Ian Tan here again, for the last time. With UnCensored Ink finally right on our doorstep, I just wanted to say thank you to all those who expressed deep interest and support for our anthology, from the beginning. Truly, those likes, comments and especially shares meant a lot – and I am sure I can speak for the writers and staff who helped bring this into reality. Anthologies are hard work, so every little scrap of encouragement and sharing helps!
Now that UnCensored Ink is out in the world, I would like to ask you all to continue this kind support by simply buying it, reading it, talking about it. 50% of our revenue will be donated to the American Library Association, so part of your wallet will also contribute to their fight against book banning. It’s an endless fight but we can’t afford to give up.
Special thanks goes to:
Abby Wild, our publisher and blog-owner, who so graciously allowed us use of the WIP blog and personally mentored me during the editing and proofreading process.
Amy Nielsen, my co-editor who conceived UnCensored Ink in the first place, with the idea of using the Dewey Decimal System to categorize our submissions.
Demi Michelle Schwartz, Wild Ink publicist, who in addition to writing an incredible short story, has consistently given on-hands help in uploading and posting the UnCensored Ink Interview Series. Handling the logistics of this interview would’ve been much more challenging and time-consuming without her assistance.
And of course, a big thank you to all our writers. It has been an immense pleasure and honor editing and coordinating this project, and it warms me to see your solidarity, even as this interview series demonstrates how spread out we are. Don’t give up.
Ian Tan here, lead editor and project coordinator of UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology, set to release this October 29. Here is the UnCensored Ink interview series to introduce you all to the incredible writers, as well as the local bookstores and libraries that gave them safe creative spaces. Hopefully you can put these incredible places on your to-visit list, and feel inspired to support your own local bookstore, library and indie authors.
Today I am with Jacque Vickers, a writer and arts enthusiast from Sydney, in Australia. Some short plays that she has written have been performed at various short play festivals. Last year, a short story that she wrote was published in Anthology Angels 2023 anthology: Hot Diggety Dog! Tales from the Bark Side.
You’ve written a fine piece for UnCensored Ink: a banned book anthology. Can you give us a synopsis? How did the idea for this piece come about?
When I write, I often get ideas in rhymes, and street libraries seem to be becoming more popular in Australia. With the theme of banned books, this struck me as a place books like this could be found, my poem Banished Books Centre Stage was a result of this.
Now, we would love to know you more! What do you enjoy doing in your free time, what is your favorite book quote, and how did you get into reading and writing?
In my free time, I enjoy reading, playing chess, watching the Addams Family original television series from the 1960’s. I don’t have one favourite book quote. There are so many great books that have been written.
I first got into reading when I was about four, before I ever went to school. After I went to school, I read even more and started writing a lot shortly after that. I remember reading the novel The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton to my class at school.
When I was seven, I was the editor of a school newspaper, and four years later I was the only student from my school to be invited to a luncheon where I got to meet some professional authors and illustrators.
For years, I was involved in local theatre; directing short plays, writing plays. A short play I wrote The Princess and the Scales, I received The Playwright’s Encouragement Award one month at Crash Test Drama, Sydney, a creative development program for writers, directors and actors in theatre. I also acted in a theatre production of Marat/Sade, in which I played the Mad Animal.
During the pandemic, I was writing every day. Two years ago, I started sending short stories and poems I’d written out to publishers.
Last year, I got a short story published in Anthology Angels 2023 anthology: Hot Diggety Dog! Tales from the Bark Side.
Do you have a favorite local library or bookstore? Also can you remember bookstores and libraries from your childhood, if they are not the same as the ones now?
I don’t have a favourite library or bookstore. Any place where you can find books is a wonderful place. I remember spending a lot of time at the school library and also going to public libraries quite often after school or on the weekends. Lately, I’ve discovered that good books can often be found at street libraries.
4. Tell us more about this bookstore/library. What do you love most about it?
Street libraries often have books that I would like to read. It’s always a joy discovering a street library.
