Rogue Librarians Podcast

08/10/2024

We had such a lovely time talking with author Nadine Pinede about her debut YA novel-in-verse, When the Mapou Sings. Nadine is a poet, author, editor, translator, and education consultant. When the Mapou Sings will be published by Candlewick Press on December 3rd and has already been named a Junior Library Guild selection.

In the interview, we discussed Pinede’s literary influences, the challenges of writing in verse, and the importance of historical context in literature. The discussion also touches on misconceptions about Haiti, the significance of food and culture in storytelling, and, of course, the significance of the Mapou tree. Pinede also highlights Zora Neale Hurston's anthropological pursuits in Haiti.

To learn more about Nadine and her novel, please visit https://nadinepinede.com

Listen to the episode now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website: www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes

24/09/2024

In honor of Banned Books Week (September 22-28, 2024), join us in celebrating the freedom to read and taking action to support librarians, teachers, and authors. In this episode, we share some recommendations from the ALA and our plans for our third season. Listen now to find out more!

Find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website: www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes

13/08/2024

New episode today! We were thrilled to interview Amanda Jones. Amanda has served as president of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians and won numerous awards for her work in school libraries, including School Library Journal Librarian of the Year. Amanda is a frequent volunteer for state and national library associations, as well as founder of the Livingston Parish Library Alliance and founding member of Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship. Amanda’s book, That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America, comes out on August 27th.

In the interview, we discussed how Amanda became a school librarian, decided to speak up against censorship at her local public library in 2022 and dealt with the resulting harassment, chose to sue two of the harassers for defamation, and educated herself about injustices. We also learned how she has been taking action with other librarians recently and discussed ways that we can take action in our own communities.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website: www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes

31/07/2024

We were thrilled to interview about her new novel, Not Nothing. Award-winning author and journalist Gayle Forman has written several bestselling novels, including those in the Just One Day series, Where She Went, and the #1 New York Times bestseller If I Stay, which has been translated into more than forty languages and was adapted into a major motion picture.

In the interview, we discussed Gayle's involvement in Authors Against Book Bans, how she developed her ideas for Not Nothing and chose to write it as a middle grade novel, why she wanted to portray characters rising to the occasion of their lives, and why it's important to her to discuss the Holocaust and emphasize the importance of love.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website: www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes

02/07/2024

New episode today! We continued discussing Crank by Ellen Hopkins. Crank was number 4 on the ALA's top 10 most challenged books list in 2010 and number 10 in 2022. We shared our thoughts about the novel's characters, themes, and significance in this episode.

Please listen and subscribe: www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes

20/06/2024

Thanks so much to Tricia for interviewing us on the Be a Better Ally podcast! We were thrilled to discuss why books are banned, how to advocate for librarians and the freedom to read, why libraries are so important, and some of our favorite YA books.

Please listen to the fantastic Be a Better Ally podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you find your podcasts, or on allyed.org.

18/06/2024

New episode today! We discussed Crank by Ellen Hopkins, which was first published in 2004. Crank was 38th on the ALA's list of the 100 most challenged books from 2010 to 2019, and it was number 4 on the top 10 list in 2010 and number 10 in 2022. We discussed why Crank has been banned and why it's worth reading.

Please listen and subscribe: www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes

04/06/2024

We were so excited to interview Rachel Lynn Solomon about her new novel, Past Present Future. Rachel is the New York Times bestselling author of Today Tonight Tomorrow, The Ex Talk, and other romantic comedies for teens and adults. Originally from Seattle, she’s currently navigating expat life in Amsterdam, where she’s on a mission to try as many Dutch sweets as possible.

In the interview, we discussed how Rachel decided to write a sequel to Today Tonight Tomorrow, why she chose to write the sequel in dual POV, how she created the characters' voices and arcs, how she decided which romantic details and tropes to include, and how this book is different from a "typical" romance novel.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website: www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes

02/06/2024

In case you didn't already see this! We were thrilled to interview Cindy Hohl. Cindy is the 2023-2024 President-Elect of the American Library Association. Her inauguration is on July 2, 2024, at the end of the ALA Annual Conference and Exhibition. She is a member of the Santee Sioux Nation and works as the director of policy analysis and operational support at the Kansas City Public Library.

