"Oh, my goodness, #LeVarBurton is in this episode!" Another great #MurderSheWrote and surprise at bedtime.

Lo quiero leer sin haberlo leído, pero no se puede desleer un libro. - El trasero grande de la muerte, Dorothy Bell Ferrer

Late morning #TeaOfTheDay: #JusTea #Turmeric #Ginger in a Washington mug; lots of yellows and greens.

NEW—US Department of Education sent out standard Out of Office language to employees on Wednesday in light of shutdown. Later yesterday, workers tell me they found someone had updated their auto-responses without consent to a new one blaming Democrats. Version of original on left, updated on right:

No creative journey is completed in isolation. Cultivating gratitude for everything that makes our creative work possible keeps us grounded and focused on the positive. #Syncreate, Melinda Rothouse, Charlotte Gullick, Dreux Carpenter

2. Many of the students in my district not have the means to travel to the public library and we don't have affordable bookstores in our community. Forget about online ordering, it's not going to happen when parents are struggling to pay utilities.

1. Speaking for my own school library, there is a chilling effect that causes students to question what they can read and whether we even have certain books in the library and a rise in self-censorship when ordering.

"Good things come to an end, bad things have to be stopped." — Kim Newman, in Anno Dracula

Why do I always think that pulchritude is about cleanliness, not beauty ?

I just need MCs to at least THINK about having a meal. What do you mean you worked 15 hours AND drove your coworker home AND took a long hot shower THEN sat down with a glass of wine?!

Lunchtime #TeaOfTheDay: #JusTea #PutpleRain in a clear infuser+mug; I love the color it becomes.

For those who prefer "the old fashioned way"

Minimizing difficult or harmful parts of the nation’s history could potentially have the broader consequence of diminishing our stature as a nation on the international stage.

NOTICE: In the event of a temporary shutdown of the federal government, all Library of Congress buildings will be CLOSED to the public and researchers. All public events will be cancelled. newsroom.loc.gov/news/advisor...

"Spoiler alert: Cancel culture doesn’t actually exist. Nor does “accountability culture,” or any culture in which the people who most deserve cruel consequences actually receive them. Arriving at that conclusion, however, isn’t worth the vexation."

Books have been banned. Voices have been silenced. This award celebrates those who refuse to let censorship win. Carrying her spirit forward, we celebrate champions of free expression🏆 Join us alongside @eleanorrooseveltcenter on SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11 AT 7:00 PM EST

"... if there’s any trap that ensnares Americans more than watching the retribution of powerful people, it’s their subsequent PR rehabilitation and redemption arcs."

In another life, I worked on a supplemental school book about "other words for said." Currently, I'm reading a romance whose author must have that very same textbook, and I'm... irritated.

✨ REIMAGINED ✨ The Kweli International Literary Festival is back—reimagined for 2025! 🗓️ OPENING WEEKEND: Sat, OCT 18 - Sun, OCT 19 🎶 CLOSING MULTIMEDIA EVENT: Tues, OCT 28 PARTNERS: New York Law School Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns Patrick Dougher Stay tuned for registration announcement!

#TeaOfTheDay: a bit of #NUMI #GunpowderGreen with breakfast

He has a perfect smell for death and pain, the thousand and one slights that have colored his life, the happiness snatched before he could taste it. #KathleenCollins' Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?

Explore Native American heritage with free digital archives at your fingertips.

"Anything dead coming back to life hurts." - #Beloved, #ToniMorrison

In my first time watching an entire episode of #HouseGuest, I'm laughing and learning so much from Madam #KamalaHarris, about #VPdom, life, cultures, #107days, etcetera. A good time!

Oh neat. My book BODY TALK is among the 700 titles currently banned in Lamar Independent School District. www.txftrp.org/pinkalicious...

Another Texas district overreacts. Administrators, don’t do this.

Ever wonder where book challenges are taking place? This means the places meant to provide free, open access to stories, information, & ideas are being targeted the most. When public and school libraries lose books, entire communities lose opportunities for discovery, connection, & representation.

📚💙 Stand with AASL for Bullying Prevention Day on Oct. 6! Let’s create safe, inclusive spaces where every learner feels valued. Mark your calendars, wear blue, and show your commitment to kindness and respect. #BullyingPrevention #AASL #SchoolLibraries https://bit.ly/4nMkZVn

#TeaOfTheDay: Monday morning is a good day/time for #MariageFrères #DeStress tea

I don't know if this helps, but the Mississippi state department of health has a free cookbook called Freedom For Life. You can find it here. msdh.ms.gov/page/43,0,29...

#TeaOfTheDay: a little #JusTea #African breakfast

American fascism exhibition.... www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/09/26/s...

RIP to Assata Shakur. Her autobiography truly changed me and it's past time to revisit. This is my reading of the book's opening poem entitled "Affirmations." #assatashakur #assatataughtme

What has become of #MrsGambolini? #OMITB only-murders-in-the-building.fandom.com/wiki/Mrs._Ga...

Email your legislators to support libraries: speakupforlibraries.us

Happy Friday! Here's an extremely cool thing: The Atlantic is offering public high schools in the United States free access to our journalism. Learn more here: theatlantic.com/hsaccess

www.democracynow.org/2025/9/26/bl... = Please take a moment today to read the letter that Assata Shakur wrote to Pope John Paul II in 1998 during his trip to Cuba I am so thankful that she did not die in jail Rest in power forever and ever

Very few public spaces put time, energy, and square footage into giving teens a place to claim as specifically their own.

And even if your work isn't seeking to make a huge political statement - People need Art. We need it like air. Because we need a safe harbour for thought and expression and just plain old fun. We need joy and we need to remember the good things about life outside of survival.

#TeaOfTheDay with breakfast: 2nd sampling of #JusTea #PumpkinSpice plus this adorable (old) infuser I've had for at least a decade. www.chefn.com

Now awaiting the list of books. 👀 #WritingCommunity

Meditation for Black Men Who Do Too Much: A Mass Meditation Moment 9/27/25 From Freepeace: "If you’re not a Black man, you can still support: tell someone about it in real life, share the flyer, and spread the word in your group chats. Thank you." #blacksky #bvm

Ha! A friend sent me this #DariusRucker video tonight; guess what song he's covering (sadly, without the rest of #HBF)...

What if she hadn't? It didn't always end that way. Sexual violence, policing, church and school burnings, entire towns erased... Before, during, and after segregation, there were never Black communities or institutions that were left alone. We've never been left alone on this continent. Never.

Hear me out: Wasabi peas in your salad.

In a recent piece, Kelsey Dodson shares what it's like to menstruate in prison. One woman says she was forced to bleed through her underwear, her pants, and finally her white blanket during an hour-long count. This piece was co-published with @theguardian.com. Please give it a read.

"According to 2023 reporting from Time magazine, about 90% of the 170,000 people in U.S. women’s prisons are younger than 55. Tens of thousands of women menstruate in prisons across the country."

As an HBCU alum, sending love down to Tennessee & to our youth all over this nation. You are covered in love. 🖤 And to those saying, “why won’t they leave us alone?”, they never did! During segregation, we were restricted from their spaces but… they could come into ours. We must not forget.

This would hurt rural and small communities who depend on their public libraries the most as essential gathering and connection spaces. We hope the FCC does not act as expected during their meeting next week.

We call on the FCC to uphold its mandate to ensure fair and affordable access to telecommunications services for all Americans, and to recognize the critical role libraries and schools play in bridging the digital divide. Read our full statement: bit.ly/4njGwVp