At a street library in Sydney
5. What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?
All authors deserve the right for their stories to exist and to resonate with readers. Bookstores and libraries are important for authors and readers of all ages.
6. Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?
Next year Wild Ink Publishing is bringing out an anthology Prom Perfect, in which I’ll have a poem I have written featured.
7. Lastly, what platforms can we find you? (Social media and websites are all encouraged, this is to highlight and champion you guys)
And that is it for our UnCensored Ink interviews! Thank you so much for those who have been faithfully reading and following along all this while. I have one last post to summarize everything on this interview and the anthology as a whole, before I say goodbye!
Ian Tan here, lead editor and project coordinator of UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology, set to release this October 29. Here is the UnCensored Ink interview series to introduce you all to the incredible writers, as well as the local bookstores and libraries that gave them safe creative spaces. Hopefully you can put these incredible places on your to-visit list, and feel inspired to support your own local bookstore, library and indie authors.
Today I am with Vi Putrament, from London. She is a writer, editor and translator born in Warsaw and raised in New York City, specializing in science, folklore, fantasy and magic. She’s also a language editor for an astrophysics journal based at the Paris Observatory and writes science fiction and fantasy in every rare speck of spare time.
You’ve written a fine piece for UnCensored Ink: a banned book anthology. Can you give us a synopsis? How did the idea for this piece come about?
My SFF story Stranger in the Archives is about a jaded administrator working in a library of old earthly books on the planet KOI316.02. When she witnesses the theft of one of the rare tomes in the illicit collection, she ends up caught in the grips of this enigmatic book smuggler and rediscovers the role of literature in making us human.
Now, we would love to know you more! What do you enjoy doing in your free time, what is your favorite book quote, and how did you get into reading and writing?
I don’t really have many hobbies so most of my free time is spent going for walks and reading books. I’ve always been a writer, ever since I was a child, but my career in writing began in earnest after I started translating curatorial texts and art books for museums and cultural institutions. My favorite book is Orlando by Virginia Woolf and honestly every single line in that book is a banger.
Do you have a favorite local library or bookstore? Also can you remember bookstores and libraries from your childhood, if they are not the same as the ones now?
One of my favorite bookshops in London is The Common Press in East London, packed with dynamic queer energy and awesome books.
Tell us more about this bookstore/library. What do you love most about it?
I discovered this bookshop not too long ago, when I attended a panel on queer neurodivergent YA books by some of the most incredible local authors of the moment: Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Elle McNicoll, Leanne Egan and Theo Parish, moderated by Rosie Talbot. It was such a good event, full of serious takes but jokes and laughs too. I felt so welcome there and the selection of books is a dream. Plus, they have a coffee shop right at the front of the shop.
What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?
When I was a kid, the local library was my babysitter and my whole world. We couldn’t really afford to buy too many books and my hunger for stories was insatiable. I would take out stacks and stacks of books every week and gobble them all up. I would spend hours at the library after school since my mother would be working really late and it was my sanctuary from the drabness of the world around me – and a channel for my imagination. I don’t think I ever dared to dream that I’d find my books on the shelf at the library one day, but little me would be so proud today to see my name on the title page of a book!
Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?
I have a SFF novel titled ULTRALUMINOUS about an art heist at the galaxy’s first space university that I hope to publish in the near future. The mixed-race protagonist comes from Brooklyn (like me) and is a scholarship student (also like me), so she has to navigate the obstacles of prejudice and marginalization to achieve her goal of winning back a digital painting made by her late mother, which had been smuggled into space at the dean’s behest.
Lastly, what platforms can we find you?
Twitter: @ViPutrament
IG: @ultra.luminous
And that is a wrap on London, the UK, everyone. Stay tuned for our final hop down under to Australia, and then this interview series is done!
Ian Tan here, lead editor and project coordinator of UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology, set to release this October 29. Here is the UnCensored Ink interview series to introduce you all to the incredible writers, as well as the local bookstores and libraries that gave them safe, creative spaces. Hopefully, you can put these incredible places on your to-visit list and feel inspired to support your own local bookstore, library, and indie authors.
