April Kendra
@ank2025.bsky.social
Host of Literative, a new podcast for active literacy, engaging with others' words so we can find our own. Join us at https://shows.acast.com/literative
Reposted by April Kendra
National Portrait Gallery buy rare photograph of Ada Lovelace. 👇
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/nat...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/nat...
National Portrait Gallery buys rare photographs of Ada Lovelace for the nation
The only known photographs of mathematician and computing pioneer Ada Lovelace have been acquired by the National Portrait Gallery just before they were expected to be sold to a private buyer.
www.ianvisits.co.uk
December 22, 2025 at 7:03 PM
National Portrait Gallery buy rare photograph of Ada Lovelace. 👇
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/nat...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/nat...
Reposted by April Kendra
“Much like libraries safeguard written knowledge, we safeguard the living traditions of oral storytelling.” - Tama Lunceford, interim president of the Storytelling Resource Place, a repository of books and materials related to storytelling performance.
Read more: https://bit.ly/4p2QieF
Read more: https://bit.ly/4p2QieF
December 23, 2025 at 7:48 PM
“Much like libraries safeguard written knowledge, we safeguard the living traditions of oral storytelling.” - Tama Lunceford, interim president of the Storytelling Resource Place, a repository of books and materials related to storytelling performance.
Read more: https://bit.ly/4p2QieF
Read more: https://bit.ly/4p2QieF
Tennyson's Blue Christmas
I envy not in any moods
The captive void of noble rage
#Christmas #BlueChristmas #literature 💙📚
I envy not in any moods
The captive void of noble rage
#Christmas #BlueChristmas #literature 💙📚
December 23, 2025 at 10:43 PM
Tennyson's Blue Christmas
I envy not in any moods
The captive void of noble rage
#Christmas #BlueChristmas #literature 💙📚
I envy not in any moods
The captive void of noble rage
#Christmas #BlueChristmas #literature 💙📚
Reposted by April Kendra
The latest federal program to fall victim to the Trump Administration’s war on words is the early learning program Head Start, where one director received a list of 197 words and phrases titled “Words to limit or avoid in government documents.” https://pen.org/head-start-programs-banned-words/
Head Start Programs Are Latest Target in Trump’s War on Words
A Head Start administrator sent a list of words to keep out of applications, according to court filings. The list includes “accessible,” “cultural sensitivity,” “diverse communities,” “equal opportuni...
pen.org
December 23, 2025 at 12:40 AM
The latest federal program to fall victim to the Trump Administration’s war on words is the early learning program Head Start, where one director received a list of 197 words and phrases titled “Words to limit or avoid in government documents.” https://pen.org/head-start-programs-banned-words/
Reposted by April Kendra
PEN America’s Snapshots of Censorship illustrate the personal impact that state and federal censorship has on individual scholars. Read these stories, and others, at: https://pen.org/blog-series/snapshots-of-censorship/
December 20, 2025 at 6:52 PM
PEN America’s Snapshots of Censorship illustrate the personal impact that state and federal censorship has on individual scholars. Read these stories, and others, at: https://pen.org/blog-series/snapshots-of-censorship/
Reposted by April Kendra
Award-winning author George M. Johnson joined us to urge New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the Freedom to Read Act.
Join us in calling for crucial safeguards against book censorship at: https://act.pen.org/a/ny-freedom-to-read/ #bannedbooks #censorship #freedomtoread
Join us in calling for crucial safeguards against book censorship at: https://act.pen.org/a/ny-freedom-to-read/ #bannedbooks #censorship #freedomtoread
December 19, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Award-winning author George M. Johnson joined us to urge New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign the Freedom to Read Act.
Join us in calling for crucial safeguards against book censorship at: https://act.pen.org/a/ny-freedom-to-read/ #bannedbooks #censorship #freedomtoread
Join us in calling for crucial safeguards against book censorship at: https://act.pen.org/a/ny-freedom-to-read/ #bannedbooks #censorship #freedomtoread
And their families will never fully recover, even forty years later. Ask me how I know.
At least one person has died every day, on average, from a mass shooting in the United States this year.
There Have Been Fewer Mass Shootings In The US This Year—But Still Averaging More Than One Per Day
At least one person has died every day, on average, from a mass shooting in the United States this year.
www.forbes.com
December 18, 2025 at 11:06 PM
And their families will never fully recover, even forty years later. Ask me how I know.
"[W]e have evidence that some libraries are banning books by the hundreds, while others are removing dozens at a time."
But policies often require the titles to be individually reviewed before they can be returned to the shelves, so it's become far easier to remove than to restore books.
But policies often require the titles to be individually reviewed before they can be returned to the shelves, so it's become far easier to remove than to restore books.
