    [00:52:53] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Yes. The book closes with her words, not mine.    [00:52:57] Miko Lee: Can you give us those final words?    [00:53:00] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: The miracle is in us as long as we believe in beauty, in change, in hope. Which are words she wrote while she was imprisoned in Minidoka.    [00:53:11] Miko Lee: And how does that resonate with you in the time of now?    [00:53:15] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: They are words that I desperately cling to in the hope that I can see them become manifest.    [00:53:23] Miko Lee: And what are you working on now?   [00:53:26] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Making Authors Against Book Bans as operational as possible.    [00:53:31] Miko Lee: And what does that look like?    [00:53:32] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: In late 2025, we became a nonprofit corporation. We have fiscal sponsorship under EveryLibrary, which is a really wonderful advocacy group that's a combination [501](c)3-(c)4, which means you can make tax deductible donations to them, but also they do overtly political work. And so now we can receive tax deductible, donations and continue to do the overtly political work that we do. We are an unapologetically political organization. We are more than happy to help get people elected who fight for the freedom to read, and we are delighted to show the door to people who would stand in our way of that freedom.   [00:54:09] Miko Lee: And how can people get more involved in your work?    [00:54:13] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: They could absolutely go to authorsagainstbookbans.com and make a donation. We need it [laughs]. We are one of the only organizations that receives donations that exists for the sole purpose of fighting book bans. Most every other group in our space have an angle that book bans affect them, and so they fight against them, but that's not their only purview. It is our only purview. So if it is something that you were interested in fighting, then you could make a donation to us. I would suggest signing up to be on the email list from EveryLibrary because they mobilize everybody, not just authors and book creators. And if you are a book creator, self-published, traditionally published, we don't care. Then you should sign up to be a member of Authors Against Book Bans and you'll get calls to action every Friday.   [00:55:07] Miko Lee: Thank you so much for sharing with us about your book and educating us about the work you're doing and appreciate hearing from you. Thank you for joining us.    [00:55:16] Maggie Tokuda-Hall: Thank you for having me.   [00:55:28] Miko Lee: Please check out our website, kpfa.org/program/apexexpress to find out more about our show and our guests tonight. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating, and sharing your visions with the world because your voices are important. Apex Express is produced by Ayame Keane-Lee, Anuj Vaidya, Cheryl Truong, Isabel Li, Jalena Keane-Lee, Miko Lee, Miata Tan, Preti Mangala-Shekar and Swati Rayasam. Tonight's show was produced by me Miko Lee, and edited by Ayame Keane-Lee. Have a great night..    The post APEX Express – 4.9.26 – Library Joy appeared first on KPFA.

Will I as a queer person be able to live openly, boldly, and out of the shadows?Today we meet Jake Stepansky and we're talking about the queer book that saved his life: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green. And David joins us for the conversation!Jake Stepansky is a culture and care worker based in Brooklyn, NY. He is the co-founder and board president of the QT Library – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to bring a brick-and-mortar LGBTQIA+ library and substance-free community space to Boston. Jake is the Producer of Festival Presentations for the Under the Radar Festival, and works with private clients as a professional organizer and decluttering coach. Jake honed his skills as an arts worker and educator at Forklift Danceworks, Marty Pottenger's Art At Work, Pomegranate Arts, the Office for the Arts at Harvard, and more.David Levithan is an award-winning and New York Times-bestselling author of many books for teens, including Boy Meets Boy, Wide Awake, Love Is the Higher Law, and (with Rachel Cohn) Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. He also works as an editor and, in his free time, takes way too many pictures.Will Grayson, Will Grayson is about two teens with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, and culminating in epic turns-of-heart and the most fabulous musical ever to grace the high school stage.Connect with Jake and DavidInstagram: @jakebookplantskyQT Library: qtlibrary.orgDavid's Facebook: facebook.com/davidlevithanOur BookshopVisit our Bookshop for new releases, current bestsellers, banned books, critically acclaimed LGBTQ books, or peruse the books featured on our podcasts: bookshop.org/shop/thisqueerbookBuy your copy of Will Grayson, Will Grayson here: https://bookshop.org/a/82376/9780142418475Become an Associate Producer!Become an Associate Producer of our podcast through a $20/month sponsorship on Patreon! A professionally recognized credit, you can gain access to Associate Producer meetings to help guide our podcast into the future! Get started today: patreon.com/thisqueerbookCreditsHost/Founder: John ParkerExecutive Producer: Jim PoundsAssociate Producers: Archie Arnold, K Jason Bryan and David Rephan, Bob Bush, Natalie Cruz, Troy Ford, Jonathan Fried, Joe Perazzo, Bill Shay, Sean Smith, and Karsten VagnerPatreon Subscribers: Stephen D., Terry D., Stephen Flamm, Ida Göteburg, Thomas Michna, Sofia Nerman, and Gary Nygaard.Creative and Accounting support provided by: Gordy EricksonQuatrefoil LibraryQuatrefoil has created a curated lending library made up of the books featured on our podcast! If you can't buy these books, then borrow them! Link: https://libbyapp.com/library/quatrefoil/curated-1404336/page-1Support the show

Host Emily chats with Rhode Island Librarians about the Winter Reading Challenge coming to a library near you this February. Learn more and head to your local library to sign up and win some sweet prizes!    Overdueing It is a project funded by the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services and is produced by library staff around the Ocean State. We are proud to be a resident partner of the Rhode Island Center for the Book. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own and do not represent those of the Overdueing It podcast, its sponsor organizations, or any participants' place of employment. The content of Overdueing It episodes are the property of the individual creators, with permission for Overdueing It to share the content on their podcast feed in perpetuity. Any of the content from the Overdueing It podcast can not be reproduced without express written permission.    Our logo was designed by Sarah Bouvier and our theme music is by Neura-Flow.   Books The Old Magic of Christmas by Linda Raedisch The German Christmas Cookbook by Jurgen Krauss The Housemaid by Freida McFadden Songs for Other People's Weddings by David Levithan, with songs by Lens Lekman The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar   Media K-Pop Demon Hunters The Office Wicked: For Good  