Today, I’m with Riley Kilmore from Pennsylvania.
You’ve written a fine piece for UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book-Inspired Anthology. Can you give us a synopsis? How did the idea for this piece come about?
An inquisitive farm boy in 1940s Appalachia encounters a peddler surreptitiously distributing banned books and is given a copy of John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath.
Prior to writing The Tinker, I’d finished reading Ann Pancake’s Strange As This Weather Has Been, about an Appalachian family struggling in the shadow of exploitative mountain top mining. Pancake’s book was the 2023 One Voice One West Virgina Read, and she was the Appalachian Heritage Writer In Residence that same year.
I was taking some Appalachian Studies classes at Shepherd University at the time, so I entered a (different) piece in the 2023 West Virginia Fiction Competition, which she judged, and I won. So her novel and body of work definitely inspired me.
My winning piece, Mother, May I?—about a disillusioned Catholic caught in a Twilight-Zone-esque liminal space (a western Pennsylvanian convent-cum-Bread & Breakfast run by a handful of aging nuns)—appears in the 2024 Anthology of Appalachian Writers along with five of my photographs which were also selected for inclusion.
I originally wrote The Tinker as my entry piece for the 2024 West Virgina Fiction Competition, but didn’t place. However my sister, playwright DW Gregory (Radium Girls) did win this year! In fact, she also won the 2022 competition.
Now, we would love to know you more! What do you enjoy doing in your free time, what is your favorite book quote, and how did you get into reading and writing?
Well, I used to run a lot in my spare time. That’s when I’d compose stories in my head that I’d later put to paper. Now, though, I mostly walk, but it’s still my “composition” time.
As for a fav book quote, I have to wonder if any reader or author can honestly pick just one. I certainly can’t. So I’ll leave you with a quote from my 2024 debut middle grade adventure, Shay The Brave, which champions friendship, the courage to be your authentic self, and vegetarianism: “One is wise to hunger for friendship, but a fool to hunger for friends—no matter how good they may taste.”
That third part of your question begs a twist: how did reading and writing got into me?
I credit several things. One of them is a mother who made weekly trips to our local public library a part of our childhood. She also subscribed to numerous magazines—Time, Post, Life, National Geographic—and to the local papers, so that there was always current event news and information at our fingertips along with all the books containing fiction and poetry that were shelved right in our attic bedroom.
Another possibility is an inborn propensity for it—as in, “is there a writing gene?”—since I’m one of nine kids and the majority write, along with some in the next generation, as well. Not all are published, but I mentioned my award-winning playwright sister above, and our oldest sister’s debut novel just came out this year as well: The Bomber Jacket by K.M. King, also available from Wild Ink Publishing.
Do you have a favorite local library or bookstore? Also can you remember bookstores and libraries from your childhood, if they are not the same as the ones now?
I grew up in Lititz, PA, so my fav public library was, of course, the Lititz Public Library.
When I was born the library was set up in the old ballroom of the famous General Sutter Inn. From there it moved to an old house further down South Broad Street from our own place. That was my favorite location of the library because it was a house my parents almost bought, themselves, before deciding on the one I grew up in. So I loved imagining it being our family home when I’d go there and check out books each week.
The bedrooms—which weren’t accessible to the general public but which I and my sisters convinced the librarians to show us—had an ancient intercom system, which was really fascinating. After that we not only frequently imagined what it would have been like growing up there, but imagined calling back and forth to one another via those old intercoms. It certainly would have leveled-up Earl Hamner’s notion of simply shouting out “Good night, John-boy; Good night, Mary Ellen!”
The only “book store” in town back then—or what we called the bookstore—was Bell’s Bookstore on Main Street, only it was more of an early rendition of Staples marries a Hallmark Card shop. Lots of office supplies and cards, but not too much in the way of books. I loved to wander around in there when I was growing up, but Lititz today has a genuine book store and a great one, at that: Aaron’s Books.