ALA, @bookriot.bsky.social, @penamerica.bsky.social, @flfreedomread.bsky.social, @txfreedomread.bsky.social all track different aspects of the movement - no matter how you look at it, book bans are sweeping across the country. Don't miss our joint report: https://bit.ly/4qkTZh5
December 18, 2025 at 10:46 PM
"[W]e have evidence that some libraries are banning books by the hundreds, while others are removing dozens at a time."
But policies often require the titles to be individually reviewed before they can be returned to the shelves, so it's become far easier to remove than to restore books.
But policies often require the titles to be individually reviewed before they can be returned to the shelves, so it's become far easier to remove than to restore books.
"[L]ike teachers, the attacks on library workers aren’t actually about things they’ve done. Rather, they are attempts to dictate who has a right to learn and which ideas and perspectives people can learn about."
Brilliant! Looking forward to more in this series. 💙📚
Brilliant! Looking forward to more in this series. 💙📚
Lie #1: Libraries indoctrinate. Truth: Censoring library books by removing them from libraries or prohibiting them from the shelves in the first place is indoctrination. https://www.oif.ala.org/lies-about-libraries-part-one/
Lies About Libraries (Part One)
Welcome to the first in a series of posts dedicated to debunking false claims used to undermine trust in libraries and attack those who work in them.
www.oif.ala.org
December 18, 2025 at 10:31 PM
"[L]ike teachers, the attacks on library workers aren’t actually about things they’ve done. Rather, they are attempts to dictate who has a right to learn and which ideas and perspectives people can learn about."
Brilliant! Looking forward to more in this series. 💙📚
Brilliant! Looking forward to more in this series. 💙📚
💙📚
Congratulations to all of the 2026 PEN America Literary Awards nominees! With a list that includes biography, poetry, translation, science writing, and more, this year’s longlist has something for every reader. Join us in celebrating this year’s nominees, see here: pen.org/announcing-t...
Announcing the 2026 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists
PEN America is honored to announce the Longlists for the 2026 Literary Awards, which will confer nearly $350,000 to writers and translators.
pen.org
December 18, 2025 at 10:14 PM
💙📚
I hope the report will notice expenses incurred by deliberate damage to books (requiring replacements and installation of security cameras) and frivolous FOIA requests designed to eat up budgets and labor.
The study includes detailed data and photographs from the GAO's field research that demonstrate the difficulties facing library facilities across the country. Rising costs of repairs are driving expenses even higher. Read the GAO's full report: files.gao.gov/reports/GAO-...
December 18, 2025 at 8:02 PM
I hope the report will notice expenses incurred by deliberate damage to books (requiring replacements and installation of security cameras) and frivolous FOIA requests designed to eat up budgets and labor.
This investment is especially important given the social services libraries provide in their communities.
New: ALA welcomes a pathbreaking study by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, which finds that thousands of public library facilities are in acute need of investment for repairs and upgrades.
Read more about the report, which ALA called to be developed: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
Read more about the report, which ALA called to be developed: www.ala.org/news/2025/12...
December 18, 2025 at 7:56 PM
This investment is especially important given the social services libraries provide in their communities.
Reposted by April Kendra
2025 Book Censorship Wrapped: Trends, Challenges, & Successes Over The Year.
Dive into this groundbreaking collaborative piece from @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social, @penamerica.bsky.social, @bookriot.bsky.social, @txfreedomread.bsky.social, and @flfreedomread.bsky.social
bookriot.com/book-censors...
Dive into this groundbreaking collaborative piece from @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social, @penamerica.bsky.social, @bookriot.bsky.social, @txfreedomread.bsky.social, and @flfreedomread.bsky.social
bookriot.com/book-censors...
2025 Book Censorship Wrapped: Trends, Challenges, and Successes Over The Year
What were the book censorship trends in 2025? Here are the highs and lows, as identified by five organizations doing the work.
bookriot.com
December 18, 2025 at 1:27 PM
2025 Book Censorship Wrapped: Trends, Challenges, & Successes Over The Year.
Dive into this groundbreaking collaborative piece from @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social, @penamerica.bsky.social, @bookriot.bsky.social, @txfreedomread.bsky.social, and @flfreedomread.bsky.social
bookriot.com/book-censors...
Dive into this groundbreaking collaborative piece from @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social, @penamerica.bsky.social, @bookriot.bsky.social, @txfreedomread.bsky.social, and @flfreedomread.bsky.social
bookriot.com/book-censors...
Reposted by April Kendra
Meet Becky Spratford, a librarian, readers' advisory specialist, and ALA Editions author who has "spent her career tirelessly nudging horror literature into the American mainstream."
