Adib Khorram

Today I learned that I, like many children of Kansas City, had my constitutional rights trampled in fifth grade at Exchange City...what is it about putting fifth graders in charge of a fake city government that leads to First Amendment violations?!

The problem with “virtue signaling” as a rhetorical framework was always that it pressed you not toward deeper and more sincere acts of virtue, but away from goodness as a goal at all.

Palestinian orphans in Gaza marching with photos of their dead parents

Human Rights Watch Doesn’t Want Any Riyadh Comedy Festival Money Taking money from those who took money from Saudi Arabia would impact perception of the org’s independence.

LMAOOOOO

A bunch of comedians tried to make up for their participation in the Riyadh comedy festival by donating their pay to Human Rights Watch and Human rights Watch was like “nah bitch we don’t want your dirty blood money” 😂😂 I’m dying

oh this new arrangement is FANTASTIC

Last week, one of my students said that she was compelled by law to draw pretty girls and she calls that “Yuri Duty” and the kids are all right.

Pennsylvania Democrats:

here's an offseason election to make a point of voting in, because (a) it's important for protecting basic rights, and (b) Republicans apparently don't know or care about it.

Book Bans Continue to Threaten the Wellbeing of Authors - Electric Literature There are societal, financial, legal, and emotional consequences to book challenges, and writers are facing the brunt of these attacks

here's a piece on book bans i wrote this summer, feat. reflections and stories from authors @adibkhorram.bsky.social, @kylelukoff.bsky.social, and @katrynwrites.bsky.social as well as my own reflections. ty @electricliterature.com for publishing it!

electricliterature.com/book-bans-co...

A lady Romulan commander with a groovy uniform (half pink with black triangles, half a gunmetal mesh) stands next to Spock from Star Trek, "The Enterprise Incident." She's smiling, Spock is looking quizzical

We saw you from across the bar and we really dig your vibe

the way i smiled and nodded at someone buying a book by an author who was an asshole at a con once (not even to me!)

Warn about them being a transphobe or sex pest or MAGA? Sure! But most of us have long lists of petty that only comes out with select group. It does cut out a lot of otherwise viable book recommendations though lol.

A not talked about but weird part of being a writer is how often you’re in a group talking books and you virtually smile and nod when a recommendation comes up for someone you dislike for a petty reason like they were rude to a friend at a once, but saying so would veer on unnecessary gossip.

This report kinda confirms a bad vibe I’d been sensing and I wish it was just me having a rough time in publishing of late, but it seems like a more institutional problem. Bad times.

I'm interviewing Taylor Jenkins Reid at 2:30pm!

love when the outdoors smells like sewage...great times...

“while we cannot accept, it is not too late for them to call for the release of detained Saudi activists,” said Joey Shea, Saudi Arabia researcher at Human Rights Watch.... (good to put the reasons why into perspective like this.)

Donate Your Time Plenty of groups are doing the work to fight back against book bans at a state and local level Florida Freedom to Read or the Texas Freedom to Read Project are two examples.

Attend Meetings Attend local school board and library board meetings. Being informed is the best way to protest book banning and so attending and speaking up at community meetings are vital for making change.

Donate Money Donating money helps these state and local organizations continue to fight for the freedom to read. Even a small amount of support goes a long way to the continuation of these organizations.

Join the Fight Join your local Friends of the Library group. These groups are important in advocating for literacy, library funding, and many other issues but they are also a great place to meet other lovers of the library!

Starting local is the first step to fighting for your freedom to read, but it can be a daunting process. Here are some ways to work it into your own life! #BannedBooksWeek

Why You Should Get Involved with Local Organizations, & How to do it:

New reporting from @jakewittich.bsky.social on ICE actions in Chicago: They're manufacturing a crisis.

Watch here: www.youtube.com/live/sKp5Lnl...

Read: windycitytimes.com/2025/10/03/a...