It’s great for a host of reasons, but of course one of them is that they stock copies of Shay The Brave. Copies of Shay The Brave are also available at another Lancaster County indie book seller, which is the delightful Pocket Books Shop.
What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?
Libraries launch imaginations. Towns without a library are like clipper ships without sails: sure, they can stay afloat, but their citizens aren’t apt to take in distant horizons, eh? And librarians? Well, they’re the captains who keep us on course—always sailing forward, never aft.
Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?
You bet! Check out my website, www.rileykilmore.com for updates, but here’s what’s in the offing: a companion workbook to Shay The Brave called Share With Shay, which uses prompts from the original adventure to encourage kids to do a little deep thinking of their own on important issues; a sequel to Shay The Brave called Alexy, Strong and Silent, which follows Shay’s sidekick from the first book into his own adventure of personal growth while simultaneously—just like Shay—redeeming others.
Lastly, what platforms can we find you? (Social media and websites are all encouraged, this is to highlight and champion you guys)
Besides my author website listed above, readers friends can find me on facebook, on Instagram, on Twitter, and at my own Substack, where I write the (generally) weekly Monday Morning Literary Bric-a-Brac to which they can subscribe for free.
Well, that was Riley Kilmore, everyone. It’s time to take a trip across the pond to the United Kingdom.
Riley Kilmore earned an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in 2022. Her award-winning poetry and short fiction have appeared in numerous anthologies. Her debut novel, Shay the Brave, a middle-grade fantasy, is available from Wild Ink Publishing. A twenty-year veteran of the fire service, Kilmore has leaped from airplanes, sailed the world, been a cop, and braved the life of a homeschool mom. She resides on a sequestered mountainside farm in south central Pennsyltucky with one horse, one cat, a dancing goat, a beer-guzzling hound, and her husband of 36 years.
Ian Tan here, lead editor and project coordinator of UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology, set to release this October 29. Here is the UnCensored Ink interview series to introduce you all to the incredible writers, as well as the local bookstores and libraries that gave them safe creative spaces. Hopefully, you can put these incredible places on your to-visit list, and feel inspired to support your own local bookstore, library and indie authors.
Today, I am with Melissa R. Mendelson, from New York. She is a poet, a horror, science-fiction and dystopian author. She has been published by Sirens Call Publications, State of Matter Magazine, Altered Reality Magazine, Transmundane Press, Owl Canyon Press, Wild Ink Publishing, The Horror Zine and The Yard: Crime Blog. She is the author of a self-published sci-fi novella, Waken. She is also the author of the prose poetry collection, This Will Remain With Us published by Wild Ink Publishing.
You’ve written a fine piece for UnCensored Ink: a banned book anthology. Can you give us a synopsis? How did the idea for this piece come about?
They Took Her Away – I never belonged in school, always the outcast, but what if it wasn’t me? What if it was them, their programming, which I did not understand nor wanted to follow, but somehow, I got sucked into it, ensnared over something simple, a book, and it was a book not approved by them. But what really did me in was her, someone I barely knew but trusted, and when she fell, she took me down with her.
Your Last Shot – In college, I took this, I think, Anatomy Class, where I followed the digestion of a cupcake. I even got the professor to laugh at my enthusiasm because I found it fascinating, and I still do find some Science especially in the human body interesting. But not everyone shares my enthusiasm especially with Covid, and there was, I believe, a lot of hatred toward Scientists. What if that hatred grew into an angry mob successful in destroying all the texts that could help save us from the next catastrophe, leading us straight into extinction? All of us except for one.
She Kept Her Words Inside A Pillow – Growing up in a house with five brothers, there was no privacy. I used to have posters all over my walls, and one day, my brothers decided it would be funny to tear them all down. I did not find it amusing and started arranging things in my room to know when they were there and what they touched. The pillow is a good hiding place, if you want to keep your words, your thoughts private especially if you live in a world, where you have to be careful with not only what you say but what you think. Unfortunately, if they are determined to find it, they will, and the consequences could be dire. But even in the darkest situations, there’s still a faint trace of hope.