The Chicago Tribune has named her Chicagoan of the Year in Books. Congrats Becky! https://bit.ly/494ILq2
The Chicago Tribune has named her Chicagoan of the Year in Books. Congrats Becky! https://bit.ly/494ILq2
Chicagoan of the Year in Books: If you’re into horror, thank the librarian Becky Spratford
She’s the unassuming champion behind the rise in horror lit. “To me, Becky is the spark plug, lynchpin, head coach and fairy godmother of horror,” says author Daniel Kraus.
bit.ly
December 17, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Meet Becky Spratford, a librarian, readers' advisory specialist, and ALA Editions author who has "spent her career tirelessly nudging horror literature into the American mainstream."
The Chicago Tribune has named her Chicagoan of the Year in Books. Congrats Becky! https://bit.ly/494ILq2
The Chicago Tribune has named her Chicagoan of the Year in Books. Congrats Becky! https://bit.ly/494ILq2
Standing in the room where it happened at @janeaustenshouse.bsky.social
#JaneAusten250 #JaneAusten #Janeites #literature 💙📚
#JaneAusten250 #JaneAusten #Janeites #literature 💙📚
December 17, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Standing in the room where it happened at @janeaustenshouse.bsky.social
#JaneAusten250 #JaneAusten #Janeites #literature 💙📚
#JaneAusten250 #JaneAusten #Janeites #literature 💙📚
“books are a convenient target because they’re in public library systems. And sometimes what’s really being targeted is the idea of a library, the idea of equal access to information and stories.”
Bestselling author John Green's "Looking for Alaska" is the most frequently banned book since PEN America began counting in 2021. In a new interview, he tells us the dubious honor is both "strange" and "surreal."
Read the full interview at: https://pen.org/john-green-interview/
Read the full interview at: https://pen.org/john-green-interview/
John Green, Author of Most Banned Book, Says It’s No Badge of Honor
In conversation with PEN America, John Green spoke about censorship and the power of books – but left us with his characteristic hope.
pen.org
December 17, 2025 at 2:29 AM
“books are a convenient target because they’re in public library systems. And sometimes what’s really being targeted is the idea of a library, the idea of equal access to information and stories.”
Reposted by April Kendra
This is incredible news. Today, Virginia officials will unveil a statue of Barbara Johns at the Capitol to replace one of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that had stood for more than a century. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Statue of Black teen who fought segregation replaces Robert E. Lee at U.S. Capitol
Barbara Rose Johns was only 16 when she led a walkout in 1951 to protest horrendous conditions at her segregated high school for Black students in rural Farmville, Virginia.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 16, 2025 at 11:43 AM
This is incredible news. Today, Virginia officials will unveil a statue of Barbara Johns at the Capitol to replace one of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that had stood for more than a century. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
We act like this is ancient history. It is not.
Pauline Copes Johnson, a descendant of Harriet Tubman, has died at 98.
She spent a lifetime guarding that legacy from the small city where Tubman spent her final years
www.kolumnmagazine.com/2025/12/11/t...
She spent a lifetime guarding that legacy from the small city where Tubman spent her final years
www.kolumnmagazine.com/2025/12/11/t...
December 16, 2025 at 5:33 PM
We act like this is ancient history. It is not.
Reposted by April Kendra
🎉 Happy 250th Birthday Jane Austen!
🎂 Today marks Jane Austen’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of her birth, #onthisday in 1775.
📖 Today we are celebrating her life and incredible contribution to English literature.
🎂 Today marks Jane Austen’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of her birth, #onthisday in 1775.
📖 Today we are celebrating her life and incredible contribution to English literature.
December 16, 2025 at 1:33 PM
🎉 Happy 250th Birthday Jane Austen!
🎂 Today marks Jane Austen’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of her birth, #onthisday in 1775.
📖 Today we are celebrating her life and incredible contribution to English literature.
🎂 Today marks Jane Austen’s birthday and the 250th anniversary of her birth, #onthisday in 1775.
📖 Today we are celebrating her life and incredible contribution to English literature.
