We get to know a lot of people after it’s too late to meet them.  Their books tell me who they were.  Go into a stranger’s house and look at their books, and you’ll come as close as possible to reading their mind. The other day, I got to meet Warren through the books his widow brought me.

She came in with her daughter and granddaughter, a little uncomfortable with her situation and unsure about what she was doing. With her white gloves and purse, she reminded me of my grandmother.  Her daughter guided her to a chair and then the daughter and I went through the books.

Warren loved books, particularly books about books. I know he loved them because he cared for them so well, fashioning custom covers for them from book-themed wrapping paper. He took care to leave information in his books: Where this one came from, what bindery re-bound that one.  He had a lot of copies of “The Colophon,” a richly produced hardbound periodical from the Thirties that cost more per issue than a lot of people then made in a day.

I asked the daughter what she wanted for the books. She didn’t know. So I made an offer and she took it. I wrote a check to the widow. She seemed happy that someone appreciated the books.

When I got the books home and did some more research, I concluded that the books were worth more than I paid for them. So I wrote another check – two, actually. I had made the first one out to Warren.  What was I thinking?

The post Dead Man’s Books appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

As book banning becomes increasingly prevalent in the US, we take a closer look at the situation in Colorado. What books are being challenged, and why? What does this trend mean for the future of intellectual freedom?

I recently started reading The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster with my almost 10-year-old. As he gets older, I see in real time the childlike sense of wonderment slipping away and glimpses of adult malaise already creeping in. In fourth grade, he’s already keenly aware of racism, homophobia and transphobia, and a myriad of social injustices he questions almost daily. I knew this time was coming, and that’s why I was saving The Phantom Tollbooth. I know he sees himself in the main character, Milo, and I remember the first times I felt “seen” in a book — whether in Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume when I was around the same age as my son, or in Fall on Your Knees by Ann Marie MacDonald as a young adult — incidentally, the only book that ever made me audibly sob.

For anyone who believes in the power of literature to transform the human spirit, Juster’s young adult novel first published in 1961 is an elixir. The narrative is one of discovery of education and wisdom; it’s an antidote to despair, a vaccination against ignorance and intolerance.

Incredibly, The Phantom Tollbooth was once banned in a public library in Boulder for being “poor fantasy.”

Public libraries and schools in the U.S. experience challenges to books every year. A book challenge is “an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based on the objections of a person or group.”

A book challenge is “an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based on the objections of a person or group.”

There has been a recent surge in the number of challenges and bans occurring across the country. These actions appear to be deliberate attempts to limit the accessibility of information and impose restrictions on what citizens can or cannot read.

Why are reading materials challenged?

There’s been more energy in recent years to increase representativeness and inclusivity in library collections. Even so, there are at least 50 groups pushing for book bans at national, state, and/or local levels, according to Pen America. These groups are often organized and widespread, and they share lists and tactics to challenge books in public and school libraries.

Dr. Lu Benke has been a librarian since 1974. She currently sits on a steering committee for Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy. Benke told YS, “Some groups, such as CatholicVote, hold campaigns such as Hide the Pride. This particular campaign tells parents how they can go to the library and check out all the books that are on display for Pride Month and keep them on a shelf away from kids and then turn them back in once the month is over. That is happening. When you’re organized and you make it easy for people to challenge things, it’s going to happen more.”

According to Benke, “It’s usually fear that causes people to challenge a book. They’re afraid that their way of life is being challenged and that books are making it happen. They seem to feel that an old way of life is being challenged, and they’re concerned that it needs to be protected.”

Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) echoes the same sentiment. In a recent interview, Robinson indicated that “the book bans are really tied to the attacks on racial justice that are happening across the country, the attacks to drag queen story hours, and attempts to eliminate them — they’re all part of the same narrative of splitting our communities and criminalizing our stories.”

Which books are being banned?

Historically, materials containing themes of violence and sexuality were those which typically caused objections. In recent years, there has been a shift. Now the main themes in challenged books are LGBTQ+ issues and race, defined by featuring either characters of color or by addressing issues of race and racism.

The American Library Association provides statistics up to 2021 on which books have been the most challenged and most frequently banned in the U.S.:

1. “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe
2. “Lawn Boy” by Jonathan Evison
3. “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson
4. “Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Pérez
5. “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas
6. “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie
7. “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews
8. “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison
9. “This Book Is Gay” by Juno Dawson
10. “Beyond Magenta” by Susan Kuklin
    

From July 2021 to June 2022, PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans lists 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 unique book titles.

In a January 2022 interview with Slate, Associate Professor Emily Knox at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign stated that we are indeed seeing a rise in book challenges across the country and that social media is exacerbating the issue. Knox indicates the “Four R’s” for censorship practices: reduction, removal, restriction, and relocation. Each action is, in practice, a form of censorship.

Knox indicates the “Four R’s” for censorship practices: reduction, removal, restriction, and relocation. Each action is, in practice, a form of censorship.

Literature is a reflection of our communities, which must include the representation of racialized and LGBTQ+ characters and issues. If marginalized groups are continually othered and left out of literature, this becomes so normalized, and it becomes even harder to challenge perspectives. In this void of representation, things happen — like 340+ anti-LGBTQ+ bills introduced at state level across the country, for instance. Or 44 states (and counting) that have introduced bills restricting how racism and sexism can be taught by teachers in public schools including all-out bans in 18 of those states, creating a flurry of confusion and lawsuits.

The results of censorship

Book bans disproportionately affect those who are already disadvantaged in terms of time, money, or transportation to obtain materials from commercial booksellers.

Melissa Hisel, the director of the Lafayette Public Library told YS the intention of libraries is to build a balanced collection of material. “Nothing on our shelves is overtly endorsed by us. When you go to library school, you learn that when you’re building a collection, a large portion of the material should offend you personally. That’s a good indicator that you’re doing it right, and you’re providing balanced information.”