2. Now, we would love to know you more! What do you enjoy doing in your free time, what is your favorite book quote, and how did you get into reading and writing?
In my free time, I like to take walks around the duck ponds in town. I like to read Poets & Writers Magazines, even if I’m behind by two years. I love YouTube but not for funny cat videos. I enjoy watching Film Courage, Big Think, TED, Letters Live, and Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum.
Favorite book quote? I really don’t have one, but my favorite movie quote is from The Last Unicorn: There are no happy endings, because nothing ends.
When I was a child, my parents signed me up for this book club, where I would get books in the mail, and I loved reading them.
I did not write until the seventh grade, where I met two wonderful creative writing teachers, who were convinced that I had talent as a writer. It took some time for that to sink in, but it eventually did. And in my senior year of high school when I should have been paying attention to my subjects, I was too busy filling my notebooks with stories and poems.
3. Do you have a favorite local library or bookstore? Also can you remember bookstores and libraries from your childhood, if they are not the same as the ones now?
My most recent favorite bookstore is Eureka Books and More in Sugar Loaf, NY, where I just had a reading for my book, This Will Remain With Us.
I remember the library in my high school. I used to hide out there to escape the bullies, and I would love to read the Choose Your Own Adventure Books and flip through the Audubon Magazines.
4. Tell us more about this bookstore/library. What do you love most about it?
The bookstore, Eureka Books and More, is my favorite because you can feel the warmth and dedication that Elizabeth, the owner, puts into it.
5. What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?
Growing up, I always turned to the libraries and later years to bookstores because they always felt like a haven to me, somewhere I could escape to and disappear into the pages that I read, and there were moments in my life that I needed to escape from. These places gave me what I needed, and the books later inspired me to pick up a pen and write my own stories.
6. Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?
For the last few months or so, I have been working on a Dystopian novella called, For My Son. This story is different from other things that I have written and very, very detailed, which is not like me at all. But my hope is that when it is done and published that readers will feel like they are there, walking among the characters.
7. Lastly, what platforms can we find you? (Social media and websites are all encouraged, this is to highlight and champion you guys)
Ian Tan here, lead editor and project coordinator of UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology, set to release this October 29. Here is the UnCensored Ink interview series to introduce you all to the incredible writers, as well as the local bookstores and libraries that gave them safe, creative spaces. Hopefully, you can put these incredible places on your to-visit list and feel inspired to support your own local bookstore, library, and indie authors.
Today, I am with Helen Z. Dong from Washington. She is a Chinese-American author, product manager, and game writer. In 2018, she received a Silver Key for her writing portfolio in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, and her debut game, Wake Up, was released in May 2023. Since 2022, she has been sharing her writing journey on social media with over 12,000 followers.
1. You’ve written a fine piece for UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology. Can you give us a synopsis? How did the idea for this piece come about?
Sure! In my sci-fi story, BURN, a climate research scientist living on a near-uninhabitable planet presents her invention for reversing climate change at a conference. This is everything that she has dreamed of, people are congratulating her left and right on her success, but she’s unable to celebrate because she knows that her invention will never see the light of day. The planet is dying, and she can’t do a single thing about it.
This piece is very obviously inspired by the climate crisis that we’re facing right now, but the concept first started with a scene from the animated series Arcane: Jayce’s speech in season one, episode four, where he has to decide between revealing a new invention to the world or hiding it. While I’ve cut Maia’s actual speech from my story, there are still some parallels between her and Jayce…although they are very different people.
2. Now, we would love to know you more! What do you enjoy doing in your free time, what is your favorite book quote, and how did you get into reading and writing?
Aside from reading and writing, I love playing video games, watching shows like The Boys and House of the Dragon, and hanging out with my cat. I got into reading and writing around the same time, in kindergarten — the first “book” I ever wrote was a picture book about animals and their movements (inspired by the picture books I was consuming at the time, I’m sure).
