Sapphire's Blog

Five Publishers Join Lawsuit to Stop Iowa Book Banning Law
By Andrew Albanese

After a federal judge blocked key parts of SF 496, Iowa’s anti-LGBTQ book banning law, last December, five more publishers—including all four remaining Big Five publishers—have now joined Penguin Random House on the joint lawsuit against the state as plaintiffs, to help defend against the state’s bid to lift the block on appeal.

In a release this week, Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks announced that they have joined the initial plaintiffs, which included PRH, the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), four renowned authors (Laurie Halse Anderson, John Green, Malinda Lo, and Jodi Picoult), and a group of teachers and students.

“We as publishers are uniting in our unwavering commitment to stand with educators, librarians, students, authors, and readers against the unconstitutional censorship measures being imposed by the state of Iowa," the publishers said in a joint statement. "Now, more than ever, we must stand firmly with our authors and readers to defend the fundamental right to read and the freedom of expression.”

Click link below for full Publishers Weekly article:
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...

Excited to have an excerpt from my novel in progress, "The Harlem Trilogy," and a new poem, "Poem Found in Scientific American," along with an online interview in the January 2024 issue of Torch Literary Arts.

https://www.torchliteraryarts.org/pos...

Nancy Morejon has currently been BANNED from the Paris Poetry Market.

Visit links below for an interview I did years ago of the great Nancy Morejon at Bomb Magazine

FB @sapphiretheauthor
https://www.facebook.com/sapphirethea...

or Bomb Magazine

https://bombmagazine.org/articles/nan...

A heartbreaker and a heart mender’: how Sapphire’s Push birthed a new American heroine


https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...

Check out the PEN America Master Class co-sponsored by The New School as Nicole Sealey and I discuss bravery in art and politics.

Master Class: Sapphire the Author and Nicole Sealey
https://youtu.be/JLtaUyEmLV0

For additional interviews and readings, visit my you tube channel at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYvq...