URI's Only Student-Run Arts & Lit. Mag
The Independent Scribe is participating in the URI Helping Haiti campaign. We will be collecting donations at our booths every Friday in February - starting tomorrow!
Our most heartfelt congratulations to:
Extra-special congratulations to Nick McKnight, who is not only a featured poet, but this edition's cover artist! No spoilers, but we can assure you that it is a lively, colorful piece that we are so excited for you to see when the publication is released.
Keep your eyes peeled for more announcements about our launch event in November!
September 26th through October 3rd is Banned Books Week, a celebration of the First Amendment and the importance of free access to reading materials. Founded in 1982, BBW is a response to the to the sudden uptick in challenges against books commonly found in schools, libraries, and stores. Criteria for banning ranges from displeasure over sexual or violent content to positive portrayals of minorities (most prominently the gay community) or negative portrayals of racial or religious groups.
These bans have taken place in hundreds of communities across the country. Books targeted for banning include contemporary fiction - including children's picture books! - and much-loved classics. To combat the rise in challenges on books, librarians and bookstore owners have taken it upon themselves to defy censorship by displaying these titles as legitimate, welcome works of literature.
What were the top 10 banned or challenged books of 2008? According to BannedBooksWeek.org and the American Library Association, they were:
And Tango Makes Three (Richardson, Parnell) - banned for anti-ethnic/anti-family sentiments, religious viewpoint, portrayal of homosexuality; deemed unsuitable for age group.
His Dark Materials trilogy (Pullman) - banned for religious/political viewpoint, violence.
TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R series (Myracle) - banned for offensive language, sexually explicit content; deemed unsuitable for age group.
Scary Stories series (Schwartz) - banned for portrayal of the occult/satanism, religious viewpoint, violence.
Bless Me, Ultima (Anaya) - banned for portrayal of the occult/satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit content, violence.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Chbosky) - banned for drugs, portrayal of homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit content, suicide; deemed unsuitable for age group.
Gossip Girl series (von Ziegesar) - banned for offensive language, sexually explicit content; deemed unsuitable for age group.
Uncle Bobby's Wedding (Brannen) - banned for portrayal of homosexuality; deemed unsuitable for age group.
The Kite Runner (Hosseini) - banned for offensive language, sexually explicit content; deemed unsuitable for age group.
Flashcards of My Life (Harper) - banned for sexually explicit content; deemed unsuitable for age group.
The American Library Association also has a list of the most frequently banned or challenged books of the 20th century - how many of these classics have you read?
For more information on Banned Books Week in the US, visit:
The American Library Association - get free downloads of BBW posters, webpage badges, and lists of banned books from previous years.
Banned Books Week - see a map of all the communities in the US with registered book challenges from 2007 to 2009; find a list of things you can do to promote reading controversial books.
UPenn's Online Books Page - find general information on banned books throughout history, and why people today are so concerned with children's literature.
"Why Banned Books Week Matters" - Library scientist John Mark Ockerbloom's essay on the importance of BBW and the twin freedoms endorsed by celebrating it - the freedom to read AND the freedom to write.
For an international perspective on censoring writers, visit:
Amnesty USA - learn about the far-reaching impact of literary censorship; read cases in which authors and members of the foreign media have been harrassed or imprisoned for their artistic or critical expression.
Happy (dangerous) reading, everyone!
In the spirit of Marc Parent's short story collection, The Secret Society of Demolition Writers, the Independent Scribe is giving you, our beloved writers, a chance to explore the deepest corners of your imagination - and be featured in our upcoming Fall 2009 edition!
The Challenge "What would you write if no one knew who you were? In the spirit of the demolition derby, where drivers heedlessly take risks with reckless abandon, welcome to the first convocation of the Secret Society of Demolition Writers. Here is a one-of-a-kind collection of famous authors writing anonymously - and dangerously."
So says Marc Parent in the introduction to the book. He rounded up 12 famous contemporary authors and asked them to write something daring, something spectacular, something their editors and agents would never let see the light of day.
How it Works Write. Whatever you want it to be, no matter how dark or silly or sexy or painfully honest. Send it our way with "FALL 2009 CONTEST" in the subject line (and as always, make sure your name does not appear in the body of the text).
We'll choose a small, select group of winners and feature them together. Your name will appear in the table of contents, but will not be associated with your piece. We want to publicly thank you for submitting and congratulate you for winning, and we will guarantee your anonymity by never sharing who wrote which piece.
Remember, all entries must be received by Friday, October 16 at 4 PM. Any contest entries received after this point will not be considered.
For more information on Marc Parent's book, visit your favorite online retailer.
Best of luck to you all, and happy writing!
Spring 2009 cover art 