At the moment, I’d say my favorite book quote is from a book that I fell in love with recently, BLOOD OVER BRIGHT HAVEN by M. L. Wang: “The worthwhile run is never the short one. You know we’re not running from oblivion…We’re running towards hope.”
This quote hit me hard in the context of the story, but even out of context, I think it can apply to a lot of us in our daily lives and struggles.
3. Do you have a favorite local library or bookstore? Also can you remember bookstores and libraries from your childhood, if they are not the same as the ones now?
My current favorite bookstore has to be Elliott Bay Book Company in Seattle, WA! But the Newton Free Library in Newton, MA, is where I used to go with my parents all the time as a child. It’s where I first developed a love for reading, and I still remember it fondly today even though I haven’t been there in years and years.
4. Tell us more about this bookstore/library. What do you love most about it?
I love Elliott Bay for the atmosphere. Since moving to Seattle, it’s been a central location for me to hang out with friends to either browse the shelves together or to grab a coffee and settle in for a cozy writing session in the attached cafe. The people who work there are so friendly — I filmed a YouTube video once where I went to Elliot Bay to look for a book and I must have spent twenty minutes searching for it before I gave in and asked someone for help. She not only helped me look up the book in their system, but also walked me to the right shelf herself. From this and other interactions, I can tell that the people there really care about and love books, and something about that energy just makes me so happy.
5. What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?
Bookstores and libraries are both important (reading in general is important), but I can’t emphasize enough how invaluable libraries are in society. Anyone can go to a library and borrow any book they want to read. Anyone can stay in a library to read or study or just browse the shelves. These are such important resources for us, and it pains me every time when I see cities pinching their budgets and forcing libraries to close earlier, or on Sundays, or just for the whole weekend. Libraries used to be my favorite places to go as a child, and they’re where I developed my love for reading. They’re absolutely something that deserves to be advocated for.
6. Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?
I am currently querying literary agents with a YA Chinese fantasy and am working on an NA dark academia horror that I plan on querying starting this fall. I’m also always working on new short stories and looking for homes for them. I’m decently active on my socials, so any updates will end up posted there!
7. Lastly, what platforms can we find you?
I’m @helenzdong on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter/X.
Well, that’s Helen Z. Dong from Washington, everyone! Now, we do have one last American writer in New York, so stick with us as we fly over there!
Ian Tan here, lead editor and project coordinator of UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology, set to release this October 29. Here is the UnCensored Ink interview series to introduce you all to the incredible writers, as well as the local bookstores and libraries that gave them safe creative spaces. Hopefully you can put these incredible places on your to-visit list, and feel inspired to support your own local bookstore, library and indie authors.
Today I am with Mitra De Souza from California. She has loved to write for as long as she can remember. In elementary school, she used to tape her short stories to the back of her chair for her classmates to read. She is drawn to stories that encourage people to view the world from a new perspective. Mitra resides in San Diego County with her husband, two kids and two big rescue dogs who think they’re still puppies. Her favorite banned book is Jay Coles’ Things We Couldn’t Say.
1. You’ve written a fine piece for UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology. Can you give us a synopsis? How did the idea for this piece come about?
When I saw the call for submissions, I was excited because book banning is an issue I feel strongly about. That night I lay in bed thinking about the anthology and the idea came to me, so I wrote it the next morning. The short story is about a community impacted by book burning and a young boy who is forever changed by what occurs. It’s also about the importance of telling our stories despite efforts to censor our voices.
2. Now, we would love to know you more! What do you enjoy doing in your free time, what is your favorite book quote, and how did you get into reading and writing?
I love reading, writing, and going for walks in nature. I also love to laugh. I’ve enjoyed reading and writing for as long as I can remember. One of my favorite things to do as a child was to lie in bed by the window and read. I loved the feel of being in my own little world absorbed in a book. My favorite book quote is from Animal Farm when the pigs write “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.” I love irony, and the simple language makes such a brilliant political statement about the warped view of equity that is still held by many in power today.
3. Do you have a favorite local library or bookstore? Also can you remember bookstores and libraries from your childhood, if they are not the same as the ones now?