Host Emily chats with Rhode Island Librarians about the Winter Reading Challenge coming to a library near you this February. Learn more and head to your local library to sign up and win some sweet prizes!    Overdueing It is a project funded by the Rhode Island Office of Library and Information Services and is produced by library staff around the Ocean State. We are proud to be a resident partner of the Rhode Island Center for the Book. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers' own and do not represent those of the Overdueing It podcast, its sponsor organizations, or any participants' place of employment. The content of Overdueing It episodes are the property of the individual creators, with permission for Overdueing It to share the content on their podcast feed in perpetuity. Any of the content from the Overdueing It podcast can not be reproduced without express written permission.    Our logo was designed by Sarah Bouvier and our theme music is by Neura-Flow.   Books The Old Magic of Christmas by Linda Raedisch The German Christmas Cookbook by Jurgen Krauss The Housemaid by Freida McFadden Songs for Other People's Weddings by David Levithan, with songs by Lens Lekman The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar   Media K-Pop Demon Hunters The Office Wicked: For Good  

It's bigger than Santa, it's bigger than the Super Bowl…it's Editors' Choice! The full list is a highlight of our December issue, but every winter, Booklist editors gather ‘round the podcast mic and share some of their favorites from the list. Prepare your TBR piles, because we've got a little something for every reader. Here's what we talked about: Donna: The Phoebe Variations, by Jane Hamilton The Invention of Charlotte Brontë: A New Life, by Graham Watson Mother Mary Comes to Me, by Arundhati Roy Song of Ancient Lovers, by Laura Restrepo. Translated By Caro De Robertis Annie: Heart the Lover, by Lily King Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America, by Sean Sherman and others Good Things: Recipes and Rituals to Share with People You Love: A Cookbook, by Samin Nosrat. Illustrated by Aya Brackett All Consuming: Why We Eat the Way We Eat Now, by Ruby Tandoh Susan: The Listeners, by Maggie Stiefvater The View from Lake Como, by Adriana Trigiani The Filling Station, by Vanessa Miller Heather: Automatic Noodle, by Annalee Newitz. Read by Em Grosland How to Dodge a Cannonball, by Dennard Dayle. Read by William DeMeritt Songs for Other People's Weddings, by David Levithan and Jens Lekman. Read by Jefferson Mays The Dead of Summer, by Ryan La Sala. Read by Pete Cross and others Soundtrack, by Jason Reynolds. Read by Nile Bullock and others Sarah: The Witch in the Tower, by Júlia Sardà. Illustrated by the author Loudmouth: Emma Goldman vs. America (a Love Story), by Deborah Heiligman More Weight: A Salem Story, by Ben Wickey. Art by the author Angelica and the Bear Prince, by Trung Le Nguyen. Art by the author Julia: Bad Badger: A Love Story, by Maryrose Wood. Illustrated by Giulia Ghigini The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, by Aubrey Hartman. Illustrated by Marcin Minor The Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham, by Ryan James Black Scarlet Morning, by ND Stevenson. Illustrated by the author Graciela in the Abyss, by Meg Medina. Illustrated by Anna Balbusso and Elena Balbusso Xolo, by Donna Barba Higuera. Illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson Ronny: The Bi Book, by A. J. Irving. Illustrated by Cynthia Alonso Kelly: Fable for the End of the World, by Ava Reid A Fix of Light, by Kel Menton One of the Boys, by Victoria Zeller They Bloom at Night, by Trang Thanh Tran Scarlet Morning, by ND Stevenson. Illustrated by the author Saint Catherine, by Anna Meyer. Art by the author

SHOW NOTES: https://jewishbooks.blogspot.com/2025/11/november-throwback-jewish-book-month.html  TRANSCRIPT: https://otter.ai/u/sEuzJ-GYxRIHREm5DRtY94hYkFI?utm_source=copy_url  Continuing the celebration of my 20th year of podcasting, I've got another archival episode for you from 2006, about Jewish Book Month. In the early days of The Book of Life I usually had multiple guests in each episode, and this one includes four: Folklorist Howard Schwartz, talking about his picture book Before You Were Born, which had just won the Koret Award | Website of Howard Schwartz z"l | Buy Before You Were Born Carolyn Starman Hessel, longtime director of the Jewish Book Council, whose nickname was "the Jewish Oprah" | Jewish Book Council Esme Raji Codell, author of one of my favorites middle-grade novels Vive La Paris | Website of Esme Raji Codell | Buy Vive la Paris David Levithan, author of the 2004 young adult novel Wide Awake, which was reissued as Wide Awake Now in 2024 because its themes of politics and protest are more relevant than ever | David Levithan on Wikipedia | Buy Wide Awake Now I'm celebrating Jewish Book Month by participating in the Jewish Book Council's "Share Your Shelf, Share Your Story" project. I will post a photo on social media each day of Jewish Book Month, November 13 through December 13, 2025, showing a Jewish book from my personal collection with a comment about why the book is special to me. See Facebook or Instagram. CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Co-sponsored by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sister podcast: Nice Jewish Books Theme Music: The Freilachmakers Klezmer String Band Newsletter: bookoflifepodcast.substack.com Facebook Discussion Group: Jewish Kidlit Mavens Facebook Page: Facebook.com/bookoflifepodcast Instagram: @bookoflifepodcast Support the Podcast: Shop or Donate Your feedback is welcome! Please write to bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com or leave a voicemail at 561-206-2473.

In this chat, we get to meet singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Jens Lekman. Jens has just put out a new record, entitled Songs for Other People's Weddings, and it comes alongside a novel of the same name by David Levithan. The two collab'd on this very narrative project, telling a story about a wedding singer named J. who has a slightly tumultuous love story with a woman named V. Both are out now, and in this conversation, Jens and I dig deep on the lore of the album, the backstory, the narrative junctures, and what it was like for him to craft a "story album" (something he is a self-proclaimed non-fan on). We talk humor in songs, fact vs. fiction (and which is the better truth-teller), as well as his real life side gig as a wedding singer for hire. Thanks for listening.

This week on the show, Jason P. Woodbury speaks with Swedish songwriter Jens Lekman. Woodbury has been listening to Jens for just about 20 years—introduced by the 2005 compilation, Oh You're So Silent Jens. Though the comp features songs ingeniously constructed using samples, it was Lekman's voice that made Woodbury such a fan. Not just his deep, sonorous croon; we mean "voice" in the writing sense: Lekman has a signature ability to sound funny and sad at the same time, or wounded yet somehow simultaneously hopeful.  Jens has a new album out now called Songs for Other People's Weddings, and it arrives complete with a novel of the same name by David Levithan, who you may know from works like Boy Meets Boy, Wide Awake, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, The Lover's Dictionary, and others.  Taken together, the novel and the record represent a little bit of reality, and a little bit of fiction. Lekman really has worked as a wedding singer for most of his career—his first album, 2004's When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog even features a song called "If You Ever Need a Stranger (To Sing at Your Wedding)." But Songs For Other People's Weddings is not about Lekman's life per se—it's about love and loss, heartbreak and hope, and ultimately, about the way music plays us through our lives.  We're so pleased to have Jens join me for this conversation. We discuss the new album, when weddings indicate to him a sense of if a couple is going to make it or not, his thoughtful blog, and what it was like to re-record some of his classics albums after sample clearances were unable to be obtained. Join in for this conversation about love, music, and art on Transmissions. If you dig this talk, please visit Aquarium Drunkard for more. We're supported by our subscribers and over on the site you can find 20 years worth of conversations, playlists, reviews, essays and more. 

