Elise Howard

Call your reps about this. Every time a book ban has been overturned or shut down, it's because the vast majority of people who believe in the freedom to read spoke up.
Find your reps' info at reps.fyi.

A Nationwide Book Ban Bill Has Been Introduced in the House of Representatives Hours after the State of the Union address, House republicans introduced legislation banning LGBTQ+ books from public schools nationwide.

More great work on the ever-increasing threat of book bans and censorship from our own federal government from @heykellyjensen.bsky.social. TL; DR: The house is on fire. Call your reps, especially if they are inclined to support anti-LGBTQ and censorship laws. bookriot.com/hr7661-book-...

A Nationwide Book Ban Bill Has Been Introduced in the House of Representatives Hours after the State of the Union address, House republicans introduced legislation banning LGBTQ+ books from public schools nationwide.

Following the lies and hatred targeting trans folks during the State of the Union Address, numerous republican House representatives introduced a bill that would create A NATIONWIDE BOOK BAN.

Here's what it is and what to do: bookriot.com/hr7661-book-...

1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.

Hundreds of kids are still detained.

We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵

Want to learn how to recognize and fight the latest tactics in book banning? Sign up here! Book bans aren’t slowing down — they’re evolving with a sneakier strategy that often flies under the radar. Join us as we discuss the newest trends and tactics driving today’s book bans and how commun...

I'll be live with Sabrina Baeta of PEN America for a Red, Wine and Blue event 2/19. We're talking the trends in book censorship and where/how you can get involved in pushing back right now.

Register for the free event here --> go.redwine.blue/0219tt-bookr...

Grant Guidelines for Libraries and Museums Take “Chilling” Political Turn Under Trump Former Institute of Museum and Library Services leaders from both political parties expressed concern that the new funding guidelines could encourage a more constrained or distorted view of American h...

Grant Guidelines for Libraries and Museums Take “Chilling” Political Turn Under Trump

Thank GOD some other outlets are finally talking about this.

www.propublica.org/article/inst...

Text of the poem “The Waking” by Theodore Roethke The Waking I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I feel my fate in what I cannot fear. I learn by going where I have to go. We think by feeling. What is there to know? I hear my being dance from ear to ear. I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. Of those so close beside me, which are you? God bless the Ground! I shall walk softly there, And learn by going where I have to go. Light takes the Tree; but who can tell us how? The lowly worm climbs up a winding stair; I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. Great Nature has another thing to do To you and me; so take the lively air, And, lovely, learn by going where to go. This shaking keeps me steady. I should know. What falls away is always. And is near. I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow. I learn by going where I have to go. -Theodore Roethke

I love a villanelle. I love the word “villanelle.” And I love this, the first villanelle I encountered.

Ugh *that* of course!

Reminder than instead of Amazon, you can use bookshop.org, instead of Kindle you can use Kobo, and instead of Audible, you can use Libro.fm. And if you are lucky enough to have a local indie bookstore, please shop there!

Catherine O'Hara Dead at 71 Catherine O'Hara -- famous for her work in "Schitt's Creek," "Home Alone," and "Best In Show" -- is dead ... TMZ has learned.

As much as I hate this news, it fills my heart somehow to see reports beginning "Home Alone actress...," "Schitt's Creek actress...," "Beetlejuice actress...," "Best in Show actress..." Weren't we lucky to have had her among us? www.tmz.com/2026/01/30/c...

This is an amazing opportunity!

Hey friends! Would you like to hash out world building details for your next manuscript with me and bestselling author Rae Carson? You can bid on just that in this auction to help raise funds for orgs in MN! www.32auctions.com/organization...

Right now, Democrats have the power to defund and abolish ICE. We should do it. This is about right and wrong—and the murder we are seeing on the streets is just plain wrong. Anyone who supports funding DHS and ICE is supporting the murder of Americans. We can stop this.

Trivia sidebar: I remember it well partly because Courtney Cox was also was a reference model for a character on a book series I worked on. All involved were impressed that Sweet Valley High’s Annie Whitman danced with Bruce.

Directed by Brian DePalma, in a moment when famous directors were doing music videos, and great music video directors were getting film deals.

Even in the darkest times, human creativity and community cannot be suppressed.

Good morning friends! Some things to remember when you call your senators today:
1. Renee Good's killer is still at large and has not faced justice
2. Alex Pretti's murderers are still at large, unnamed and still working on our dime.
3. 35 people died in ICE custody last year. 35 shattered families

First review, an ALA BOOKLIST star! "We need reliable, relatable information that will activate a dramatic shift in our landscapes from largely non-native to native plantings. Howard rises to that challenge... The book's power is in its concision, clarity, and ease of use." #nativeplants #gardens

Also, may I say that I don’t agree with people saying ICE and CBP need “more training.” They’re doing exactly what this administration has trained them to—impose a reign of fear in blue cities. They don’t need more training. They need to be ripped up root and branch.

I don’t want to hear anything from an elected official unless it’s a plan to defund the DHS and impeach Noem, Bovino, etc. No texts. No emails. No talk about the economy. Step up or step off.

All gratitude to, love for, and solidarity with Minnesota and my courageous friends and every person standing up to ICE.

Here's a very small thing you can do to send a little love to Minneapolis bookstores in the meantime. Search by state on Bookshop.org to support a particular independent bookstore, and rather than choosing your favorite local shop this week to receive a profit share, pick one that's in Minneapolis. Some favorites include Magers & Quinn, Moon Palace Books, Comma, Strive, and Wild Rumpus. Fuck ICE forever.

I would absolutely love to give you a personalized book recommendation if you promise that tomorrow, not today, you purchase from Bookshop.org to benefit a Twin Cities bookstore.

As of right now, the murder's go fund me has raised over $757,000 dollars for his disgusting ass. The food bank is at $81,000. The food bank needs to come out on top. Give for good. Give for spite because there is no way that piece of shit should get anything at all, certainly not ten times as much.

Why Minnesotans Fear ICE The weight of state violence isn’t abstract, it’s personal, argues Minneapolis poet Bao Phi.

Friends, please take a moment and read this piece by poet, children's book author (and fellow South High grad - go Tigers!) Bao Phi. It's wonderful and moving and necessary.

time.com/7345628/anti...

She did write a glorious and beautiful book - a best seller, even.

Wait? Is “pages” a digital phenomenon. When I started, it was all galleys, which would go to the paste-up crew to be literally cut with a knife and pasted on boards. There were first- and second-pass galleys then, but were there pages before digital output?

Organize a needlework night at your local cafe. Join the [whatever-it-may-be] group you’re invited to join. Deliver food to your community fridge. Help distribute food at your community fridge. Smile at the stranger you regularly pass, who will then no longer be a stranger. Follow @kellybarnhill…

Plant This, Not That A comprehensive guide to creating a native plant garden anywhere in the contiguous United States, with an easy-to-follow, "this, not that" format. "A timely,...

🙏 Available for pre-order now: www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/elise...

Book cover for PLANT THIS, NOT THAT: OVER 200 NATIVE PLANT SWAPS FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE, POLLINATOR-FRIENDLY GARDEN illustrated by echinacea (recommended) and buddleja (not recommended!).

2 months till publication of “Plant This, Not That: Over 200 Native Plant Swaps for a More Sustainable, Pollinator-Friendly Garden”! Features native range, growing requirements, ecological benefits, and color photos for every plant. Plus resources and advice for starting and maintaining your garden.