We asked Hisel what libraries would look like if they did restrict access to certain materials. “That guts the heart of the institution,” she said. “The purpose of the public library is to provide access to a world of information and ideas, and public libraries are for everyone. I would hate to see us go back to a time where they become exclusionary entities with an agenda. Their role is that of an equalizer. Everyone is treated the same; no money exchanges hands when they access our services. There is no other place like that in our country. If we were to restrict access to materials or intentionally not collect materials that may be controversial to some folks, it has the potential to destroy the entire institution.”

“I would hate to see us go back to a time where they become exclusionary entities with an agenda.”

Disallowing access to information and perspectives and seeing information as dangerous is at the root of book challenges and bans. This perspective assumes that if an individual is offended or concerned about certain content, then it must be universally offensive, and society must be shielded from it. When materials are deemed “offensive,” let’s also not lose sight that members of those communities see and hear that message loud and clear. They may in turn internalize that they themselves are “offensive” as well. Undermining the acceptance of marginalized groups and creating shame and isolation are exactly the point.

What’s happening in Colorado?

According to the Library Research Service, there were 20 challenges made in Colorado in 2021 (the latest statistics available), a 100% increase from the previous year. Of those challenges, nearly half were materials on LGBTQ+ topics, and more than half were children’s books.

Librarians and teachers across the U.S. have been disciplined for not complying with censorship measures. Cara Chance, a branch manager in Louisiana has been accused of insubordination for not removing an LGBTQ book display.

Benke recalled a similar situation in 2021 that occurred in Erie, when a young adult librarian named Brooky Parks was terminated: “She was holding two programs. One had the term ‘woke’ in it. The other had the term ‘anti-racist.’ Both programs were canceled by the board, who then quickly passed a policy that all programs had to adhere to community mores and fired Brooky. She got a lawyer, and she won. The children’s librarians or directors are being pursued at an individual level. That’s in court. What’s happening at the community level is equally ugly. They’re dropping off the librarians and directors on a social level and getting everyone to stay away from all library programming.”

According to the Library Research Service, there were 20 challenges made in Colorado in 2021 (the latest statistics available), a 100% increase from the previous year.

It’s not all doom and gloom. The library board in Wellington had an ingenious approach when confronted with a challenge of 19 titles last year. It didn’t just refuse to ban the books a patron challenged, it passed a resolution that the board cannot “censor, suppress, remove, monitor or place age restrictions on ideas or information in our public library.” Essentially, the board banned book bans.

What can be done?

Just because there are fewer attempts at book bans in Colorado than other areas of the country doesn’t mean that citizens concerned with access to information and censorship shouldn’t be prepared and vigilant. Hisel believes that it’s important for citizens to get involved: “Come out and speak up for your libraries. Be active in your communities, speak out in public meetings. Be aware of what’s going on, consider serving on your library board or school board. Make a donation to your library’s foundation or the library of your local public school.”

The wave of book challenges can be stressful for librarians and library staff as well. Benke gave YS additional advice for those working in libraries: “The best thing you can do is have a very clearly thought-out reconsideration policy. Interestingly, when people want to make a complaint about a book, they don’t want to do anything but take someone’s word about the book. They haven’t read it. They’re adamant that this is an awful book, and you just need to get rid of it. So when you have a clear reconsideration policy, you need to indicate where the problem is.”

Final (uncensored) words

Book bans are the canaries in the coal mine; they’re an indication of where our society is headed. Astonishingly, we haven’t collectively learned that mass censorship is a tool of fascism — and an effective one. We’re seeing this in real time with the rapid rise of the extremist right-wing movement and populism throughout North America. In less than a century, the book burnings by Nazi groups in pre-World War II Germany seem to have been forgotten. Maybe we also need to be reminded of the early years of Mussolini’s Italy, which involved violent raids on bookstores and censorship that was outside legal authority.

Astonishingly, we haven’t collectively learned that mass censorship is a tool of fascism — and an effective one.

Deliberately withholding literature and information from citizens throughout history has been a calculated strategy employed by those in positions of power as a means of preserving control. There’s an obvious hypocrisy when the unbridled “freedoms” of the Second Amendment are championed with fervor, while cherry-picking from the First Amendment where and when it suits. Is it freedom if it’s granted selectively under authoritarianism, or is this an oxymoron?

It’s crucial to reflect on who controls the information that citizens can access and always remain skeptical when a group desperately wants to control the popular narrative. We’ve seen over time that censorship has significant consequences, with losses felt throughout society. Collective societal empathy and knowledge are stifled, and citizens lack the ability to make informed decisions based on evidence or varied perspectives. Democracy and freedom are suppressed.

This is a time for rationality, compassion, and collective wisdom. We can fight for intellectual freedom if we’re not asleep at the wheel.

Juster’s lessons from the Phantom Tollbooth, more than fifty years after its original publication, still hold true: “Since you got here by not thinking, it seems reasonable to expect that, in order to get out, you must start thinking.”

The post Book Banning on the Rise: A look into censorship in Colorado appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

There is a certain macabre joy that comes from discovering a hidden treasure among a dead person’s items. For whatever reason there is also some romanticism associated with those that do so in a “respectful” way. Archaeologists are viewed with both the swagger of Indiana Jones and the childhood wonder of discovering unknown cities, palaces and riches. Booksellers too hold a unique and attractive role to those of us who often get lost in a good story.

Of course there is the sketchy side. The modern day grave-robbers who only have dollar signs in their eyes during the reading of the will, the ones scrambling for priceless finds, the bitter feuds and family fights that ensue from divvying up the property of the deceased.

Within this same vein, yet another breed entirely, are the booksellers. They don’t roam the deserts of Egypt or pry open caskets for valuables, but they do sell the stories that inspire the same fantasies of eye-opening wonder and dark tales of mystery. No graves are robbed in a literal sense but the rush for the once prized possessions, or, more often than not, the forgotten gems, at estate sales feel reminiscent of those contested readings of a last will and testament.