Jens Lekman is here to discuss his new album and novel, Songs for Other People's Weddings, life in Sweden, insights about being a musician and also part of an arts community that works on weddings, distinctions between authentic and cheesy music, Frank Sinatra's album Watertown, working with author David Levithan and conversations they had about love and relationships, staging this album for a tour, an update about new music he's working on, other future plans, and much more.EVERY OTHER COMPLETE KREATIVE KONTROL EPISODE IS ONLY ACCESSIBLE TO PATREON SUPPORTERS STARTING AT $6/MONTH. Enjoy this excerpt and please subscribe now via this link to hear this full episode. Thanks!Thanks to the Bookshelf, Planet Bean Coffee, and Grandad's Donuts. Support Y.E.S.S., Pride Centre of Edmonton, and Letters Charity. Follow vish online.Related episodes/links:Ep. #1007: Chris DeVilleEp. #1006: The HivesEp. #957: The Burning HellEp. #820: Gregg TurkingtonEp. #545: Owen PallettEp. #540: The Magnetic Fields' Stephin MerrittSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/kreative-kontrol. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, host Jason Jefferies is joined by David Levithan and Jens Lekman, authors of Songs for Other People's Weddings, which is published by our friends at Abrams Press.  Topics of conversation include touring, singing at a wedding vs. singing at a music hall, albums about books (and books about albums), change in the music industry, collaborative art, and much more.  Copies of Songs for Other People's Weddings can be ordered here.  Happy reading!

With SONGS FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S WEDDINGS (Abrams Press), writer David Levithan and singer-songwriter Jens Lekman bring the collaborative alchemy, as 20 years of fandom/friendship lead to this wonderful novel about a Swedish singer-songwriter — J — who finds a side-career playing original songs at people's weddings. We talk about the power of a great song, how David & Jens traded writing prompts with each other — a wedding song leading to a chapter, a chapter leading to a wedding song —, discovered how differently they each look at love, and managed to fuse that tension into a story of how love changes over time. We get into the differences between stories and songs, how Jens had fallen out of love with music (blame Spotify) and how this book helped him fall back in love with it, whether they'll write a sequel about funerals, and how Jens' song, "If you ever need a stranger (to sing at your wedding)," led to his side-career as a wedding singer. We also discuss Jens' new album inspired by the book, David's upcoming history of the AIDS era, the ways collaboration helps create new structures, what it means to be alone, how our private lives can get drowned by our public ones, their book/music tour and the importance of face-to-face interaction, the value of emotionally honest fiction, and more, including numerous Nick Cave references. Follow Jens on Bandcamp, Facebook and Instagram, and check out David's FAQs and IAQs • More info at our site • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Stripe, Patreon, or Paypal, and subscribe to our e-newsletter

Welcome back, tributes! We hope you are enjoying your summer! We are back with an all new episode about the Sunrise on the Reaping Barnes & Noble Edition interview with Suzanne Collins and David Levithan!What is your favorite part of the interview? If you could ask Suzanne Collins anything, what would you ask?Follow us on social media @IntotheArenaPodcast!

ORIGINALLY AIRED 1/24/2022Remember that throwaway line about how there's a Sixth Sense spinoff trilogy? Well, we read 'em. In the first full episode of Tertiary Tomes, Overbye assembles a Wolf Pack of guest readers to dive into the further adventures of the precocious Cole Sear. And then after all that, Hannah read them anyways!The books covered in this episode are the Sixth Sense: Secrets From Beyond books Survivor, Runaway, and Hangman.Check out Max Fitzpatrick's podcast The Max and Tony Show! - https://tonyfitzpatrick.co/pages/the-max-tony-showCheck out John Goodman's podcast Exit Interview! - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/exit-interview/id1534899949Follow Authorized on Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorizedpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorizedpod/Next week: Willow by Wayland Drew

ORIGINALLY AIRED 1/24/2022Remember that throwaway line about how there's a Sixth Sense spinoff trilogy? Well, we read 'em. In the first full episode of Tertiary Tomes, Overbye assembles a Wolf Pack of guest readers to dive into the further adventures of the precocious Cole Sear. And then after all that, Hannah read them anyways!The books covered in this episode are the Sixth Sense: Secrets From Beyond books Survivor, Runaway, and Hangman.Check out Max Fitzpatrick's podcast The Max and Tony Show! - https://tonyfitzpatrick.co/pages/the-max-tony-showCheck out John Goodman's podcast Exit Interview! - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/exit-interview/id1534899949Follow Authorized on Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorizedpodInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorizedpod/Next week: Willow by Wayland Drew

Recording of Off the Shelf Radio Show from WDLR with co-hosts Nicole Fowles and Molly Meyers-LaBadie and guest Alexis Singleton, Information Technology Associate at the Maker's Studio! This week we talk about Maker Studio classes, projects, equipment, and all things that folks can find themselves getting into.  And what we're reading!  Recommendations include I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue, Every Day by David Levithan, and 100 Years of Great Gatsby (and their readalikes) - a list! Read more about today's episode here.  Listen live every Friday morning at 9 AM https://wdlrradio.com/program-schedule/off-the-shelf/  This episode originally aired on February 14, 2025.

“We will happily settle for okay, because most of the time, okay is enough.” In this episode of Fictional Hangover, Amanda and Claire talk about calling out the lies, not getting involved (but totally 100% getting involved), and bringing it back to La Push, baby, in their discussion of Every Day by David Levithan.

Becky and Jakob talk about Christmas books, including: Santa's Gotta Go by Derrick Barnes A City Full of Santas by Joanna Ho Love, Santa by Martha Brockenbrough One Foggy Christmas Eve by Kerilynn Wilson Santa's First Christmas by Mac Barnett How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney by Mac Barnett The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by Natalie Andrewson Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn A Merry Little Meet Cute by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone A Holly Jolly Ever After by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone You're a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky Flopping in a Winter Wonderland by Jason June Make My Wish Come True by Rachel Lippincott and Alyson Derrick How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow and more!  