Cindy spoke with us about her time as the president of the American Indian Library Association, her role as an ALA Spectrum Scholar, her goals for her tenure as president of the ALA, the upcoming ALA Annual Conference, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and the ALA’s current efforts to fight censorship.

Please listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you find your podcasts, or our website: theroguelibrarians.com/episodes.

21/05/2024

We loved interviewing Lyn Miller-Lachmann about her new novel, ⁠⁠Eyes O⁠⁠pen. Lyn is an educator, an editor, and an author of young adult and middle grade novels, including Torch, winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and Moonwalking. Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, she enjoys traveling to new places and lived part-time in Lisbon, Portugal, for many years. She lives in New York City.

In the interview, we discussed how Lyn decided to write a YA novel-in-verse about life in Portugal in the 1960s, conducted her research, created her characters, and focused on the importance of standing up to injustice, the power of poetry, and the resilience of young people.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website: www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes

07/05/2024

We loved interviewing K.A. Cobell about her debut novel, ⁠Looking for Smoke⁠, which comes out June 4th. K.A. is an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Nation. She currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she spends her time writing books, chasing her kids through the never-ending rain, and scouring the inlet beaches for sand dollars and hermit crabs.

In the interview, we discussed how K.A. decided to write a thriller that focused on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement, selected the four main characters and wrote it from their perspectives, portrayed the characters' identities and complex emotions, and displayed the resilience of the Blackfeet people.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website: www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes

23/04/2024

New episode today! We continue discussing Flamer by Mike Curato, which was first published in 2020. This wonderful graphic novel received a Lambda Literary Award, as well as several starred reviews. Flamer was fifth on the ALA's list of the most challenged books in 2023 and fourth in 2022. In this episode, we share our opinions of the book's characters, themes, and significance.

Please listen and subscribe: www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes

11/04/2024

In honor of National Library Week, we released a bonus episode to play a song by Dharmika (Dharmika Music), an artist and fellow advocate, called "I'll Read That Next." Thanks, Dharmika, for sharing it with us!

https://www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes

You can also find "I'll Read That Next" on Spotify and other streaming platforms: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/track/0XBI080NU6Sz9pNJYy1zIF.⁠

11/04/2024

Happy National Library Week! Earlier this week, the American Library Association released its list of the top 10 most challenged books of 2023.

"ALA documented 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship in 2023—a 65% surge over 2022 numbers—as well as 1,247 demands to censor library books, materials, and resources. Pressure groups focused on public libraries in addition to targeting school libraries. The number of titles targeted for censorship at public libraries increased by 92% over the previous year, accounting for about 46% of all book challenges in 2023."

https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10

Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2023:
1. Gender Q***r
2. All Boys Aren't Blue
3. This Book Is Gay
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
5. Flamer
6. The Bluest Eye
7/8. Tricks and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
9. Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to S*x, Relationships, and Being a Human
10. Sold

09/04/2024

New episode today! We discuss ⁠Flamer by Mike Curato, which was first published in 2020. This wonderful graphic novel received a Lambda Literary Award, as well as several starred reviews. Flamer was fifth on the ALA's list of the most challenged books in 2023 and fourth in 2022. We talked about why it's been banned and why it's worth reading.

Please listen and subscribe: www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes

26/03/2024

We were so excited to interview F.T. Lukens about their new book, ⁠Otherworldly⁠, which comes out April 2nd. F.T. is a New York Times bestselling author of YA speculative fiction, including the novels ⁠Spell Bound⁠, ⁠So This Is Ever After⁠, and ⁠In Deeper Waters⁠.

In the interview, we discussed how F.T. created a q***r normative world and incorporated particular myths and ideas, portrayed the characters and relationships in certain ways, and explored concepts like faith, skepticism, and agency. We loved reading Otherworldly and talking with them!

Listen now: www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes

19/03/2024

13/03/2024

Congrats to R.A. Spratt on the U.S. release of Hamlet Is Not OK!

We had so much fun talking with R.A. Spratt a few weeks ago. Please listen to our new bonus episode to hear our discussion of Hamlet Is Not Ok!

We enjoyed discussing how R.A. became a writer, chose to write about Hamlet, decided to portray the characters and discuss mental illness in certain ways, and approaches her work now.

Listen now: https://www.theroguelibrarians.com/episodes