Happy 250th, Jane Austen! 2/2
As we enter the dining room @janeaustenshouse.bsky.social , we might not see the chair in the corner, but at that small table Austen wrote 6 novels that made us see ourselves. #JaneAusten250 #JaneAusten #Janeites💙📚
As we enter the dining room @janeaustenshouse.bsky.social , we might not see the chair in the corner, but at that small table Austen wrote 6 novels that made us see ourselves. #JaneAusten250 #JaneAusten #Janeites💙📚
December 16, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Happy 250th, Jane Austen! 2/2
As we enter the dining room @janeaustenshouse.bsky.social , we might not see the chair in the corner, but at that small table Austen wrote 6 novels that made us see ourselves. #JaneAusten250 #JaneAusten #Janeites💙📚
As we enter the dining room @janeaustenshouse.bsky.social , we might not see the chair in the corner, but at that small table Austen wrote 6 novels that made us see ourselves. #JaneAusten250 #JaneAusten #Janeites💙📚
Happy 250th, Jane Austen! 1/2
It’s the big day and we’ve finally arrived at our destination, @janeaustenshouse.bsky.social in Chawton! #JaneAusten250 #JaneAusten #Janeites 💙📚
It’s the big day and we’ve finally arrived at our destination, @janeaustenshouse.bsky.social in Chawton! #JaneAusten250 #JaneAusten #Janeites 💙📚
December 16, 2025 at 11:52 AM
Happy 250th, Jane Austen! 1/2
It’s the big day and we’ve finally arrived at our destination, @janeaustenshouse.bsky.social in Chawton! #JaneAusten250 #JaneAusten #Janeites 💙📚
It’s the big day and we’ve finally arrived at our destination, @janeaustenshouse.bsky.social in Chawton! #JaneAusten250 #JaneAusten #Janeites 💙📚
Reposted by April Kendra
But freedom for these writers and political prisoners, now forced into exile, is still conditional, and Belarus continues to jail writers for their speech. We join PEN Belarus in urging Belarus to unconditionally release all unjustly jailed writers. penbelarus.org/en/2025/12/1...
Statement by PEN Belarus on the Release of Political Prisoners – PEN Belarus
14 December 2025: PEN Belarus welcomes the news of the release of 123 political prisoners from Belarusian prisons, while expressing deep concern over their forced expulsion from the country and the fa...
penbelarus.org
December 15, 2025 at 8:29 PM
But freedom for these writers and political prisoners, now forced into exile, is still conditional, and Belarus continues to jail writers for their speech. We join PEN Belarus in urging Belarus to unconditionally release all unjustly jailed writers. penbelarus.org/en/2025/12/1...
Reposted by April Kendra
We are relieved that several writers in Belarus, including PEN members Ales Bialiatski and Maksim Znak, have been released from prison. They should never have been jailed in the first place and endured years of unjust confinement in a penal colony.
We welcome the long-awaited release of PEN members Ales Bialiatski and Maksim Znak and fellow writers after years behind bars! We continue urging #Belarus to free all those still held on trumped up grounds. #FreeThemAll
www.reuters.com/world/europe...
www.reuters.com/world/europe...
Ales Bialiatski, who won Nobel prize while behind bars, is freed from prison in Belarus
The human-rights campaigner won the Nobel Peace Prize while behind bars.
www.reuters.com
December 15, 2025 at 8:29 PM
We are relieved that several writers in Belarus, including PEN members Ales Bialiatski and Maksim Znak, have been released from prison. They should never have been jailed in the first place and endured years of unjust confinement in a penal colony.
Reposted by April Kendra
We condemn the conviction of Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper publisher Jimmy Lai. He now faces possible life in prison.
The international community, including the US, must stand up for independent media and continue pressing for Lai’s release.
#FreeJimmyLai bsky.app/profile/peni...
The international community, including the US, must stand up for independent media and continue pressing for Lai’s release.
#FreeJimmyLai bsky.app/profile/peni...
#HongKong: Together with @englishpen.bsky.social, we condemn the conviction of writer and media publisher #JimmyLai. We continue to stand with him and urge the Hong Kong and Chinese authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally. www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...
China - Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai found guilty in long-running national security trial — PEN International | Promoting Literature & Defending Freedom of Expression Worldwide
“ The guilty verdict handed down to writer and media publisher Jimmy Lai is nothing less than a travesty and a betrayal of Hong Kong’s once vaunted legal system. Jimmy Lai’s selfless commitment to Hon...
www.pen-international.org
December 15, 2025 at 7:33 PM
We condemn the conviction of Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper publisher Jimmy Lai. He now faces possible life in prison.
The international community, including the US, must stand up for independent media and continue pressing for Lai’s release.
#FreeJimmyLai bsky.app/profile/peni...
The international community, including the US, must stand up for independent media and continue pressing for Lai’s release.
#FreeJimmyLai bsky.app/profile/peni...
Some good news today? I’ll take it.
Libraries have had to make difficult decisions this year while federal funding was rescinded. Funding reinstatement is making a difference, including in Indiana: www.whas11.com/article/news...
Tell Congress to #FundLibraries in next year's budget: app.oneclickpolitics.com/campaign-pag...
Tell Congress to #FundLibraries in next year's budget: app.oneclickpolitics.com/campaign-pag...
Southern Indiana library celebrates federal funding return
Some federal funding has returned, a small victory as the Madison Public Library prepares for difficult decisions ahead.
www.whas11.com
December 15, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Some good news today? I’ll take it.