Read Banned Books! 📚🚫
Friends of the Nonbinarian Book Bike,
This is Philomena from American Booksellers for Free Expression (ABFE), the free expression initiative of the American Booksellers Association. My work is about organizing bookstores to work together to fight rampant book censorship, which disproportionately targets books by and about LGBTQ+ and BIPOC people.
When I was growing up, Banned Books Week seemed sort of quaint, like a historical display about something in the past that had little impact on the present. Especially since 2021, it’s become clear that couldn’t be further from the truth. Book bans are about controlling who can exist in public life, starting with our stories. The fact that book bans target diverse books reflects a reality many of us are all too aware of: BIPOC and LGBTQ+ folks are under attack.
I wrote The ABA Right to Read Handbook: Fighting Book Bans and Why It Matters because I needed it to exist. I needed something that I could use to help booksellers and readers become a political force, a movement capable of pushing against an overwhelming tide of censorship and bigotry. I needed something with practical guidance, but also with enough context to understand how we got here, and I needed it to be driven by the voices of those most impacted by censorship. I needed something that could appear in independent bookstores around the country and on indie-friendly platforms like Bookshop.org. And I needed it as soon as possible, early in the new school year and before next year’s book ban bills are introduced in state legislatures.
I also just needed it to exist for myself. As a trans woman, it’s painful to see school district after school district decide that stories about people like me are “obscene.” As a former lecturer in literature and political philosophy, it’s chilling to see books like Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye and The 1619 Project banned as part of a larger sweep of educational gag orders targeting Black history. This book is my way of trying to explain the harm that is being done while offering a starting point to resist it.
The ABA Right to Read Handbook comes out September 16—right before Banned Books Week (9/22-9/28)—but it’s available for preorder now. I hope you’ll look for a copy in your local independent bookstore or on Bookshop.org, either for yourself, for someone else who needs it, or to donate to the Nonbinarian Book Bike.
If you want to follow my organizing efforts with ABFE, check out our Instagram, where I do weekly interviews with folks in the thick of the fight and updates about book censorship, along with action alerts.
Thanks for considering it, and thanks above all for supporting access to queer books by supporting the Nonbinarian.
Xx,
Philomena Polefrone (she/her)
American Booksellers for Free Expression
American Booksellers Association
Fall weather may still be out of reach, but we can dream, right? As we head into a new academic year and Banned Books Week 2024, we have a mix of virtual and in-person programming scheduled (the latter of which is contingent upon weather and volunteer safety). Please keep an eye on our Instagram for changes to this month’s calendar!
Here's where we'll be (so far) in September, weather permitting (all times EST; 💻 = virtual, 🚲 = in-person).
🚲 Herbert von King Park Pop-Up: Sunday, September 8 from 11 a.m.—1 p.m., Bed-Stuy
🚲 Riis Reads: Saturday, September 14, starting at ~11 a.m.
🚲 Brower Park Pop-Up: Sunday, September 15 from 11 a.m.—1 p.m., Crown Heights
🚲 Equity & Access: A Celebration of Visibility in Children’s Literature partner event with Drag Story Hour NYC & the Brooklyn Public Library: Saturday, September 21 from 12 p.m.—4 p.m., Brooklyn Public Library Central Branch, Grand Army Plaza
As a lead in to banned books week Drag Story Hour NYC & Brooklyn Public Library are excited to welcome readers to an inclusive event where storytellers & participants will engage with story time & craft activities that bring visibility to all walks of life. Register here: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/node/725952/register
🚲 Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend Event: Black Queer Book Fair co-hosted with The Reading for Black Lives Project & Kevwe, Your Neighborly Lesbian in partnership with the Brooklyn Community Pride Center: Sunday, September 22 from 3 p.m.—6 p.m., Crown Heights
Join us for a free Black LGBTQ+ Book Fair hosted at Brooklyn Community Pride Center, featuring book giveaways, zine & collage making, & more. Curated reading lists will spotlight underrepresented Black LGBTQ+ voices. Plus, join us for a banned book reading & a conversation. Register here: https://www.lgbtbrooklyn.org/event-details-registration/bookends-book-festival-mini-book-fair
💻 Tandem Talk with Philomena Polefrone of ABFE/ABA: Monday, September 23 at 3 p.m. ET, Instagram Live
💻 The Nonbinarian Book Club: Friday, September 27 at 8 p.m., Zoom
Our pick for this month’s Book Club is Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe! The writer/artist started the book to explain being nonbinary and asexual to eir family. Following publication, Gender Queer received the 2020 American Library Association Alex Award and was named a 2020 Stonewall Book Awards Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Honor Book, in addition to receiving accolades from critics and readers alike.
