The Printing Press: A Winter Edition
A brief message.
According to Plato, the perfect republic removes the artists. We have learned that this is not the case. In the 2022-2023 school year, PEN America recorded 3,362 instances of book bannings, which was a 33 percent increase from the previous year. 30 percent of these bans attack authors of color or discussions of race, and 30 percent attack LGBTQ+ representation, therefore disproportionally silencing marginalized voices. While these books were banned on the premise of “being inappropriate to be taught”, I find that the encouragement of a sterile, white-washed view of the human experience through censorship to be reprehensible and counterintuitive to the learning experience. The human brain is vast and what it is capable of learning is not always moral and palatable to what we define education and knowledge to foster within schools. We absorb all that we are exposed to and it can be crude and disruptive and alarming, but above all it can possess an intense humanness. The human experience comes with thousands of contradictions and no art possesses a perfect truth because there is not one to be found. By censoring what is taught within schools, the new generation is being taught a simple and convenient history rather than the one that is founded in reality. We do not have to think deeply about what is palatable, but by studying what is deemed unfit to be taught, we gain a deeper and intellectual understanding. With seasonal issues, I hope to contribute to the fight against censorship and uplift diverse narrative voices that are consistently being shut down. The first edition of this mission is below, and I hope that you enjoy.
- Powell Sherrod, Editor in Chief
BOOK BANDIT - SOPHIE HEDBERG
Censorship in The Sunshine State - L. Brooke Koehler
READ HERE.
FICTION: vignettes, short stories, and essays
vignettes, short stories, and essays
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vignettes, short stories, and essays -
WRITTEN BY CAITLYN KING
WRITTEN BY SALMA SHERIF HELWA
WRITTEN BY LEEN QANDEEL
POETRY
free verse - sonnet - elegy - ode - ballad -
free verse - sonnet - elegy - ode - ballad -
WRITTEN BY S.S
WRITTEN BY ARIANA WALCOTT
WRITTEN BY BRIELLE BRZYTWA
WRITTEN BY SOPHIE GARLICK
WRITTEN BY SANDRA ROSAS
WRITTEN BY M.C
READ!
READ!
Editors Picks
READ!
READ!
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While Toni Morrison’s novels Beloved, and The Bluest Eye are often the target of more frequent and combative book bans than Morrison’s The Song of Solomon, I find the latter title to be an equally essential read. The story follows the life of Milkman Dead as he develops his awareness of his racial identity. The novel is a target of book bans due to the graphic depiction of racism, and the sexual content. Yet this is exactly what makes Morrison the incredible writer that she is: Morrison uses vivid, confrontational language to depict the Black experience in America with a richness and complexity. Morrison forces the reader to understand the Black experience on a deeper level in all societal aspects by weaving together womanhood, heritage, class, and the relationships between Black and White people, male and female, in painstaking detail. Needless to say, Morrison is an incredible author, and I believe that this novel and her other works are essential reads. - Powell Sherrod
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I highly recommend reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, a compelling memoir that provides a poignant and often harrowing glimpse into the author's unconventional and tumultuous upbringing. Walls recounts her experiences growing up in a dysfunctional and nomadic family, led by her charismatic but deeply flawed parents. The narrative is marked by resilience, and it explores themes of poverty, addiction, and the enduring bonds within a family. It's a thought-provoking and emotionally charged memoir that captivates readers with its raw honesty and vivid storytelling. It's worth noting that "The Glass Castle" has faced challenges and has been banned in some educational settings due to its explicit content and themes. However, these controversies underscore the book's power to provoke discussions about complex social issues and the importance of free expression in literature. - Samantha Castro
