Jason Reynolds Serving as Inaugural Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week
New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds will serve as the inaugural Honorary Chair of the 2021 Banned Books Week. Since 1982, Banned Books Week has worked to bring awareness to book censorship, and this year Reynolds will be presiding over the event’s festivities, which will focus on the theme “Books unite us, censorship divides us.” Two of Reynold’s own works (Stamped and All American Boys) are on the American Librarian Association’s list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in 2020. The author says he’ll use his own experiences during his work as Honorary Chair to “make sure all books have a space on the shelves and the opportunities to live in the psyches of our children.” Banned Books Week will take place September 26 to October 2.
Netflix Renews Bridgerton for Seasons 3 and 4
Season 2 of Netflix’s hit show Bridgerton is currently in production, but fans of the show can already rest assured the show will be coming back once again. Netflix has just renewed Bridgerton for seasons 3 and 4. The series, based on the best-selling Bridgerton novels by Julia Quinn, is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers, and Chris Van Dusen. Netflix promises that the creative team has “some exciting plans for the future, and we think audiences will continue to swoon for this show. We’re planning to be in the Bridgerton business for a long time to come.”
Free Mini-Libraries in NYC Only Carry Books by BIPOC Authors
Amplify Library is installing free mini-library boxes across New York City to help share books written by BIPOC authors. Currently, there are four set up across the city, in Chinatown, Sunnyside, Jackson Heights, and Bushwick. Virginia Polik and Jessica Nelson, the founders of this organization, have partnered with neighborhood organizations to help curate and maintain each box. Anyone can donate a book to the library either by placing it directly into a box or sending it to the initiative by mail. More details about the project can be found on their website.
Being Vaccinated Does Not Mean (Bookish Edition)
You’ve probably seen the “Being Vaccinated Does Not Mean” meme spreading across Twitter. Here is a collection of some of the best bookish versions of the meme.