El Cuaderno de Desafíos de Dash & Lily, escrito por Rachel Cohn y David Levithan, es una novela de romance juvenil publicada por primera vez en 2010. Es el primer libro de la serie “Dash & Lily” y tiene un tono festivo, ingenioso y aventurero.La historia transcurre en la ciudad de Nueva York durante la temporada navideña, con muchas escenas ambientadas en lugares icónicos como la librería The Strand.Lily, una adolescente optimista y peculiar, deja un cuaderno rojo lleno de desafíos en un estante de The Strand con la esperanza de encontrar a alguien especial que acepte el reto. Dash, un amante de los libros con una perspectiva algo cínica, encuentra el cuaderno y decide participar. Lo que sigue es un intercambio de desafíos, pensamientos y sentimientos a través del cuaderno, que revela las personalidades y los miedos de ambos.La historia explora temas como el amor, el autodescubrimiento y la belleza de salir de la zona de confort.• Dash: Un adolescente sarcástico, intelectual y poco entusiasta de la Navidad, que prefiere la soledad y los libros al bullicio navideño.• Lily: Una chica alegre y excéntrica que adora la Navidad, pero se siente sola durante la temporada porque su familia está ausente.• Los personajes secundarios incluyen a la familia excéntrica de Lily y los amigos de Dash, quienes añaden humor y profundidad a la historia.El cuaderno rojo y los desafíos crean una forma original y poco convencional para que los personajes se conecten.Con capítulos alternados escritos por Cohn y Levithan, las voces de Dash y Lily son distintas, encantadoras y llenas de humor.El escenario festivo de Nueva York aporta una atmósfera mágica a la historia.Netflix adaptó el libro en una serie de televisión navideña, Dash & Lily, que se estrenó en 2020. Captura gran parte del encanto de la novela y su espíritu festivo, aunque con algunos cambios creativos.El cuaderno de desafíos de Dash y LillyClub de lectura para alérgicas al muérdagoRecuerda que si gustas apoyarnos en nuestras lecturas y reseñas, lo puedes realizar mediante ☕️ Paypal o a través de nuestras redes sociales o correo electrónico.También te agradeceríamos

Available for the first time in the US, Solitaire introduces fan favorites Nick and Charlie from HEARTSTOPPER -and the unforgettable Tori Spring. Tori isn't sure how to be happy again. Then she meets Michael Holden, and they try to unmask the mysterious Solitaire (and survive high school) in Oseman's stunning, unflinchingly honest debut novel. The U.S. edition offers additional exclusive bonus content: an exclusive cover designed by Oseman herself as well as a Q/A with Oseman and her U.S editor, David Levithan. “Solitaire was the catalyst for so many other wonderful things that have happened in my life. And I look back on the story with fondness,” said Oseman.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.

Bruno Leão é uma das novas vozes da literatura Young Adult em Portugal e nós não podíamos perder a oportunidade de o ter connosco para falar de um género tão importante para formar novos leitores. E oiçam com atenção, que o Bruno acabou por revelar algumas novidades sobre o seu livro “Por Fim em Silêncio”. Livros mencionados neste episódio: - Incidents Around the House, Josh Malerman (1:50) - Just Last Night, Mhairi McFarlane (4:40) - O Segredo das Larvas, Stefano Volp (7:38) - Por Fim em Silêncio, Bruno Leão (9:16) - Giovanni's Room, James Baldwin (12:23) - Legendborn, Tracy Deonn (21:25) - Girl in Pieces, Kathleen Glasgow (24:45) - The Sun is Also a Star, Nicola Yoon (25:03) - Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Sáenz (25:26) - Breathless, Jeniffer Niven (26:07) - Dark Rise, C.S. Pacat (28:44) - True Biz, Sara Nović (30:17) - Yes No Maybe So, Becky Albertalli & Aisha Saeed (34:13) - Every Day, David Levithan (35:56) - Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell (37:14) - Our Infinite Fates, Laura Steven (38:24) - Saga O Povo do Ar, Holly Black (38:59) - Rivais Divinos, Rebecca Ross (39:08) - Um Namorado para Levar, Please!, Sher Lee (39:32) - Aquorea - Inspira, M. G. Ferrey (42:12) - The Taking Of Jake Livingston, Ryan Douglass (43:27) - Enquanto Eu Não Te Encontro, Pedro Rhuas (45:19) - Felix Ever After, Kacen Callender (45:58) - The Do-Over, Lynn Painter (47:42) Enviem as vossas questões ou sugestões para livratepodcast@gmail.com. Encontrem-nos nas redes sociais: www.instagram.com/julesdsilva www.instagram.com/ritadanova twitter.com/julesxdasilva twitter.com/ritadanova Identidade visual do podcast: da autoria da talentosa Mariana Cardoso, que podem encontrar em marianarfpcardoso@hotmail.com. Genérico do podcast: criado pelo incrível Vitor Carraca Teixeira, que podem encontrar em www.instagram.com/oputovitor.

The recent wave of book bans and other censorship attempts have threatened democracy, restricting access and the rights of many readers. In Episode 87, Call Number looks at how libraries and library workers are on the front lines defending intellectual freedom. First, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with Peter Coyl, immediate past president of the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) and director and CEO of Sacramento (Calif.) Public Library. They talk about FTRF's recent work in support of intellectual freedom and library workers. They're joined by Sukrit Goswami, current president of FTRF and director at Haverford (Penn.) Free Township Library, who shares his presidential goals. Then, American Libraries Associate Editor Megan Bennett talks with Martha Hickson, media specialist at North Hunterdon High School in Annandale, New Jersey. They discuss Hickson's efforts to fight book bans and protect children's right to read, including recruiting the help of author David Levithan, despite the personal attacks she has faced from community members. And finally, Kim Crutcher, a licensed mental health counselor who was onsite at ALA's 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition's Community of Care room, offers a special guided meditation—a good reminder for all to prioritize our wellbeing.