Unfortunately, Gender Queer also became the most banned book in the U.S. in 2022 and 2023. Despite this attempted censorship, the book was released as a full-cast audiobook in May, and both the print and audio versions are beautiful.
We’re giving away five (5) physical copies of Gender Queer to our community! Check out our Instagram for details on how to enter.
The Nonbinarian Book Club is partnered with Bluestockings Cooperative. You can purchase this month's Nonbinarian Book Club book at Bluestockings to support their mission and ours! Click here to order online and use code BOOKBIKE for 15% off at checkout.
If you prefer to listen to the audiobook, support indie bookstores and the Book Bike by purchasing through Libro.fm and selecting us as your store of choice!
Books purchased from our Bluestockings Cooperative wishlist will be donated directly to the bike for free distribution.
The Nonbinarian Book Bike is also proud to partner with the following organizations for our community reading events! Please check out their mission statements and support them however possible.
🌠 Reading 4 Black Lives Project
Finally, The Nonbinarian Book Bike is partnered with Trans formative Schools, "a progressive education community centering trans joy and social justice." The organization aims to uplift trans children and educators, as well as families "touched by transness," through the implementation of a free afterschool program for ages 9-15. Trans formative Schools' dream is to create a liberal middle school that employs rigorous academics, identity exploration, and more.
All books purchased from this Bookshop wishlist will go directly to Trans formative Schools. The Nonbinarian Book Bike receives a portion of each purchase, which helps us pay for storage, bike maintenance and upkeep, and more. By purchasing from this list, you directly support two trans-led organizations and support indie bookstores through Bookshop.org.
If you'd like to partner with us for an event or sponsorship, please reach out via e-mail! In addition to subscribing to our newsletter, following us on social media, and participating in events, you can also support the Book Bike in the following ways:
📚 Donate a book (or books) to the Book Bike!
📚 Donate funds to help upkeep costs like storage and bike maintenance! You can make a one-time donation or set up a monthly one on Ko-Fi, or you can donate via Venmo.
📚 Buy a book from our wishlist!
📚 Buy a book through our Bookshop storefront!
📚 Support us with a Libro.fm subscription!
📚 Buy Nonbinarian merch!
To get involved in our virtual or physical programming, please DM @nonbinarianbike on IG or email info@thenonbinarian.gay!
Thank you to the Nonbinarian community for always showing up and showing out! It has been a joy to meet you at pop-ups, interact with you on social media, and get to know the Brooklyn community and its various neighborhoods.
We’d like to give a special shout-out to everyone who donated to our second annual Nonbinarian Book Drive! The event was a huge success and we’re so grateful for your support!
On July 15, we celebrated the 1 year anniversary of our first pop-up! Check out the highlights courtesy of our volunteer coordinator, Alyssa. 💖
Want to contribute to the Nonbinarian Newsletter?
If you want to submit something to the newsletter, including events, mutual aid needs, book recs, or ideas you'd like to see us include, please email us at newsletter@thenonbinarian.gay.
Thank you for supporting the Nonbinarian Book Bike! Look for our next newsletter on the 1st of the month. In the meantime, follow us on social media for daily updates.