The bookseller’s Holy Grail varies from person to person. Like anyone else on the hunt for a treasured item it can be a lifetime of unfulfilled quests, tales of the “one that got away”, or the silently recalled joy of finding that once in a life discovery.

“It has almost an element of grave robbing,” Dan Danbom, author and bookseller at Printed Page Bookshop opens the conversation, “honestly, that’s the real thrill of finding these kinds of things. I get calls from people saying ’my father in law died and he had a huge library. Will you come out and look at it?’ and my imagination runs wild. They’re all great until I get there.”

YS: That’s part of the romanticism that people think of when they think of running a bookstore – finding that treasure trove.

DD: Yeah I used to refer to it as urban fishing. There’s an element of luck with fishing but there’s also a very complicated understanding of the significance of books. I’ve been doing it off and on for 40 years, and I’m still learning every day.

YS: What’s your great book find story?

DD: It was a first edition of Catcher in the Rye at an estate sale. The person  running it wasn’t a novice, they knew about it. On the dustjacket, the flap on the inside of the book, it said ‘Selection of the Book of the Month Club.’ Those are not as collectible as publishers editions, the first printing. The person running the estate sale took that to mean that it was a Book of the Month club book – well it wasn’t. It was a beautiful copy and it’s a valuable book. I sold my copy for  $10,000. And that was several years ago if I had it today I’d price it at $25,000.

YS: And the ones that got away?

DD: You remember the ones that got away. I just walked up to a garage sale once and said do you have any books? ‘Yeah, I got some back here.’ They’re in his garage, and he’s taking sacks of fertilizer and cans of paint on top of them. He opens it up and it’s cobwebby and there’s a bunch of cheap James Patterson books – and then there’s a signed copy of To Kill a Mockingbird. So I take the stack of books and ask what do you want for these. He goes ‘I think one of these is signed’ and finds To Kill a Mockingbird and says ‘I’m gonna keep this one.’ I thought – excuse my language – in you’re fucking garage? In a box? I thought, I need to confiscate this, as a self-deputized guardian of Western civilization.”

YS: Are there any books you’ve refused to sell?

DD: Anything damaged. Reader’s Digest. We don’t sell textbooks, very little self help books, or tour guides – unless they’re vintage things. We don’t sell porn. There are booksellers who get very hesitant about selling Mein Kamphf. I don’t feel that way. There are no books that I would refuse to carry just because I disagree with their intent. Other than books that I regard as better use for insulation.

YS: What do you do when you find something personal when buying something from the deceased?

DD: You find personal things. I try to return that kind of material to people. I bought a bunch of books from an estate and there was a box of personal items from this guy’s brother. It was cool stuff. I was able to return it to his brother.

Dan ended the interview reminding me of the support he receives, “I want to make it clear that what I do isn’t in a vacuum. My partner is indispensable. I don’t want to give the impression this is me who’s doing all this stuff. It’s a lot of people who all have the same passion and love of books.”

Booksellers will continue to hold that romantic sway as long as the dream of finding that white whale exists. Reality may be one of numbers and taxes, cleaning toilets and interacting with customers, but the dream of perusing stacks of old manuscripts, of recommending books to the devotees, and searching high and low for that pristine text will continue to call to the imagination of those of us who bury ourselves in the written word.

The post Conversation with a Bookseller: The romance and reality around peddling print with Dan Danbom appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Editor’s Note: Press Releases are provided to Yellow Scene Magazine. In an effort to keep our community informed, we publish some press releases in whole.

The Banned Books Club

In-person seating at Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center
Sunday, September 11 at 2 p.m.
Virtual performance begins on Thursday, September 15 at 7:00 p.m.

Denver, CO – Stories on Stage kicks off the 2022-23 Season with The Banned Books Club at Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center, 721 Santa Fe Drive on Sunday, September 11 at 2 p.m. Virtual performance begins on Thursday, September 15 at 7:00 p.m. and will be available for viewing any time thereafter. Ticket holders for the virtual performance will receive a link prior to the performance. Tickets are $24 and are available by calling 303-494-0523 or online at www.storiesonstage.org.

Seth Dhonau, Jose Guerrero and Camryn-Nailah Torres perform stories from challenged books to commemorate Banned Books Week.

In 2021, 1,597 books were challenged or banned in the United States, according to the newest report by the American Library Association. While books have been and continue to be banned, part of the Banned Books Week celebration is the fact that, in a majority of cases, the books have remained available. Banned Books Week is both a reminder of the unifying power of stories and the divisiveness of censorship, and a call to action for readers across the country to push back against censorship attempts in their communities. More at www.ala.org.

Now celebrating their 22nd Season, Stories on Stage presents renowned actors performing dynamic and entertaining short stories. For more information and tickets go to www.storiesonstage.org or call 303-494-0523.

The Banned Books Club is sponsored by Fern Seltzer and Andy Heymsfield and, in part, by the Citizens of the Scientific and Cultural District (SCFD), the Bonfils Stanton Foundation, Colorado Creative Industries, Boulder County Arts Alliance, Community Foundation of Boulder County and The Denver Post.

Stories on Stage
“The Banned Books Club”
Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.
Sunday, Sept. 11 at 2 p.m.
@Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center, 721 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, 80204
On Thursday, Sept. 15 at 7:00 p.m.
Virtual Performance begins and will be available for viewing any time thereafter.

Ticket holders for the virtual performance will receive a link prior to the performance and may be used at any time.
Tickets are $24
www.storiesonstage.org or 303-494-0523

2022 Celebrates Our 22nd Season!

Denver, CO –Banned Books, Denver Noir and The Word Painter are just a few of the tales to be told in the 2022-2023 season as Stories on Stage presents dynamic actors performing entertaining short stories.

Single tickets are $24 and season subscriptions for all nine shows are available starting at $150. All shows will be available for virtual screening and ticket holders will receive a link on the day of performance. For more information and tickets go to www.storiesonstage.org or call 303-494-0523.