Martha Wells Book Club: Artificial Condition - Reactor When we last left our grumpy SecUnit, it had ditched the PresAux team and set out for the great beyond...

It's Murderbot time! I'm back with a discussion of Artificial Condition and everyone's favorite Asshole Research Transport.
reactormag.com/martha-wells...

Promotional poster for Banned Books Week 2025, featuring a map of Texas filled with book covers, titled 'State of School Book Bans - Texas '25'. Includes logos for PEN America and Texas Freedom to Read.

Graphic showing book bans in the 2024-2025 school year, with 26% of U.S. bans occurring in Texas school districts. Includes an image of stacked books with various titles, some showing signs of wear. Logo of PEN America displayed in the top right corner.

An informational graphic about Texas House Bill 900, detailing its introduction, focus on restrictive content around sex-related standards in schools, and the vague definition of "sexually-explicit" leading to many books being removed from school libraries. The background features an image of the Texas State Capitol building. Logos for PEN America and Texas Freedom to Read are present in the upper right corner.

Infographic titled 'Most banned books in Texas by district' listing various books including 'Homegoing' by Yaa Gyasi, 'More Happy Than Not' by Adam Silvera, 'Nineteen Minutes' by Jodi Picoult, 'Sold' by Patricia McCormick, 'The Diary of Erin McVicker' by Erin McVicker, and 'A Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess. Each book cover is displayed with a note that these are banned in 5 districts. Logo of PEN America and Texas Freedom to Read included at the top.

Book censorship in schools has reached a new apex, becoming a routine and expected part of school operations, particularly in states like Texas, which recorded 1,781 total bans in the 2024-25 school year.

Read more at: pen.org/report/the-n... #bannedbooksweek @txfreedomread.bsky.social

The Real Threat to Free Speech in America is From the Right, Not the Left—Stop Pretending Otherwise The road to fascism is paved with false equivalencies. For years we’ve been told that the censorious Left is a serious threat to free speech. If Simon & Schuster cancels one book because the pu…

I wrote about how the road to fascism is paved with false equivalencies. lithub.com/the-real-thr...

Danyel Smith on developing taste as a writer and building confidence to tell your own story - Nieman Storyboard The award-winning journalist, author, and producer shares lessons from across many forms and genres — from running Vibe magazine to writing her memoir, “Shine Bright”

had a nerdy emo convo with the amazing @cmtapper.bsky.social for the @niemanstoryboard.org podcast. we got into journeys of self-worth, my lifelong journaling practice, stories within stories, editing, as well as Sade, Whitney, SZA, and the power of the word, "I" niemanstoryboard.org/2025/10/09/d...

YOU GET STICKERS?!?!?!

The Discord Hack is Every Users’ Worst Nightmare A hack impacting Discord’s age verification process shows in stark terms the risk of tech companies collecting users’ ID documents. Now the hackers are posting peoples’ IDs and other sensitive informa...

BREAKING: A catastrophic breach has impacted Discord user data including selfies and identity documents uploaded as part of the app’s verification process, email addresses, phone numbers, approximately where the user lives, and much more.

🔗 www.404media.co/the-discord-...

what is your most favorite and least favorite part about dentistry?

Hey Texas! Or people with friends or family in Texas!

Dr. Strong taught us at @authorsabb.bsky.social how to get involved in school board elections.

If you care about books bans you have to care about school boards. Dr. Strong is one of the best people to look to for example in this.

This x1000!

No one is coming to save us from this. We need to do the work!

Use this week to get educated about the issue and to find likeminded people in your community to hold one another accountable going forward.

Need a guide to get you started?

www.freedomtoreadproject.org/turning_the_...

You should support trans authors for many reasons, but one is that trans authors are doing things with their stories that aren't being done in cis mainstream books, including taking old tropes & examining them in new, unique ways. So if you're bored with what the big 5 are constantly pushing...

also!!! have so much fun, so excited to see all the love for ANGELICA!!!