My favorite library as a child was the Encinitas Library. We never bought books at stores but would go to the library on a regular basis. I loved the freedom of browsing the aisles and being able to pick out whatever I wanted without having to worry about cost.
My favorite library now is the Oceanside Public Library (Civic Center Branch). It’s amazing. They renovated the outdoor courtyard with a beautiful fountain, lush landscape and lots of outdoor seating for events. It’s a wonderful hub for communal activities, like author talks, cultural events, and story time sessions for children. Inside the library there are high ceilings and plenty of light (things that I love).
4. Tell us more about this bookstore/library. What do you love most about it?
Aside from its architectural beauty, it has tons of functional spaces including private study rooms, larger rooms for special events and a colorfully decorated children’s area. Prior to getting my publishing deal for my debut novel, I attended a local author event there. The guest speaker spoke about their publishing journey which was very inspiring. It makes me happy that this beautiful space exists to support our community.
5. What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?
In the age of Amazon providing everything with the click of a button, there is still immense value in bookstores and libraries. Personally, I love browsing the aisles of a bookstore and being able to hold the books in my hands. Librarians and booksellers also provide that personal one-on-one contact that you can’t get from a website. I remember going to the library and asking the librarian for a certain type of book and their eyes lighting up with excitement as they led me to the section. Amazon can’t replace that.
6. Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?
My debut YA novel, The Fragile, was released in July 2024. I’m currently working on the sequel to The Fragile and a near future sci-fi YA novel called Amity’s Daughter that addresses issues related to censorship and civil speech.
7. Lastly, what platforms can we find you? (Social media and websites are all encouraged, this is to highlight and champion you guys)
Ian Tan here, lead editor and project coordinator of UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology, set to release this October 29. Here is the UnCensored Ink interview series to introduce you all to the incredible writers, as well as the local bookstores and libraries that gave them safe creative spaces. Hopefully you can put these incredible places on your to-visit list, and feel inspired to support your own local bookstore, library and indie authors.
Today I am with Ryan Ginsberg from California. He is a writer of poems, short stories, and novels. His first collection of short stories, “The Crumbling of a Nation and Other Stories,” will be released on June 28th. He is the father of three beautiful dogs—Brother, Midas, and Shadow—and the husband of one beautiful wife, Teresa.
1. You’ve written a fine piece for UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology. Can you give us a synopsis? How did the idea for this piece come about?
I have two pieces. The first is Love, the Way God Intended, which explores the idea of strict book banning in schools. Mrs. Estrada sees this happening around her, so she drops her career as a doctor and pursues, instead, a career as a teacher. But she is not doing this to enforce the book ban, but rather to sneak banned literature into the classroom for the students whose lifestyles and identities are being banned and silenced. By doing this, she is not only putting her job on the line, but also her life—as well as her students.
This story was heavily influenced from my experience as a high school English teacher in a very red, very conservative, very small town. I see the way my LGBTQ+ students are treated. I see the way the hate of society seeps into the youth. I fear for those students every day, especially as we see movements to wipe their existence and their right to life away.
My second story is The Termination Bureau, which discusses a topic that is likely to find itself on a banned book list—abortion. It presents a world where abortion has been banned. However, if a person does not want to keep their baby, they are able to sell that baby to the state. Without giving too much away, the story follows two plotlines—one is of a worker in the Termination Bureau, the second is of a young girl who is applying for the right to sell her baby to the state.
This story came from the hypocrisy constantly seen by the so-called pro-life movement. They hate abortions, but refuse to do anything to prevent them. And once that prized fetus is born, they deny it all rights. They want to deny a person’s right to healthcare, to a livable wage, to a safe place to live, to access to equal opportunities. This story hopes to highlight exactly how much life is disregarded after it leaves the womb.
2. Now, we would love to know you more! What do you enjoy doing in your free time, what is your favorite book quote, and how did you get into reading and writing?