The Banned Books Club
Great stories from challenged books to commemorate Banned Books Week.
Sunday, Sept. 11, 2:00 p.m., Su Teatro; Thursday, Sept. 15, 7:00 p.m. – Virtual

Stone Animals
Kelly Link’s weird & wonderful fantasy about a not-so-typical suburb.
Saturday, Oct. 15, 7:00 p.m. Nomad Playhouse, Boulder
Sunday, Oct. 16, 2:00 p.m., Su Teatro; Thursday, Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. – Virtual

Modern Times
An irreverent take on the madness of modern life from our friends at Buntport Theater.
Sunday, Nov. 6, 2:00 p.m., Su Teatro; Thursday, Nov. 10, 7:00 p.m. – Virtual

Making Merry
All the joy of the holiday season, with music and mirth to spare.
Saturday, Dec. 17, 2:00 p.m. Nomad Playhouse, Boulder
*Sunday, Dec. 18, 2:00 p.m., King Center; Sunday, Dec. 18 7:00 p.m. – Virtual

A Hall Pass to the Galaxy
Mind-blowing tales from some of Science Fiction’s very best writers.
Sunday, Jan. 15, 2:00 p.m., Su Teatro; Thursday, Jan. 19, 7:00 p.m. – Virtual

The Word Painter
A celebration of best-selling Colorado author Peter Heller, with a post-discussion w/ Peter
Sunday, Feb. 19, 2:00 p.m., Su Teatro; Thursday, Feb. 23 7:00 p.m. – Virtual

The White Chip
A reading of Sean Daniels’ wise and witty play about recovery.
Sunday, Mar. 12, 2:00 p.m., Su Teatro; Thursday, Mar. 16, 7:00 p.m. – Virtual

Denver Noir
Local writers take a walking tour of Denver’s dark side in these hard-boiled crime stories.
Sunday, Apr. 2, 2:00 p.m., Su Teatro; Thursday, Apr. 6, 7:00 p.m. – Virtual

Confessions of a Wedding Singer
Hit songs of the 80’s and 90’s highlight this show about the hardest-working folks in showbiz.
Saturday, May 6, 7:00 p.m., Nomad Playhouse, Boulder
Sunday, May 7, 2:00 p.m., Su Teatro; Thursday, May 11, 7:00 p.m. – Virtual

Denver, Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center, 721 Santa Fe Drive , Denver, CO 80204
Boulder, Nomad Playhouse, 1410 Quince Ave. Boulder, CO 80304
*King Center, Auraria Campus, 855 Lawrence Way, Denver, CO 80204

The 2022 – 2023 Season is sponsored in part by the Citizens of the Scientific and Cultural District (SCFD), the Bonfils Stanton Foundation, Colorado Creative Industries and Community Foundation of Boulder County.

The post Stories on Stage kicks off the 2022-23 Season with “The Banned Books Club” Sept. 11 in Denver appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Mathew Klickstein has been a storyteller his whole life. In elementary school, he would write stories instead of listening to his teachers, and as a teenager he devoted hours to making short films. Today, he continues to use his creativity working as a multi-form storyteller. Klickstein has published everything from podcasts to non-fiction books. His most recent book, See You At San Diego, is an oral history of the San Diego Comic-Con and geek culture; it will be published in September. 

Author Mathew Klickstein. Photo credit: Fally Afani

You wrote your first novel at the impressively young age of 13. What inspired your passion for storytelling? 

It’s something I think about a lot, even the term “storyteller.” I’ve done many kinds of work over the years and it can be hard sometimes to explain what I do. So I like “storyteller.” Even when I’m working on something historical or that is nonfiction, which is what a lot of my work’s been over my career, I try to find the story and the character development. I write it and think of it almost like a novel.

I think a lot of that came from being very curious as a young person. I would read, I would write, I’d watch movies. I was a latchkey kid. My friends and I would make little short films with video camcorders. This was before social media and the internet so we weren’t posting this anywhere. We really just made it for ourselves. A lot of my friends became filmmakers, writers, and musicians. I grew up with a lot of people around me who wanted to engage with information and engage with ideas and one of the best ways of doing that, as we got older, was through storytelling.

I guess the straight answer is that I’ve always done it. I’ve always been interested in it and I had an extremely supportive circle growing up. A lot of the people that I grew up with were interested in similar kinds of engagement with technology, movies, books, and storytelling.

You have a Bachelor of Fine Arts from USC where you focused on screenwriting. Because of this, is film your favorite way to convey a story?

I don’t know, really. I’ve been told by professional representatives of mine that the fact that I am so eclectic with what I do is actually a bad thing in this day and age when everyone kind of wants the elevator pitch. I really need to pigeonhole myself more so I can be marketed more easily. However, I would say that filmmaking and television are definitely one of my favorites. They’re something I’d like to get more into because they’re much more profitable and engaged with on a larger level. Sadly, people aren’t reading as much as they used to.

I’d like to move on to the next stage in my career now that I’m getting a little older and I’m going to have more responsibilities. I can’t keep living the ne’er do well lifestyle, as fun as it’s been and as supportive as a lot of people in my life have been about it. I want to find something that’s a little bit higher level. So television is definitely one that I’d like to focus more on just because there’s more survivability there once you get it started.

You do a combination of creative and factual, documentary-type work. When you are doing those nonfiction pieces, how do you keep the story accurate while also using creative elements to make it more compelling?

That’s the crux really, of a lot of what I do and what I’m trying to do and what I’m hoping to achieve. I’m trying to make things that people more people will see, read, talk about, and incorporate into their own work.

When I’m working on something, there really is a process as far as figuring out, okay, what’s the subject that I can focus on? What do I have access to? What’s going to really fascinate me for the two to four years I’m going to be working on this, not to mention promoting and everything else. What do I think is going to do well in the industry or in the market right now?