The number of books being banned and challenged in schools and libraries has increased exponentially in the USA in recent years. These attacks on our freedom to read are not coming just from fringe zealots -- they are being embedded into legislation across the country, and that's a BIG problem for anyone who values public libraries, public schools, education, books, and, yanno... FREEDOM. Authors Against Book Bans is a coalition of authors who are fighting the good fight to help change that, and YOU can help! Authors David Levithan and Maggie Tokuda-Hall are two of the founding members of AABB, and they join me to discuss what book banning even is, why and where the problem is blowing up, and what readers and authors can do about it. Show Notes can be found at: https://www.jenniferlaughran.com/literaticast  

Jason and Brett continue PRIDE 2024 with celebrated authors. They're joined in conversation with Jen Silverman (There's Going to Be Trouble), David Levithan (Wide Awake Now), and Emma Copley Eisenberg (Housemates) talking about the cyclical nature of history, queer inheritance, intersectionality of arts and queerness, and much more. Jen Silverman is a New York-based writer, playwright, and screenwriter. Jen is the author of novel We Play Ourselves, which is short-listed for a Lambda Literary Award, the story collection The Island Dwellers, which was longlisted for a PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for debut fiction, and the poetry chapbook Bath, selected by Traci Brimhall for Driftwood Press. Additional work has appeared in Vogue, The Paris Review, Ploughshares, LitHub, The Yale Review, and elsewhere. Jen's plays have been produced across the United States and internationally. Jen is a three-time MacDowell fellow, a member of New Dramatists, and the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts grant, a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Fellowship, the Yale Drama Series Award, and a Playwrights of New York Fellowship. Jen is a 2022 National Endowment for the Arts Fellow for Prose and a 2022 Guggenheim Fellow for Drama. Jen also writes for TV and film.When not writing during spare hours on weekends, David Levithan is editorial director at Scholastic and the founding editor of the PUSH imprint, which is devoted to finding new voices and new authors in teen literature. His acclaimed novels Boy Meets Boy and The Realm of Possibility started as stories he wrote for his friends for Valentine's Day (something he's done for the past 22 years and counting) that turned themselves into teen novels. He's often asked if the book is a work of fantasy or a work of reality, and the answer is right down the middle—it's about where we're going, and where we should be.Emma Copley Eisenberg is a queer writer of fiction and nonfiction. Her first book, The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia, was named a New York Times Notable Book and was nominated for an Edgar Award, a Lambda Literary Award, and an Anthony Award, among other honors. Her fiction has appeared in Granta, McSweeney's, VQR, American Short Fiction, and other publications. Raised in New York City, she lives in Philadelphia, where she co-founded Blue Stoop, a community hub for the literary arts.**BOOKS!** Check out the list of books discussed on each episode on our Bookshop page:https://bookshop.org/shop/gaysreading | By purchasing books through this Bookshop link, you can support both Gays Reading and an independent bookstore of your choice!Join our Patreon for exclusive bonus content! Purchase your Gays Reading podcast Merch! Follow us on Instagram @gaysreading | @bretts.book.stack | @jasonblitmanWhat are you reading? Send us an email or a voice memo at gaysreading@gmail.com

On the Fully Booked Takeover, special guest host David Levithan celebrates the publication of Wide Awake Now (Knopf, April 16) with friend and fellow #1 New York Times-bestselling author Gayle Forman (If I Stay, I Have Lost My Way, etc.). Then our editors share their top picks in books for the week.

The recent wave of book bans and other censorship attempts have threatened democracy, restricting access and the rights of many readers. In Episode 87, Call Number looks at how libraries and library workers are on the front lines defending intellectual freedom. First, American Libraries Associate Editor and Call Number host Diana Panuncial speaks with Peter Coyl, immediate past president of the Freedom to Read Foundation (FTRF) and director and CEO of Sacramento (Calif.) Public Library. They talk about FTRF's recent work in support of intellectual freedom and library workers. They're joined by Sukrit Goswami, current president of FTRF and director at Haverford (Penn.) Free Township Library, who shares his presidential goals. Then, American Libraries Associate Editor Megan Bennett talks with Martha Hickson, media specialist at North Hunterdon High School in Annandale, New Jersey. They discuss Hickson's efforts to fight book bans and protect children's right to read, including recruiting the help of author David Levithan, despite the personal attacks she has faced from community members. And finally, Kim Crutcher, a licensed mental health counselor who was onsite at ALA's 2023 Annual Conference and Exhibition's Community of Care room, offers a special guided meditation—a good reminder for all to prioritize our wellbeing.

This month, we discuss books about music or musicians, one of the prompts on the Books and Bites Bingo Reading Challenge. From mixtapes to AI, music memoirs to YA novels, we share our thoughts on both music and books. Michael's PickMichael recommends The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl. This memoir describes the passion that Grohl has had for music since he was a kid and goes into his punk-rock roots. He tells stories that are hilarious and heartfelt, from his days in Scream to the rise and fall of Nirvana and the formation of the Foo Fighters and everything in between.Pairing: KFC and champagne, a staple the Foo Fighters enjoy after special occasions.Carrie's PickCarrie enjoyed Don't Tell Anybody the Secrets I Told You by Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams. Williams writes about her journey to becoming an artist, from her chaotic childhood to her struggle to get signed by a recording company to her eventual success. If you've ever aspired to make art, whether music, literature, or something else, you'll find her persistence inspiring.Pairing: Monday's Red Beans from Melissa M. Martin's cookbook, Mosquito Supper Club: Cajun Recipes from a Disappearing Bayou.Jacqueline's PickJacquelline chose Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist a YA romance by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. The authors write alternating chapters for each character's point of view, with Cohn voicing Norah's point of view and Levithan doing the same for Nick. The characters bond through their shared love of musicians and music. The novel takes readers through a catalog of music from rock and roll to mainstream punk, as the characters navigate New York's Indie rock scene.Pairing: Mai Tai Mocktail Party Punch.

Books that tell LGBTQ+ stories are banned at a disproportionately high rate. The first episode of Velshi Banned Book Club features two equally powerful and poignant novels that grapple with what it means to discover who you are and who you love. “Two Boys Kissing” by David Levithan masterfully weaves four separate narratives and a haunting Greek chorus of AIDS victims to tell a story of freedom, equality, intergenerational mobility, and community through a tender, coming-of-age lens. “Boy Erased” centers around author Garrard Conley's two-week treatment at a so-called conversion therapy center and explores the crucial role of family, understanding of religion, and, of course, identity. This episode features audio from various school board meetings across the nation including: Spotsylvania County Public Schools on November 8, 2021; Dearborn Public School District on October 10, 2022; Lake Travis Independent School District on September 17, 2021; and Hillsborough County Public Schools on February 10, 2022. 

We discuss David Levithan's first novel.Today's episode is brought to you by The Brightest Starts trilogy by Anna Todd. You can find The Falling and The Burning wherever books are sold.LINKS:PatreonOur merchGLU TwitterGLU InstagramDiscordWebsiteSuggest topicsOur theme song is by Leggy. You can email us at girlslikeusshow@gmail.com.Girls Like Us is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at Frolic.media/podcasts!

