DrAnnD
@drannd.bsky.social
Educator, intellectual freedom advocate, scholar, reader, writer, and lyricist. I knit, garden, and cook for instant gratification. Professor in title. Michigan expat in Texas. Typos make it bespoke. (Skeets my own.)
Definitely coordinated. Moms for Liberty, but also Facebook groups and other more informal groups crowdsource books/authors to target. Kelly Jensen has been covering the issue better than almost anyone.
Kelly Jensen, Author at BOOK RIOT
bookriot.com
January 19, 2026 at 11:10 PM
Definitely coordinated. Moms for Liberty, but also Facebook groups and other more informal groups crowdsource books/authors to target. Kelly Jensen has been covering the issue better than almost anyone.
There is so much wrong about this list, but I refuse to engage in a debate about any one bit of it. The list itself--its very existence--is invalid on its face.
State bureaucrats were directed by the Lege to pick 1 book per grade. They wrote a whole K12 ELA curriculum. Invalid, full stop.
State bureaucrats were directed by the Lege to pick 1 book per grade. They wrote a whole K12 ELA curriculum. Invalid, full stop.
January 19, 2026 at 10:05 PM
There is so much wrong about this list, but I refuse to engage in a debate about any one bit of it. The list itself--its very existence--is invalid on its face.
State bureaucrats were directed by the Lege to pick 1 book per grade. They wrote a whole K12 ELA curriculum. Invalid, full stop.
State bureaucrats were directed by the Lege to pick 1 book per grade. They wrote a whole K12 ELA curriculum. Invalid, full stop.
I'd much rather my tax dollars support this kids' college fund than, say, Sam Altman or Sundar Pichai.
January 19, 2026 at 9:31 PM
I'd much rather my tax dollars support this kids' college fund than, say, Sam Altman or Sundar Pichai.
The metaphors we use to talk about the disconnect between K12 and college writing instruction can close off or open up solutions. The National Writing Project spent a lot of time on this disconnect. And the policy constraints on teacher prep in literacy are so real. So many nuances.
January 19, 2026 at 9:28 PM
The metaphors we use to talk about the disconnect between K12 and college writing instruction can close off or open up solutions. The National Writing Project spent a lot of time on this disconnect. And the policy constraints on teacher prep in literacy are so real. So many nuances.
There's so much good in Texas Monthly. Skip Hollandsworth is an amazing writer, so maybe one of his pieces? Still Life isn't argumentative/persuasive, exactly, but I first read that essay well over a decade ago and I think of it at least once a month.
Skip Hollandsworth, Contributor at Texas Monthly
Skip Hollandsworth is a staff writer at Texas Monthly specializing in longform narratives. He grew up in Wichita Falls, attended TCU in Fort Worth, and after graduation worked as a reporter and column...
www.texasmonthly.com
January 19, 2026 at 7:16 PM
There's so much good in Texas Monthly. Skip Hollandsworth is an amazing writer, so maybe one of his pieces? Still Life isn't argumentative/persuasive, exactly, but I first read that essay well over a decade ago and I think of it at least once a month.
I can send you a column that argues that teachers who are forced to eliminate LGBTQ+ and African-American books from their classrooms and curriculum or be sanctioned/fired are experiencing moral injury.
January 19, 2026 at 7:10 PM
I can send you a column that argues that teachers who are forced to eliminate LGBTQ+ and African-American books from their classrooms and curriculum or be sanctioned/fired are experiencing moral injury.
That’s a great question, and I’m not sure off the top of my head. ALA, PEN, and NCAC are the keepers of the large databases and have a better sense of who. That said, it also strikes me as accurate. Many bans happen as a result of multi-title challenges, indicating it isn’t a concerned parent.
January 19, 2026 at 6:45 PM
That’s a great question, and I’m not sure off the top of my head. ALA, PEN, and NCAC are the keepers of the large databases and have a better sense of who. That said, it also strikes me as accurate. Many bans happen as a result of multi-title challenges, indicating it isn’t a concerned parent.
Y’all. The least controversial thing about this middle headline is the transgender student. Have y’all seen Oklahoma? Like, all the way through?
January 19, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Y’all. The least controversial thing about this middle headline is the transgender student. Have y’all seen Oklahoma? Like, all the way through?
As always, thanks for making such a clear argument and giving folks clear actions they can take to push back against terrible policy.
January 19, 2026 at 2:09 PM
As always, thanks for making such a clear argument and giving folks clear actions they can take to push back against terrible policy.
That’s a fabulous assignment. I often have students draw things (their future classroom, their eyeing process), but never thought to have them draw an LLM. Definitely going to use this.
January 18, 2026 at 4:46 PM
That’s a fabulous assignment. I often have students draw things (their future classroom, their eyeing process), but never thought to have them draw an LLM. Definitely going to use this.