For example, with the Simpsons book I co-wrote, we knew that within two years when the book came out, which is about how long it takes usually to put a book like that together, it would be the 30th anniversary of The Simpsons. So we said, this would be a good story. I knew we had a good angle on it, having someone who wrote for the Simpsons since the show started. He was credible in the market. And I like him, and I grew up with the Simpsons. It’s a big part of my life and I knew I could focus on this over the next few years.

So you’re thinking about all these different things just to prepare for the pitch. And for me, it’s not just about keeping it entertaining and fun. Call me a sellout. Call me mercenary or whatnot. Yeah, I think there’s a marketing and salability aspect to finding something that’s going to provide a unique way and angle to tell that story.

You’re playing with all these different elements and I almost think of it as performance art. I’m thinking not only about the book and the writing but also, how are we going to pitch it? How are we going to sell it later? For me, that’s part of the fun of it. It’s like a puzzle.

Klickstein book provided by Mathew Klickstein

You are about to release See You At San Diego in September, which is based on an audio documentary that you published last summer. What inspired you to create this oral history?

I had originally been working on a book about so-called nerd culture back in 2014. I interviewed a lot of the people both in front of and behind the cameras on the film Revenge of the Nerds, and I was intending on really focusing on that movie and talking about themes of it and ideas from it and the people that I talked to. That was going to come out for the 30th anniversary of Revenge of the Nerds, but a lot of people didn’t feel that Revenge of the Nerds was a large enough concept to really do a whole book about. I had an editor friend who had suggested I focused more on some of the other elements that I couldn’t help but bring into it, which was talking about nerd and geek culture on more of a kind of socio-political level. 

The book ultimately came out in China in 2018 in a totally different version because of some weird things that happened with the rights and whatnot. However, during that process, I talked to people involved with Comic-Con. One of my contacts was Wendy All, a woman who helped start Comic-Con back in the early days. We remained friendly over the years. Then, when my agent and I were trying to come up with ideas for projects a couple of years ago, I mentioned that I happen to know this woman. Also, it had just been the 50th anniversary of Comic-Con. I realized, hey there might be something to this. My agent jumped at the opportunity. Wendy got me in touch with a lot of the other people who helped create Comic-Con and people in that community. She became our liaison into that world.

Originally it was going to be a book but then COVID happened, and lockdowns happened. One of the things that happened is certain entities in the tech and media world, instead of going crazy, thought about what they could do to gain leverage. SiriusXM was starting to develop more original content because they knew everyone was going to be home a lot more and have time to listen to podcasts. One of my friends, who was a producer at SiriusXM, said, why don’t we do this as a podcast series? I said yes.

I was very concerned because a lot of the people in it were a lot older and so honestly a lot of the rush was because we need to get them on record before anyone passed away. One of them did pass away, and he actually told us that would happen, that he knew he only had a set amount of time left. He was somebody who didn’t have necessarily a big name. Within the community, though, he was extremely important and a lot of people were really glad that we were able to get him on record. We got his voice in there, and he had some really unique things to say from a very different perspective. So I’m glad that we did the recordings and pieced them together for the audio documentary.

Then, some people involved in the audio series, who were also involved with Fantagraphics, talked to the Fantagraphics publisher, Gary Groth, about making it into a book. He loved the idea. We talked about photos and art since it’s a Fantagraphics book and it being visual is very important. I’m glad that I went with them.

What are some of the differences between the audio documentary and the book?

The podcast is about seven hours, and that’s with interstitial historical context. The book is 500 pages and is culled from 70 hours of interviews. I would say the book is about 10 times, if not more, the material that was in the podcast. It’s a lot of stories. It’s a lot of information. It fills in a lot of gaps. It’s telling the story of the fandom community through the eyes of the largest pop culture gathering worldwide, which is where so many of them congregated and came together, which is very much what we wanted the audio documentary series and now the book to be.

The book is very free-flowing. I could see somebody reading it cover to cover and I could see somebody just picking out one page and reading a bit. The book is stream of consciousness which I know some people don’t like, but I like it and I think some of the better oral histories are like that. You may need to read it two or three times to really get everything because there’s so much going on, but that’s what I wanted.

Can you elaborate on the history of Comic-Con and the culture surrounding it?

People forget that up until fairly recently, you were made fun of or ostracized or ignored or misunderstood, or even beaten up for liking comic books or science fiction or fantasy. Just a few decades ago, teachers didn’t like it either, and they’d discourage anyone from reading comic books and even science fiction. People were told, this isn’t writing. This isn’t literature. This isn’t art.

In regard to Comic-Con, a lot of the founders were children. One of the early Comic-Con founders was 12. They were interacting with the local media and local radio stations, they were doing it all themselves from a young age. They were all very creative and artistic, and they all just came together. Many of the founders happened to live in San Diego or Southern California. And that’s an important part of the story too. This is the story of how San Diego became San Diego. We really go all the way back to when San Diego was this tiny little obscure town. The first Comic-Con had to be called the Golden State Comic-Con because they were worried that people even within California wouldn’t know where to go if they called it the San Diego Comic-Con.

As you mentioned, genres such as science fiction and fantasy, and mediums such as comics, aren’t considered to be serious. In what ways do you see them as powerful tools for making political and social commentary?

In the 20th century, science fiction and comic books and fantasy were very much about the concepts and ideas of great artists and philosophers and psychologists. It’s not a surprise that both Orwell and Huxley wrote science fiction books and did a very good job of it, creating entire archetypes that were somewhat similar and in conversation with each other in certain ways, and that they were so right about so many things and they were able to do that through science fiction.

And you had what was going on with underground comics in the ‘60s that were very explicitly talking about what was going on with feminism and civil rights and drug culture and counterculture and terrorism and domestic terrorism and politics. Because they weren’t being taken seriously, they were able to say a lot of things that you maybe wouldn’t have been able to say otherwise; it was a very important medium for that, but they were also trying to make money and they were trying to survive.