Welcome back, tributes! This week Emily and Holly are joined by their fabulous friend and Tribute Talk panelist, Gabby! We discuss the Barnes & Noble Q&A with Suzanne Collins and David Levithan. Visit the video version of Episode 66 for a chance to win the NEW Barnes & Noble magenta paperback copy of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPjcun-Amlw Be sure to check out our live podcast Tribute Talk on Thursdays at 6:30 PST/9:30 EST and join us this summer to read the books with the Scholastic Hunger Games book club!

“We're coming to a place in time where life itself is making us go inner world focused.” –Kristin HanggiThere's more than the hero's journey. Kristin Hanggi and I are talking about the heroine's journey and feminine productivity. Kristin is a multi passionate director, writer, producer, artist, and poet, who compares the hero's journey — or the outer world journey — and the heroine's journey — or the inner world journey.The hero's journey is an amazing framework, and when I first heard Kristin speak about the heroine's journey, there was no doubt in my mind, I needed to get her on the podcast. Right now we are living the heroine's journey individually and collectively. We need to heal our feminine and masculine.The creative path will take you to your stuck places. You need to stay in the process to evolve. It's not always comfortable and is often hard. We talk about overcoming limiting beliefs and thoughts of scarcity. Most importantly, Kristin shares the framework that helps navigate our sould's journey.We talk about: The role of mentors in the heroine's journeyThe Dark Night of the Soul and what comes afterSeparation from the feminine, losing connection to the earth and our bodiesThe outward quest for success and spiritual aridness and not feeling fulfilled Healing our relationships with our bodies and the earth and reconnecting to and learning to trust the original wisdom that lives inside Finding the integration or sacred marriage between the masculine and feminineABOUT KRISTINKristin Hanggi is a theater, television, and film director as well as a passionate multi-hyphenate — writer, producer, artist and poet.She is best known for directing and developing the international smash-hit Rock of Ages, which received five Tony Award nominations, including a nomination for Best Direction of a Musical. She has directed productions of Rock of Ages all over the world, including Broadway and the West End. Ms. Hanggi also known for developing and directing the acclaimed pop opera bare, which ran to sold-out audiences in Los Angeles and off-Broadway, and has gone on to have over 500 productions internationally. In February of 2022, Kristin directed the film Accidentally Brave, produced by Steven Soderbergh, based on the award-winning off-Broadway solo show by Maddie Corman (that Hanggi also developed and directed). As a film and television director, Hanggi directed an episode on the Emmy-nominated Netflix musical series Julie and the Phantoms. Other film directing credits include: Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List, an adaption of Rachel Cohn & David Levithan's popular novel of the same name, starring Victoria Justice, which debuted in Netflix's top ten. She made her feature directorial debut in 2013 with the indie Grantham & Rose with actress Tessa Thompson. For television, Ms. Hanggi adapted and directed the hit book series, Dear Dumb Diary into a musical movie, under Executive Producer Jerry Zucker for Walden Media. She is preparing the stage musical Romy and Michele: The Musical for 2024, and working with music artist India Arie on a stage show of her music.A partial list of other past stage productions: Clueless (with Dove Cameron); Pirate La Dee Da (currently being produced for television by John Legend and Ryan Seacrest); Atlantis by composer Matthew Lee Robinson; the initial production that launched the Pussycat Dolls, Pussycat Dolls Live at the Roxy (starring Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Charlize Theron, among others). In 2020, she released a poetry book entitled “God, Sex, Musical Theatre” which has been optioned to be turned into an unconventional...

Comic Reviews: DC Batman 135/900 by Chip Zdarsky, Mikel Janin, Mike Hawthorne, Jorge Jimenez, Adriano Di Benedetto, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Tomeu Morey Peacemaker Tries Hard 1 by Kyle Starks, Steve Pugh, Jordie Bellaire Shazam! 1 by Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Alejandro Sanchez Marvel Carnage Reigns Alpha by Alex Paknadel, David Pepose, Cheryl Lynn Eaton, Cody Ziglar, Travel Foreman, Paris Alleyne, Will Robson, Julius Ohta, Chris Sotomayor, Andrew Dalhouse, Erick Arciniega, Dee Cunniffe Cult of Carnage: Misery 1 by Sabir Pirzada, Francesco Mortarino, Javier Tartaglia Demon Wars: Scarlet Sin by Peach Momoko Edge of Spider-Verse 1 by Zander Cannon, Karla Pacheco, Pere Perez, Guillermo Sanna, Rico Renzi, Antonio Fabela Groot 1 by Dan Abnett, Damian Couceiro, Matt Milla Spider-Man 2099: Dark Genesis 1 by Steve Orlando, Justin Mason, Jordan Boyd Star Wars: Return of the Jedi – Lando by Stephanie Phillips, Alvaro Lopez, Antonio Fabela X-Men: Before the Fall – Sons of X by Simon Spurrier, Phil Noto Infinity Comics Who is… Adam Warlock? By Ralph Macchio, Damian Couceiro, Ruth Redmond Cosmo the Space Dog 1 by Jason Loo, David Cutler, Jim Campbell Image Starsigns 1 by Saladin Ahmed, Megan Levens, Kelly Fitzpatrick Dark Horse Survival 1 by Sean Lewis, Bryndon Everett, Natalie Barahona Boom Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Lost Summer 1 by Casey Gilly, Lauren Knight, Francesco Segala Mad Cave Monomyth 1 by David Hazan, Cecilia Lo Valvo, Marissa Louise Oni Lamentation 1 by Cullen Bunn, Hilary Jenkins, Arjuna Susina Ablaze Animal Castle Volume Two 1 by Xavier Dorison, Felix Delep OGNs Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione Turtle Bread by Kim-Joy, Alti Firmansyah Haunthology by Jeremy Haun Every Day by David Levithan, Dion MBD Four Eyes by Rex Ogle, Dave Valeza Lo and Behold by Wendy Mass, Gabi Mendez Katie the Cat Sitter Vol 3 by Colleen AF Venable, Stephanie Yue Fairest of All by Serena Valentino, Fiona Marchbank Ariel and the Curse of the Sea Witch Lot 13 by Steve Niles, Glenn Fabry FCBD DC Knight Terrors Prelude Clark and Lex/Fann Club Batman Squad Titan Runescape Conan the Barbarian Dark Horse Umbrella Academy/Witcher Star Wars High Republic/Avatar the Last Airbender Additional Reviews: Red Notice, Marvel Two-In-One by Chip Zdarsky, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3, The Closet, Star Wars Visions 2, Simpsons/Star Wars short, Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures pilot, Batman: Killing Time, Dark Ages News: Sweet Tooth renewed for third and final season, personnel changes at DC and IDW, Johns launching a Golden Age mini-line by three of his favorite co-creators Trailers: Dune 2, Oppenheimer, Meg 2 Comics Countdown (02 May 2023): Batman 135/900 by Chip Zdarsky, Mikel Janin, Mike Hawthorne, Jorge Jimenez, Adriano Di Benedetto, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Tomeu Morey Turtle Bread GN by Kim-Joy, Alti Firmansyah Radiant Black 23 by Kyle Higgins, Eduardo Ferigato, Raul Angulo Lo and Behold GN by Wendy Mass, Gabi Mendez Hairball 2 by Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins, Hilary Jenkins Adventures of Superman: Jon Kent 3 by Tom Taylor, Clayton Henry, Jordie Bellaire Spider-Man 8 by Dan Slott, Mark Bagley, John Dell, Andrew Hennessy, Edgar Delgado Lamentation 1 by Cullen Bunn, Hilary Jenkins, Arjuna Susina TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo: WhereWhen 2 by Stan Sakai, Hi-Fi I Hate This Place 8/Where Monsters Lie 4 by Kyle Starks, Artyom Topilin, Lee Loughridge, Piotr Kowalski, Vladimir Popov  

