Coordinator here. And then to help us launch our new experience. September 24 through the 30th with the freedom to leave at the strand bookstore. This is a new monthly series. To provide as with an amazing platform. With those leaders alike. This monday october 2nd we will speak about creative border crossings. And we have an into a writer with our intimate conversation and then looking back and forward. Please join us for these events the one in december is the peer the others are downstairs. I want to take a moment to thank the stranded team better so instrumental to pull this series together. So finally it is my pleasure to introduce the odor of the strand bookstore. [applause] were so happy to have you here. And to be founded with my grandfather we were part of the book row that was an area along Fourth Avenue so there were 40 bookstores today we have survived so i have very thankful to readers and writers like you. And as the tireless defenders of freedom of expression and some of those whose books have been banned or challenge because of the presentation content were so proud to have these authors on our shelves and with us tonight. David is the author of two boys kissing with a two which it did fix which is exactly that. Is also author of many others also the editorial editor to scholastic working on my kids favorite series the Babysitters Club then we have coe booth who is on his portrayals of innercity life that with challenges across the country planned and a bronx native who has the nsa in creative rot read and the ma is ecology also working emergency Children Service inspired her first novel that was the l. A. Times book prize reasonable literature. Her most recent novel was chosen as one of the best books of 2014. And the multi talented area. And then when they self published comics about the Highschool Life was still attending the school. So that, make an apology has received multiple challenges to the explicit language and content for right there a middle school. Also we have jason publisher and cofounder of the largest multicultural Childrens Book publisher in the United States. And these wonderful voices and welcome them to the strand. [applause] first woodstock about these important issue is especially with his billing nine nowadays but to inform you of the American Library association intellectual freedom. And those that challenge. That basically there are half of challenged books are diverse books. And that definition of diverse that is well put that is essential to write off a lot of articles. And those diverse books have to do with nonwhite characters the lgbt character, disabled characters were issues of race and religion and nonwestern settings. So all those books that they publish and those that published as well. So david talk about the cover of two boys kissing. In the images a literal interpretation of what the book is about at the same time has led to numerous book challenges because we all know that many books that are challenged those that have never read the book. And a statement they are trying to have that push back. In terms of challenges. And with that central even the employees who make the guinness book of world record for worlds longest tenuis kids over 35 hours so there are other boys around them who also have a story lines. The book was always tired old two boys kissing so it was pretty much not guaranteed that pretty much guaranteed they would show two boys kissing on the cover and that is exactly what it amounts to with a photo by a head of school photographer. Once it is called two boys kissing certainly having the kids on the cover made it easier to be criticized even with the blanket cover we would have had challenges that they all have clear content that is the trend so that supposition is that to challenge about that identity the 95 percent of the time it is not successful so i knew very entitling the book that way would certainly to attack and challenge by the other option is to never talk about a. So of course, when does a grosso identities is not an option. Because somebody doesnt want them to exist. When you were growing up did you see any books like this . Certainly not any covers like that. So in that embassy with a weird books like danny on my mind. But thats the change did not happen until the last decade or 15 years. Once the seat changed now to have as many clear voices out there as possible. You said you started 19 in publishing did it ever occur to you to do than what youre doing now back then . Not with the path that it took is not what i would have expected. And maybe it is the reason people loved it. And it wasnt so afraid to tell the truth to kids when it came to telling my own truth. It made absolute sense. So if you say what will you do at 19 . There is amazing room in the same and. This would not have been the top guests but it does feel very natural. Of those who individually decided to write about our own vanity when negative amenities that i just happen to be a part of that. Coe booth while this panel is about handbooks about soft censorship. Like the book is on the download. When books are deemed inappropriate by an educator like a librarian or principal before the challenger actually occurs. That means for a classroom. And to grow up in the bronx. And then a book that you see behind me so tell us about that book and then to tell us your reaction of the Suburban School librarian or teacher who comes from the predominantly white student body so of your books are my students could never relate . I have had that specific thing said to me. So with teacher came up to me to say we only have to ethnic scoot students and our school. Other students are totally devoid of ethnicity and are hatched. [laughter] and you only teach them books about what they already know . You will not teach them anything else . And a little bit about my book come it takes the story of a 15 yearold boy in the bronze in that he and his little brother are homeless and to get out of the shelter that they are in which is disgusting and gross. And it does have curse words. So now i forgot the question. [laughter] i dont get full censorship is more soft. That our students will not relate to