Whether it’s science fiction or fantasy or comics, these were all very smart, fascinating people who again kept congregating at Comic-Con every year. Comic-Con is some people’s world. It’s like Disneyland, with all the characters coming together from all these different shows and movies and such. It’s a place where all the Twilight and Star Trek and Twilight Zone and Watchmen and Wolverine and things I’ve never heard of all come together. People find each other and find similarities in each other. It’s a real community. It’s a great community. It’s an important community. A lot of them helped each other get through COVID and a lot of them helped each other stay hopeful. They might not have a lot in common, being from different parts of the world or different ages or from different backgrounds and whatnot. But people find common ground that transcends any kind of barrier. It’s not without its faults, and we certainly talked about that in the book. It’s not a paradise, but comparatively, it’s a great very welcoming, very inclusive, very eclectic community.

Klickstein signing. Photo provided by Mathew Klickstein

Is there anything you want to add in general about your book that’s coming out about any of your experiences overall?

I definitely want to get the word out about the See You At San Diego book tour. That’s why I’m coming to Colorado in September. I actually lived in Boulder two different times and I’m very excited to come back. I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and bringing this book and concept to them. One place I’m particularly excited about going to is Mile High Comics, which I’m pretty sure is the biggest comic book store in the country. A lot of people in the comic industry make sure to go there and always talk about it and it comes up in a lot of books and documentaries. It’s so esteemed, and I’ll say the same about Tattered Cover. It’s one of my favorite bookstores and I’ve done a couple of events there already. Going to Tattered Cover is something I’m really looking forward to and hopefully, I’ll bring some people out to see me talk about the book.

Mathew Klickstein will be making two stops in Colorado during his See You At San Diego book tour:

September 20- Tattered Cover Book Store, book signing at Aspen Grove location (Denver, CO)
September 21- ?Mile High Comics, book signing (Denver, CO)

The post A Conversation With Mathew Klickstein: Klickstein’s creative history and newest project appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

“Maus” book cover

I’m writing this just a day after the McMinn County School Board in Tennessee voted unanimously to remove Maus — a nearly perfect fictionalized depiction of the horrors of the Holocaust — from its 8th grade curriculum. The graphic novel, written and illustrated by Art Spiegelman, was published in 1991; it had been in serialized format from 1980–1991. It promptly won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992 – making it the first, and to date, only graphic novel to win one. It was 10-0, a unanimous decision on the part of the McMinn County Board of Ed., who found the content of the book to be objectionable. 

And yes, it certainly is. I first read the book the year it came out. I was still in high school; a couple years older than the 8th graders for whose curriculum it was intended in McMinn County. However, it was nothing approaching some of the material I’d been exposed to much younger in my education about the Holocaust. 

As I read the minutes of the board meeting that took place on Jan. 10 where this was all hashed out, a few things became clear to me. The largest, and most troubling, was the level of myopia exhibited by some of the board members who were heavily focused on the use of the words “goddamn” and “bitch” which appear a total of 8 times in the book, and one image of what can best be described as slightly anthropomorphic female mouse nudity.

Art Spiegelman Self-Portrait With Maus Mask, 1989

“I may be wrong, but this guy that created the artwork used to do the graphics for Playboy,” said board member Tony Allman who represents District 4. “You can look at his history, and we’re letting him do graphics in books for students in elementary school. If I had a child in the eighth grade, this ain’t happening. If I had to move him out and homeschool him or put him somewhere else, this is not happening.”

And another quote from Allman:

“It shows people hanging, it shows them killing kids, why does the educational system promote this kind of stuff, it is not wise or healthy.”

Unsurprisingly, actual academics present at the meeting took an opposing view: “??… People did hang from trees, people did commit suicide and people were killed, over six million were murdered,” said Instructional Supervisor Melasawn Knight. “I think the author is portraying that because it is a true story about his father that lived through that. He is trying to portray that the best he can with the language that he chooses that would relate to that time… is the language objectionable? Sure. I think that is how he uses that language to portray that.”

The subtext is there, and it’s something that’s been echoing around the nation since the term “Critical Race Theory” burst into the zeitgeist over the last year. There are certainly other books in the McMinn County school system curriculum with “profane” language. The so-called “profanity” is likely a red herring. The actual truth is something more sinister:

There’s a legitimate fear of telling the truth of white Europeans’ bloody history in our schools. 

And that will come to haunt us all.

The post In reality, over 6 million were murdered | Duly Noted appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Colorado wordsmiths let loose a barrage of new Colorado-based books.

Complicit
Amy Rivers

“Complicit” follows the life of Kate Medina, a forensic psychologist that moves back to her hometown after she becomes the victim of an attack. In an attempt to find a safe job, she becomes a high school psychologist, but when a student disappears, Kate finds herself in the midst of a homicide investigation. With the killer still at large, Kate is in a dangerous position, with twists and turns along the way. “Complicit” is an exciting thriller to spice up the summer.

Revolution and Renaissance
Daniel Forbes Hauser

Published just before the start of the pandemic and the protests of 2020, Hauser’s book is a historical understanding of today’s age and why we’re ripe for cultural upheaval. Although he explains that protests produce less change on their own, he points towards our country’s innate ability to respond accordingly during times of crisis. Certainly a very pertinent book for the times, as we as a country continue to make our way through a year of drastic changes and communal demands for change.

The Smoking Inn: (With A Special Welcome to Lesbians, Trans Folk, and All the Little Creatures) (The Chronicles of Diana Attestesso)
Bethany A. Beeler

Beeler’s follow-up novel for “The Fire Golem,” “The Smoking Inn” takes us along a wild ride amongst fantastic and unique characters as Diana Atestesso and her lost love Finn build Sacred Hearts, a bar that becomes a ‘freak’ oasis, featuring a gonzo journalist, a drag queen, and Selene, who is experiencing her first same-sex marriage. Diana quickly faces the villainous wrath of a religious power broker and a fanatic zealot, who try to bring her and Sacred Hearts down. A sure battle to keep you yearning for the next page.