Will Grayson, meet Will Grayson the other protagonist of Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Also meet Laura and Meggie, the hosts of YA, We Read It! This week we're tackling John Green's co-written book with David Levithan about the two different boys from two different Chicago suburbs with the exact same name. After a surprise encounter at an adult bookstore the teenagers unfortunately do not switch places, instead they venture off on their own journeys of self-discovery culminating in them ruining the ending of their now mutual friend's musical (but this is supposed to be a good thing!).

Available for the first time in the US, Solitaire introduces fan favorites Nick and Charlie from HEARTSTOPPER -and the unforgettable Tori Spring. Tori isn't sure how to be happy again. Then she meets Michael Holden, and they try to unmask the mysterious Solitaire (and survive high school) in Oseman's stunning, unflinchingly honest debut novel. The U.S. edition offers additional exclusive bonus content: an exclusive cover designed by Oseman herself as well as a Q/A with Oseman and her U.S editor, David Levithan.

Charlie's Angels are back, and they are acting in too steamy and provocative a manner for the pearl-clutching novelization authors assigned to them. We're joined by actor and podcaster Rebecca Bulnes to break down TWO different novelizations of this movie. The first, read by Overbye, sees Emma Harrison try to soften this movie and up the action. The second, read by Hannah and Rebecca, sees David Levithan transforming Full Throttle into a G rated romp where the women are never flirty, even though that's a huge part of how they do espionage. Rebecca is a performer based in New York City Seeking Representation! https://www.backstage.com/u/rebecca-bulnes/ Subscribe to our Patreon!: patreon.com/authorizedpod Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/authorizedpod Instagram: instagram.com/authorizedpod Follow us on letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/AOverbye/ https://letterboxd.com/hsblechman/ Next week on Authorized: Alexander Freed and Ethan Warren try to turn The Dark Crystal into the Crystal of Truth --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/authorizedpod/support

Today, the 14th season of AudioFile's SYNC launches, and Robin Whitten tells host Jo Reed about this year's excellent season of free audiobooks for teens, including YOU CAN'T SAY THAT! It's a collection of interviews with authors of YA books about censorship and free expression, and it could not be more timely. Listen to hear professional narrators bring interviews with authors to life, including Angie Thomas, Katherine Paterson, and David Levithan. Sign up for this year's SYNC program and learn more about how to download 28 free audiobooks for teens on our website: audiobooksync.com Read the full review of the audiobook on AudioFile's website. Published by Brilliance Audio/Candlewick. Find more audiobook recommendations at audiofilemagazine.com Support for our podcast comes from Brilliance Audio's I Will Find You. Five years ago, David went to prison for murdering his son. But when a mysterious photo reveals that the boy might still be alive, he plans a harrowing escape to achieve the impossible. Can David save his son, prove his innocence, and finally uncover the dark truth about that devastating night? Listen to the new audiobook thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben and read by Steven Weber. Learn more at Audible.com/IWillFindYou Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join the One Book One Town book discussion of Answers in the Pages by David Levithan. Amanda Blau, Children's Program Coordinator, talks about the book with the Cover to Cover team. 

Happy Monday, Christmas Fanatics! Can you believe we're already at the end of February? Time is flying - which means we are well on our way to the most wonderful time of the year! In April, Hallmark releases their 2023 Dream Book; then Leon Day is two months later, which is quickly followed by the Fourth of July; at which point, we're on the downward slope! So hang in there, because we'll be there before you know it! In the meantime, as always, your favorite elves are here to tide you over and inject a little Christmas Cheer into your week! This week, gather with Julia, Thom, and Anthony to discuss Netflix's "Dash & Lily", the adaptation of Rachel Cohn's and David Levithan's Young Adult book of the same name! While none of the hosts liked Netflix's "Merry Happy Whatever", all three really enjoy this series with two of them absolutely adoring it! What worked so much for them this time around? You'll just have to listen to find out! Also discussed in this episode: what the elves have given up for Lent; Ellie's birthday; Julia and Marty's date night; "Ant-Man" and "Cocaine Bear"; Anthony's attempts to track down exclusive "Scream VI" merchandise; and much, much more! So, settle in, relax, and enjoy with this episode that's as fun and as filled with holiday cheer as the Netflix series that's being discussed within it! As always, thanks for your love and support, y'all!

In honor of the capitalist holiday about love, we tackle two MICHAEL CERA-led features sure to get your temperature rising! This week we discuss the CERA and KAT DENNINGS vehicle NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST (2008), which is based off the novel by RACHEL COHN and DAVID LEVITHAN! There's indie music and quotable lines-galore, all tethered to a very, very, very well-traveled piece of chewing gum.It's "THAT'S A CHILDREN'S TOY" on this week's episode of CULT and CLASSIC Films Podcast! Listen wherever you get your podcasts and at https://cultandclassicfilms.com/!Next Week: "SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD" (2010)Host: Nate WyckoffPanelist: Corinne Porter

Erica and Tirzah talk about YA books with great examples of queer friendship. Subscribe to the podcast via RSS, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher. To get even more YA news and recommendations, sign up for our What's Up in YA newsletter! This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. SHOW NOTES: Give the gift of TBR! Come Work for us! We're hiring an Ad Ops Associate and a Full-Stack Web Developer. Details here. As You Walk On By by Julian Winters Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen The Boy in the Red Dress by Kristin Lambert Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens by Tanya Boteju Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert You Know Me Well by David Levithan and Nina LaCour Odd One Out by Nic Stone The Chandler Legacies by Abdi Nazemian Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of #VelshiBannedBookClub, MSNBC host and Citizen board member Ali Velshi sits down with David Levithan, author of Two Boys Kissing. Levithan knew that everything about his book would land him on this list. He's okay with that.