this. This is not for us. They have been in the School Library and day literally brings have put out for black History Month but is never available is behind the glass case you cannot check it out it is part of the artwork. And it just is not available. But it is never shelled with the of their gross it is segregated literally to the back of the library they call that urban literature or st. Literature. So it is in the back so it is then mixed in with the of their books. So that is where my books are. It is very frustrating end so it is frustrating it is so fabricated that remove from people stumbling upon and it. What they talk about really is the segregation. To cut down on the discover ability of the book itself. No one can pick this up. Q deliberately have to be looking for this. Those who are not black and read the book and related. Yes. I get a lot of letters from kids that tell me they related to it is because they think what the story is about not just to with his about. Bid to be on different levels. And that they could do that. What are adults afraid of . I can tell you. Such to be in their home or community that is a little scary. Maybe if it is innercity they know exactly what it is but we move to the suburbs for a reason. We dont want that book around our kid. They dont think it is the story of a little boy trying to help his family is the setting and the language he uses. It is offputting even without reading it. Isnt about those socioeconomic thing is happening. There is a whole host of things to crossover. So that entire black Latino Community we read catcher in the rye and nobody said they will not relate to that. So why isnt it the other way around . So why cant they read something just as hard . Why not . Your anthologies stuck in the middle has been challenged a number of times successfully defended. And to remove from the of library from the of recommended reading list as required reading. So tell us a bit about the anthologys stuck in the middle and those of are related to book challenges. It how you successfully defend the book. Stuck give the middle is the anthologies of comments about middle school by 17 cartoonist and it is really tame. I have written about my high School Experiences those are explicit with the naked teenagers but because those books are published for adults specifically is that why they had never been challenged but stuck in the middle is marketed to come under this type of scrutiny but there is nothing that bad. The word bitch we dont even have the word fuck it looks like fk talking about eating insects or a panel or of the teenager smoking so there really is not that bad bet i feet because it is a comicbook this is why it comes under these challenges. So that is the issue of the parents open that up to see they may not find in the pros book but it is noticeable. To see teenagers talking about sex in a way with the speech balloons. To immediately say that is bad i dont like that. And with the pros but actually have to read that. So the kids bring home the comic and then realize it needs to go. It is targeted for being a comic. And in terms of successfully defending it to have the comic Book Legal Defense Fund that comes to its defense which is amazing because images can be considered pornographic the way that prose cannot. So that jobs to the defense of the book but they do manage to keep that on the shelf. Is that a reader activism people speaking on behalf of your book . That people dont feel that passionately because it isnt a big deal. And then worth defending bin not use of the word bitch . In a short comic . I dont know. So i want to fight for the use of the word bitch in the comic. [laughter] because talk about diverse books i write a lot the kids in middle school there isnt too much sexuality at all but what is there there really is not that scandalous. Moving right along so in 2015 to under 75 books challenged in the United States however the actual statistics could be two or three times higher the reason for that is if the of principle receives a complaint about a book sometimes he will take the buck out of circulation and hide it away. So that sidesteps any protocol to be formally challenged now the reason i mention this is because the intolerance of diversity in general seems to be on the rise for the kinds of books we all do. As an author do you feel a greater responsibility to represent the Lgbt Community . Would that be funny if the answer was no . [laughter] of course. Of course, that is for the author point of view. It is a very hard position to be in. The worst thing you can say to the offer that goes for a challenge that is great you must be selling more books. That could be true but the difficult part there is a library and horror teacher defending your book. They always do a fantastic job but it is strange to know somebodys job to be on the line because of something you wrote. Ninetyfive of the time to end up to be okay and i never met an author whose book was banned gore challenged then wanted to back away. That just makes you push harder to tell the truth you want to tell. To know there are so many of those to make you say are trusting me to be as honest as possible to represent with average india want to represent as long as it is possible. My part of the bargain is to do that. Angeles is a defendant when it is challenged that does not come through a formal process the from the administrator but from pressure to not order books called two boys kissing or have black kids on the cover. Clearly we have a vice principal in the audience lot of and the goal of the challenges to intimidate you and silence you and the result is to energize and make you want to speak louder. So back to you working in a Child Protective Services so parents seem to have little control over the other forms of entertainment they consume on a regular basis like tb or video games so why do people still challenged books . Why are they singing about over other entertainment . Is there psychology to this . Parents understand books they dont know what theyre looking at on their phone. What is the cat . That is the intimacy of books. If you take the book to bed with you it is in your system and a