But I’m Too Little
Kimberly Spencer

Born in St. Louis and relocated to Denver, Spencer began her Colorado journey with a cupcake business, called Graffiti Cupcakes. She has now written her first children’s book, “But I’m Too Little,” which is the story of Kai, who is met with positive reinforcement by her parents when she struggles to overcome obstacles due to her size and age. A story of overcoming challenges and appreciating the uniqueness of each individual.

Lord of the Butterflies (Button Poetry)
Andrea Gibson

Boulder County local (they live in Niwot) and arguably one of the best slam poets in the nation, Gibson has brought us Lord of the Butterflies, a showcase collection beautifully articulating with wonderful artistic ingenuity topics such as gender, romance, loss, and family. You’ll sink with their sorrow only to be lifted to new heights of poetic wonder and contemplation.

Finding Motherland: Essays about Family, Food, and Migration
Helen Thorpe

Colorado resident, author, freelance journalist, and former First Lady of Colorado, Thorpe brings us seven essays on family, food, and migration. She tells us the story of how her family immigrated to the U.S., how becoming a mother is a lot like moving to a new country, and the hardship and complexities of the life of an undocumented mother. Balancing the stories of past immigrants and those of today, Thorpe shares the similarities between the two, that immigration isn’t a new phenomena, but one rather has been occurring since the beginning of time.

The Last Train Robber: The Life and Times of Willis Newton
W.C. Jameson

W.C. Jameson is back with the infamous tale of Willis Newton, the greatest bank robber that ever plundered the West. Having stolen more money than Frank and Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, the Daltons, and the Doolins combined, Jameson takes us on a wild ride alongside the Newton gang has they take on their greatest heist, only to be arrested and sentenced. Using interviews from the 1970’s and newspaper reports to detail the extensive history of the Newton Gang, Jameson brings to life, “The Last Train Robber.”

The Only Good Indians: A Novel
Stephen Graham Jones

CU Boulder English Professor Stephen Graham Jones’ book is part horror and part commentary on the identity politics of the American Indian experience. Following the lives of American Indian men and their families after a deadly event from their youth, they are confronted by the culture they left behind so long ago. A story of revenge, cultural identity, and the price some pay when they break tradition.

Of Curses and Kisses (Rosetta Academy Book 1)
Sandhya Menon

Princess Jaya Rao is out for revenge when the Emerson Clan reignites a centuries-old feud against her sister. But when she attends the same boarding school as Grey Emerson, who was cursed into misanthropy by a member of Jaya’s family, she attempts to make him fall in love with her just to break his heart. When that doesn’t work and she begins to fall for him, she wonders if sworn enemies could ever be happy together. Together they fight the odds, and write their very own ending.

Intercepted
Alexa Martin

Book one of the Playbook Series, “Intercepted” has won numerous awards and has been dubbed one of the best romance novels of 2018. Marlee Harper is a great girlfriend and has been dating her NFL boyfriend for over a decade. When he cheats on her, she leaves him and to the relief of the other NFL wives, Marlee proclaims she’ll never date an athlete again. But when Gavin Pope, the new quarterback convinces Marlee he’s nothing like her ex, Marlee becomes the center of gossip making her worry about much more than what the others think of her.

The post Top 10 Books by Colorado Authors | Summer Books appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

Unbelievably, summer is upon us. Could it be that flood waters, endless gray days, high winds, and dirty snow piles have finally been replaced by sweat running down your neck, a backpack filled with hiking gear, a water bottle (or flask) and a quick summer read? In this year’s Book Guide, we supply you with both classic summer page-turners and contemporary, local favorites.

Modern Psychological Thriller

“Compound Fractures,” Stephen White
For 22 years Boulder’s favorite therapist-detective Dr. Alan Gregory solved crimes and struggled with his conscience while strolling the Pearl Street Mall, eating Tex Mex and being accused of murder. But no more. Local author Stephen White slams the book shut on his psychological thriller series this summer with a bang and a death from Gregory’s past, all under the shadow of the Flatirons. It’s another Elitch’s thrill ride as cases past and present collide and a deadly conspiracy comes to light. Like many of Gregory’s patients and cases, it’s difficult. Not all fans are pleased with the series’ surprise epilogue, but Colorado folks will enjoy the local flavor and history.

Classic Psychological Thriller

“The Talented Mr. Ripley,”
Patricia Highsmith (1955)
Sociopath Tom Ripley laid the groundwork for future charming serial killers like Dexter Morgan and Hannibal Lecter. Patricia Highsmith’s five book series, beginning with “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” introduced the world to a young man escaping his unsophisticated past. Who could blame this likeable, highly intelligent con artist as he takes on the life of an entitled, shallow American expatriate? Over the years Ripley plays the part so well—while also struggling with his own identity (and unspoken homosexuality)—that we forgive every lie and every murder must commit.

Modern Horror

“The Abominable,” Dan Simmons
Keep chilly this summer with Front Range author Dan Simmon’s latest fear fest, “The Abominable”. It’s 1924 and a trio of friends search Mt. Everest for a missing climber. But they are not alone in their search. Others want the body—but why? And what abominable things must each do to discover the truth? You don’t have to be into straight up horror to enjoy this tale.
Simmons goes into great detail about the trials of early mountaineering and the dangers involved. He vividly recreates the feel of racing to conquer Everest, to conquer your own fears, and the sheer beauty of climbing.

Classic Horror

“At the Mountains of Madness,”
H.P. Lovecraft (1936)
Nobody tingles the spine quite like Lovecraft. His is the dread you feel the moment before you discover what’s under the bed, be it a monster or your rotten little brother. His is the scream building up in your throat before its release. His is the voice that will leave you cold even as the sun burns your skin.
In 1931 a group of scientists investigates ancient ruins unlike any seen before. Both Alien and The Thing owe their inspiration to this story. “I am forced into speech because men of science have refused to follow my advice without knowing why,” begins the tale of an Antarctic expedition gone horribly, indescribably awry.