From soccer teams, eerie forests, dysfunctional families and loyal companions, Louise and Virginia ventured back into the world of books for younger readers. BooksA Walk in the Dark by Jane Godwin – Lothian HachetteFootball Fever by Kristin Darell - PenguinTake Me with You When You Go by David Levithan and Jennifer Niven – Penguin 2022Runt by Craig Silvey – Allen and Unwin 2022, Illustrated by Sara ActonTake a Bow, Noah Mitchell by Tobias Madden – Penguin 2022PodcastsMaintenance Phase – Debunking junk science behind health fadsThe Daily – George SantosStreaming Shows Emily in ParisYellowstoneColin from AccountsSlow Horses

Hey, Dash & Lily's Book of Dares meet Meggie & Laura's YA Podcast, we think you'll like it here.That's right listeners, ahead of what's sure to be a kickass 7th season, your hosts decided to attempt to warm their cold-grinch hearts with a SPECIAL episode by reading the Christmas-YA book turned Christmas-YA Netflix TV Show: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Resident teenage-scrooge Dash gets catapulted into a mini challenge after finding a red notebook at a bookstore, that leads to a quick back and forth between him and the resident christmas-ride-or-die Lily as they attempt to outdue each other with various tasks during the holiday season. Will they find what they're looking for in each other? Will Meggie and Laura feel the holiday cheer they so desperately seek? Tune in and find out, we dare you!

Join our hosts Katharine, Sarah, and Patty as they discuss what they're reading and what they recommend! In this episode, listen as they take a deep dive on the works of David Levithan. For a look at the books featured in this episode, check out this booklist! Email us at SpillLit@gwinnettpl.org and tell us what you like about the show, recommend a book for us to read, or share your opinion about a book we've already reviewed. Everyone who sends us an email will be entered into a drawing to win a free YA book.

“I was very, very unintentionally smart in that I started it as a short story, I genuinely believed it was a short story, which was good, because if I hadn't sat down and said, I'm now going to write my first novel I'd probably still be working on it, but because it was a short story that got longer and became a long story, and then became a novella. And then like, Oh, I'm writing the book that I want in the world, both as a person and as an editor.” David Levithan's Boy Meets Boy is one of the most charming rom-coms we've ever read, and David joins us on the show to talk about his development as a writer and editor, the power of story, his creative process, his writing partnerships with Rachel Cohn (Dash and Lily's Book of Dares) and others, his literary influences, Heartstopper, what he's learned from his readers and much more with Poured Over's host, Miwa Messer. And we end the show with TBR Topoff book recommendations from Marc and his guest bookseller, Rhys. Featured Books: Boy Meets Boy (B&N Exclusive Edition) by David Levithan Every Day by David Levithan Answers in the Pages by David Levithan Poured Over is produced and hosted by Miwa Messer and mixed by Harry Liang. Follow us here for new episodes Tuesdays and Thursdays (with occasional Saturdays). A full transcript of this episode is available here.  

Hello folks! Here's an edited version our LIVE interview with David Levithan and Jennifer Niven on their collaborative book Take Me With You When You Go. It was a really cool interview where we talk about writing, being ambassadors of empathy and what they are reading too. Have a listen to find out about the book which is an epistolary novel where a brother and sister email to each other what they are going through in life.

Your hosts, Lesley Nickelson and Debbie Sewell talk to Jared Amato, the founder of Project Lit, a national grassroots literacy movement. Follow the movement on Twitter @ProjectLITComm. Apply to become a Chapter Leader. The books we talk about are Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Visit her website to see what other amazing books she has written. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn and her website. In the lightning round, we QUICKLY book talk, The Mysterious Disappearance of Aiden S. by David Levithan, Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer, and Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo.

After a much needed vacation, Gary is back with some new events and new books happening in the store!    Events this week: Tuesday, August 31st: Kit Rocha discussing The Devil You Know  Wednesday, September 1st: Daryl Gregory, in conversation with Paul Tremblay  Thursday, September 2nd: MJ Howson and Rolf Yngve  Sunday, September 5th: Dungeons & Dragons    New this week: The Devil You Know by Kit Rocha Revelator by Daryl Gregory  A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins  The Riviera House by Natasha Lester  My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones  Felonious Monk by William Kotzwinkle  Red Pill by Hari Kunzru  The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle  The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson  Malefactor by Robert Repino  Brackenbeast by Kate Alice Marshall  Fast Pitch by Nic Stone  A Psalm of Storms and Silence by Roseanne A. Brown  Take Me With You When You Go by David Levithan and Jenniver Niven  Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche by Nancy Springer 

Hellooooooo! Welcome back to The Series Review. Today, I will be reviewing The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother) by David Levithan. (The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother) will now be called MDAS (as told to his brother) because it takes so long to type all that.) This book follows a boy named Lucas, who is helping his family search for his brother, Aidan, who disappeared recently. Soon, Lucas finds Aidan in the attic of their house. Aidan says that he was in a magical world called Aveinieu, and he got there through a dresser! Lucas isn't sure what to believe. I love this book a lot. I read it in one day! It's a great mystery. Thanks for the support, listeners! If you have a book/series to recommend, email me at theseriesreview13@gmail.com. Enjoy the episode!  Send me a voice message: https://anchor.fm/riya-b13/message

SEQUEL: Welcome to the third installment of Shatter Me: originally the finale, but it was too lame so now there's a fourth book on the way. We've got some Grey's Anatomy level soap opera going on. Will Adam and Warner find out that they're brothers? Was Warner really a Nice Guy all along? Why does Tahereh Mafi hate Adam so much all of a sudden? Maybe the real bird was the psychopath we fell in love with along the way. TW: Child abuse, suicidal thoughts, mental illness, violence. If you like The Worst Thing We Read, help us grow by spreading the word! You can support us by leaving a 5-star review on Apple iTunes. Follow us on Instagram @worstthingweread, Twitter @worstthngweread, or email us at worstthingweread@gmail.com. Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/102293261-kaitlyn-burton https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12635391-savanah-tiffany Book rec (and movie rec): Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List, David Levithan.