different way and the remember brooks boiler ever. So it is that level of intimacy. To think the books are easy targets that there is a grand american and tradition. But then not realizing but then people defend in the of books whether it is a clear identity is much easier for them to attack the of book to attack people in the school itself to say in terms of students but to attack the book as a symbol and they feel that is more acceptable. There is the idea of books are supposed to be for error learning the most of the people that challenge bookstall read fiction so they dont know if they have this fucked up reality of the innercity life said to target these books they dont realize that most other books are that intense they just think this is now with their kids should be doing and all. So with those sites that pull out the elements. Palins get those elements such to find those things to latch on to the they dont see the book as well whole thing but that they feel empathy for people the things that you can learn maybe not facts and figures how to see another persons life to walk in their shoes. It just reduces the book down to moodys basic things that cheapens the whole experience. Looking back on the challenges they faced. Working on the horizon for you. And then to avoid future challenges. So why would you do that . So this is the only book at this level i have published i dunno if we have that in mind. And i could leave something in not get the book into the libraries. But i think i would need somebody else to say lets talk about this. Because that is just the death. So writing diverse books. Not only do you have to be a good writer to tell the compelling story but with the responsibility to shoulder a koch is to accurately represent those marginalized voices. That is hard work were a lot of people involved. There is a lot of people themselves. And the time the defend the books sitting here on a monday night takes away from the time you could be writing. That question was the blue book eggs the ems. They are two different questions year. That you should be defending anything the you have written. Specifically when your book is relax attacked it gives it a different element. When the censored for the of witchcraft then wizardry they dont take that personally. Has when books are censored because they have content or even is not writing about her own sexuality. So that the mantle that you love are attacked. And you have to take on a bird in. It is an action of selfdefense. In these indemnities but the great thing is i aileys have gotten my story about in 200 pages. Not 140 characters. If they can and thoughtfully and contextual the give a viewpoint into identities when the push back cokers and happily engaged in that conversation because im not just talking about what my books are about talking about who i am. And the book i had written that was not. But that is because of your own identity. But it seems so exhausting to defend that is the only thing criticized. And to live in the inner city. That is do they are afraid of for gore really . Then you are afraid of me. So not just based on the of content or who it is about it just its really frustrating after a while. With the diverse book is similar experiences to have that conversation over and over. Bid to say theyre happy to do with. So low that frustrating and fucked up conversation juror having 99. 9 percent of adults when youre actually talking to the teens that are reading the book reading different voices and those that are protecting them. And that gives me hope so im going in talking about my book every day to the gymnasiums of 2,000 kids to talk about by a married gender by gary gender but but sometimes you can see the in minister raiders say okay. So of course, the kids say yes i am binary gender. So those things that our controversial is all about the gatekeeper but those that see them in terms of the kids that are around them. It is not as scandalous to them. There has been a lot of progress. The you could never picture yourself doing this. This is a whole full part of this talk tonight but this is all the time we have for this part of the conversation. Now we go to q a . Please raise your hand. My name is peter. This is a common question director directed toward a portion of when you spoke. Young readers not seen differences. And i will digress briefly with Alcoholics Anonymous to look at the range of people to say i am not like that. Somebody with some wisdom can listen for the feelings. So that is what it is like to feel the same thing. How did they come to that realization . And it is very important. The kids today are so open to it. I dont think day necessarily see the division to put in front of them. And they are open to that already. Getting a hold of my book for a lot of kids so the adults say that isnt the book for you. And not thinking they would relate. So as they read it almost sounds like they were a little surprised. White kid in the suburbs. I found your book and he and i are the same in this way. And to find the connection. Think yes. My name is jason. The idea of banned books comes from the idea of the regime in this seems like with the more subtler form. When you have opposition from schools so a elaborate on what that looks like. So is it the School Superintendent if it is just one superintendent than that seems insane. The most challenges are the ones attracted by the American Library association usually a parent who files of complaint with the school or Public Library then it becomes an issue. Certainly sometimes it is usually the one parent alone the tax law of book there is not a groundswell but sometimes the Community Divided in many people are on the side of the challenger as well as the defender and you never know what you will get. So from both schools it ali takes one person to file a complaint and much to the extreme annoyance of the librarians and teachers who have to defend it isnt the question they have to read the book to challenge it just because what they read on the back cover copy or article on the web site or the front cover. There is no requirement that there is more stringent requirements for when you go to the process but no