On Sept. 11, 2001, I was in Florida, getting ready to take a copy editing test at the Miami Herald. A friend called to tell me to turn on the TV. I watched the coverage of the first plane hitting. There was still a moment—about 17 minutes' worth—when people were shaken but thought it's a small plane, it's a freak accident.

Last week I played nerd chaperone. I took my teen and two friends to TineeCon, an anime con. I scrambled eggs for breakfast while they got their Demon Slayer cosplays ready, then I got into *my* cosplay and off we went. (Who was I cosplaying as? Let's just say it would be easier if my favorite Critical Role character didn't have white hair.

I made some assumptions when I went to the Horror Writers Association's StokerCon last week. One was that the drive to Pittsburgh wouldn't take an entire day. Another was that Pennsylvania rest areas are just like New Jersey and New York rest areas and have restaurants available, instead of making you leave the highway to find food. A third was that I would have the time and energy during the conference to work on my novel.

While the Mahmoud v. Taylor ruling may have seemed narrow, the impact has been broad.

Reading or watching a horror story is like riding a roller coaster. No, hear me out. It's scary. There are unexpected twists and turns. There's a horrific drop and your stomach leaps into your throat. You close your eyes, you don't want to look. You think this goosebump/shivering/screeching moment will never end. And then it does, and you're okay. You breathe a sigh of relief and you might even be proud of yourself for surviving so well.

Authors and agents say manuscripts by and about the LGBTQIA+ community are being rejected at an alarming rate as publishers seem to be trying to avoid controversy and complaints.

Here's what it means to be a minority religion/culture within a majority society: Every time something is scheduled on one of your holidays, you have to decide whether it's worth the pushback. Purim began on Monday night (all Jewish holidays start at sundown, as does Shabbos). I also had a meeting on Monday night. I serve on the board of this group, and I already knew the meeting date couldn't be moved.

Write what you know. It's good advice but so easy to misinterpret. Taken to the illogical extreme, writers wouldn't be allowed to write anything beyond their own lived experiences, and that would kill a lot of good writing. You can create whole worlds with a decent amount of research, imagination, and empathy, so why wouldn't you? I think the point is to write what you know…

I had the call for submissions up on my screen when my 16-year-old walked in and said excitedly, "Is that an Odyssey anthology?" Like any standard fantasy nerd, my 16-year-old is having a Greek mythology phase. Mine started in grade school (Clash of the Titans!). My kiddo's is based around Percy Jackson and Epic: The Musical, and this is a shout-out to the other parents who…

We’re excited to present the list of stories featured in our new Odysseus book! Selected from open submissions, eighteen tales by modern authors retell Odysseus’ life and journey, imagining alternativ...

Getting short fiction published can feel like it's all in your head. You get an emailed acceptance, you get emailed a contract and edits. Getting your copy of the anthology or magazine (or the publication link) is proof that the acceptance was real and your name is in print. It's building a sandcastle, hoping that someone will see it and praise it before the tide comes in.

I check the news every day. Several times a day. Yes, I am perpetually frustrated and outraged. No, it's not great for my mental health. (Or for the actual physical health and safety of so many other people. Worry about them, not me.) At the end of the day, at the end of the week while we're lighting Shabbos candles, I focus inward: …

There's change for the bad, and for the good. And sometimes both. The worst part of losing a pet is having to make the decision. I kept hoping Theo would die peacefully in her sleep, but even as she lost her appetite and her ability to walk, she kept hanging on until we brought her to the vet. The last time I lost a cat, she died in the car on the way to the emergency vet.

Arkansas library media specialist Chelsey Smith has kids combine food truck fun with their favorite books, resulting in projects like a Captain Underpants-themed truck with

Fiction Magazine

We were in the Poconos recently on a family trip. Rain was threatening, and thunder rolled across the lake. My son and I sat on the balcony of our hotel room, casually chatting, while the thunder got louder and the rain poured down and lightning flashed around us. A strange crackling, crashing sound startled us; we guessed lightning had hit a tree somewhere around the lake.

One of the hardest parts about baking—bread, biscuits, cookies, whatever—is trying not to overmix the dough. Knowing when the ingredients have more or less come together and that you haven't whisked, mixed or kneaded them into stiffness, because otherwise the dough won't hold its shape properly and might crack in the oven. Then you're stuck with a final result that doesn't represent your best work.

Many think that for an author, getting their book banned is a badge of honor. That their sales will skyrocket with the free publicity. But this is only true for “celebrity” authors, or authors who are...

I put our Passover Seder together in a hurry last weekend* because we were on a college campus for most of it, attending an accepted students' weekend for our son. Our autistic son. I don't talk about my kids much online, because they're entitled to their privacy. But certain newspapers and public figures recently seem intent on suggesting (again) that ADHD is overdiagnosed and overmedicated and (again) that autism is a horrible thing and autistic people are somehow a burden on the rest of society.

Last year 72% of demands to censor books were initiated by pressure groups and government entities; with just 16% of ban attempts made by parents

SLJ wants to share the stories of how the loss of funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services will impact your library and community.

Sometimes I think it's the pen. My favorite for a while was a white pen that said Walt Disney Resorts on it in gold. The pen always wrote smoothly. I'd never run out of words. (It was probably just a white Bic pen in fancy clothes, but I liked to pretend otherwise.) Sometimes I think it's the notebook. Smaller is better for road trips.

The Friends of the Hershey Public Library welcome author A.S. King to the Hershey Public Library for a conversation about the writing life, censorship, the life-saving nature of teen literacy, and her...

Library patrons in Greenville, South Carolina, have sued the county over library policies restricting and banning LGBTQ+ materials.

It's a pretty "crummy" situation, as Holden Caulfield might say.

Sometimes, one good book can supercharge your professional development. That was the experience of these library leaders.

Communities around the country are feeling the love. Here’s a sampling of contributions to the “Reasons To Love Libraries” campaign, presented by SLJ and Library Journal and sponsored by OverDrive.

It's not just the content of news or press releases we need to care about. We need to understand its origins matter, too. That, plus this week's book censorship news.

Sometimes, one good book can supercharge your professional development. That was the experience of these library leaders.

Every day is a study in contradictions. I take our oldest on college visits while wondering whether student loans will still exist. I ask the kids about their school day while also asking whether anyone is harassing or bullying them (not so far) and worrying whether they're about to lose their accommodation plans. I plan our town group's first Pride event while worrying about how many people are losing their rights.

Book bans are not only real, they're a threat to religious freedom. That, plus this week's roundup of book censorship news.

Sometimes, one good book can supercharge your professional development. That was the experience of these library leaders.

Censorship at local to federal level recalls past authoritarian regimes ‘but this has never all happened at once’

Piublic libraries work with groups from health departments to community-based organizations and provide access to everything from cooking classes to safe walking routes.

Teen librarian Karen Jensen shares the disturbing erasure of government websites

There are varied paths to the profession. Find out how these librarians found their way to the library.