Trashy Beach Read

“Tumbleweed,” Julia Bremer
“Two men were infinitely better than one, an intoxicating combination if I could find it, and my greedy self-indulgence was boundless, my sexuality unleashed those many years ago with him. His shadow haunted me and shaped my obsession, the depth of my depravity deep and forged in the cafes and nightclubs and back alleys in a dozen countries with dozens of men. Once I’d started down that road, I couldn’t stop and couldn’t go back…”

Classic Trash

“Scruples,” Judith Krantz (1978)

Frumpy, overlooked, poor little rich girl Honey Winthrop remakes herself in Paris and returns as “Billie” a chic, slender, yet still lonely, young woman. Deceit, heartbreak, and a whole lot of sexual discovery follows as Billie fights her way up the ruthless ladder of luxury boutiques on Rodeo Drive. For years “Scruples” was the quintessential Trashy Beach Read. Don’t tell me you can’t smell the Bain de Soleil and feel the rubbery texture of the lounge chair on your supple back as you sip your Tab while reading this!

The post Timeless Classics & Modern Marvels appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

TaraShea Nesbit’s debut novel “The Los Alamos Wives,” casts a light on one of the most top-secret operations in American history: the Manhattan Project. Drawing from oral histories and diaries of the women behind the bomb, Nesbit crafted a beautiful testament to their story. YS sat down with the Boulderite author to chat about all things writing and what’s up next for her.

YS: There isn’t very much fiction literature about the Manhattan Project; how did you decide to make it the focus of your first book?
TSN: It all started because I was living up in Tacoma, Washington, and my friend worked at a high school that had a mushroom cloud as their mascot because this town was also a Manhattan Project town. And I just started thinking about loyalty and responsibility and I started doing a lot of research, but I kept wanting to go farther back, and that led me to the scientists. From there, I started thinking about the wives who didn’t know what their husbands were building and how they’re the source of all that we know now about it [the Manhattan Project]. They’re like the origins of our thoughts of the atomic legacy.

I like how the focus is on the wives who weren’t really in the know of what was going on around them.
I wanted to make more space in the world for their voices. I see a link between their story and contemporary America. We’re living in this age where we also don’t know what we’re helping to support. So in some ways I feel like we’re all the wives of the bomb.

You tell their story from a collective point of view; were you concerned that it would put off any readers?
I know that it’s not a way that readers are accustomed to accessing characters. Like, when we think of American fiction, we think a lot of a character-driven story. And this character is a group. But it really came about naturally when I was listening to these histories of the women; they would often go right away to “we,” like it was this reflex for them, and they meant the other wives. It was a way that they were willing to portray their sense of group identity.

Are you working on another book?
Yeah, it’s too early to say much about it, but it’s a 17th century transatlantic crossing from Europe to America. All of the people that are on this boat—like the fur trappers and financial backers, the kids—have this idea of a better life coming to America.

Right now you’re reading…
Perec’s “Species of Spaces.” He wants us to just think about what happens if we narrate the everyday; that’s nice.

The post TaraShea Nesbit appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.

We owe a great debt to the printing arts, and I don’t mean what gets sprayed onto precisely sized sheets of bleached dead trees as it lurches its way out of that plastic box on your desk when you click “OK.”

I’m talking about the raw setting of moveable, cast type by hand, the carving of an image on wood or metal—all backwards, of course—and then feeding sheets of beefy paper through a gloriously loud, heavy and digit-endangering device that reeks of Industrial Revolution form, function, ink and oil.

Printers of yore, and the men and women who owned and operated them, gave voice to the people, politics and news of the day. My great grandfather, Olney, was one such character and for a time was editor and publisher of the Blue Springs News at the turn of the 20th century.

Just as turntables and the vinyl albums they played have all but been relegated to the landfills of history, letterpress printers are largely cast iron relics used as decoration. But in the hands of a few who can mind their Ps and Qs and coax a righteous print job out of one, they serve as the heavy rhythm section for the march of history.

Boulder County is fortunate to be home to a few who still know and practice the endangered art of type setting and letterpress printing. They gather as a group known as the Book Arts League—a non-profit organization dedicated to the art of letterpress printing, bookbinding, calligraphy and paper making. The group’s annual fundraiser—the 2011 Edible Book Show and Tea—will be held at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, 1760 13th Street in Boulder, from 4-6pm April 10.

This fundraising event features edible “books” and other literary creations by local culinary artists and just plain folks who want to submit their “cooked books” for viewing and, upon the ringing of a cow bell at about 5pm, attendees get to eat their words, as it were. Those who would like to submit their own edible creations are encouraged to hit the bookartsleague.org website for complete info.

The two pros taking part this year are Linda Willetto from Indulge Bakery at Arapahoe Road and 95th Street in Lafayette and Sarah Armorese whose chocolate boutique, Piece, Love and Chocolate, is soon to open at 805 Pearl Street in Boulder. Slices of their creations sell for $5.

And while the majority of edible submissions from the public are of the sweet nature, there are those—like Edible Tea Committee Chairwoman and Book Arts League President Linda Peterson—who prefer the savory route. A submission last year included the “Kyoto City of Gardens” made with asparagus and broccoli and crackers and pretzels. “They just have to be edible, they don’t have to taste good,” Peterson said.

There will be working printing presses on hand and attendees can print bookmarks on the platen press or greeting cards from a wood block. And Mad Hatter and BAL member Earl Noe will be on hand practicing “Jell-O” journalism with his gelatin duplicator or hectograph printing on rice paper (edible, of course).

This crude form of printing—pressed into service by Stephen King and George Orwell in their youth—was used to avoid detection by subversives because the press could literally be eaten, leaving no trace of its existence. In fact, Allied prisoners of war used the process to print documents, maps and other items used in escape attempts from the Stalags in World War II.

Yes, there is a rich history to printing and the good people of the Book Arts League will let no pun go unturned in this, their annual gala. Good journalism may be a dying craft, but the art of letterpress printing is alive in Boulder County. Now, you can see for yourself.

The post Feeling Out of Sorts? appeared first on Yellow Scene Magazine.