Honestly, my free time is mostly spent on the couch, with my wife and three dogs by my side, watching whatever the reality TV show we are binging at the moment is—Love Island, Summer House, Big Brother, whatever! My favorite book quote has to be ‘So it goes.’ As for what got me into reading and writing, it is hard to say. I do love to contribute my love for writing with my childhood speech impediment. For when I write, everything comes out exactly as I want—and if not, I can edit the misunderstandings away.
3. Do you have a favorite local library or bookstore? Also can you remember bookstores and libraries from your childhood, if they are not the same as the ones now?
My favorite bookstore as a child was Borders. They had everything. Books, CDs, cinnamon rolls! It was the dream. Now, my go-to bookstore is called A Book Barn, located in Clovis, California. As Kerouac once said, ‘Saroyan’s Town.’
4. Tell us more about this bookstore/library. What do you love most about it?
It is an independently owned used bookstore. Two stories. FILLED with everything imaginable. They even have a rare book section. But most of all, I love the people, the workers, the owner. They have always treated me with kindness. And recently, they hosted my first ever book signing for my latest book The Crumbling of a Nation and Other Stories.
5. What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?
Gil Scott-Heron once wrote, ‘The Revolution will not be televised.’ I think that quote needs to be slightly altered to something like: the revolution will not be televised, but it will have been written about for generations in books that the world slowly decided to stop reading. We need to sustain bookstores and libraries because our society crumbles once we lose our curiosity.
6. Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?
I have been working on a novel since 2018 or 2019. A dystopian novel set in the near future. Hopefully, eventually, that novel will be published. Otherwise, I did recently self-publish a collection of short stories—The Crumbling of a Nation and Other Stories.
7. Lastly, what platforms can we find you? (Social media and websites are all encouraged, this is to highlight and champion you guys)
I am mostly on TikTok these days, until it is banned, I guess. Username is @ryandavidginsberg. I am also on Instagram, same username, but hardly post. I have a website ryandavidginsberg.com that rarely gets updated.
Well, that’s Ryan David Ginsberg, everyone! Stay posted till our next one, also here in California!
Ian Tan here, lead editor and project coordinator of UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology, set to release this October 29. Here is the UnCensored Ink interview series to introduce you all to the incredible writers, as well as the local bookstores and libraries that gave them safe creative spaces. Hopefully, you can put these incredible places on your to-visit list, and feel inspired to support your own local bookstore, library and indie authors.
Today I am with Christopher DeWitt from Arizona. He lives with his wife Christine, son Alex, three dopey but lovable dogs, and a weird, vegan cat. When he isn’t writing and reading, he is exploring the beautiful and sometimes eerie Superstition Mountains and the haunts of Tombstone. A United States Air Force veteran and licensed pilot, he loves anything that flies and earth-bound racing machines that go very, very fast.
1. You’ve written a fine piece for UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology. Can you give us a synopsis? How did the idea for this piece come about?
Lit Matches portray a dystopian America shattered by brutal ongoing civil wars, where two men have been set on a mission by their faction to seize what is regarded as a very dangerous book. These men, Logan and Potts, are members of the elite Archivist Corp and are journeying to Phoenix, which is now located in what is called the Southwestern Neutral Zone. Along the way, the men reflect on the harsh realities of their world, and the loss of their fellow archivist, Grooms, as well as the treachery of Anna, a former squad mate who has defected to the enemy. When they arrive at their destination, they encounter something that turns their whole mission on its head and causes Logan to examine the true nature of that mission, and the book they had sought to destroy.
When I was writing Lit Matches, firstly I wanted it to somehow involve American history, since I am a history nut (thanks again, Dad). I had never done anything dystopian before, but I thought it might be interesting if it was in a dark, near-future where the founding documents would be scandalous or seen as a threat in some way. Honestly, I think we have strayed quite a bit from our founding principles, and it just might be a good idea to get back to the basics, as it were. I think we have lost sight of them. Also, the notion that the writings of the people who literally started this country being kept alive by rebels seemed to bring it all full circle, since they themselves were rebels, big time!
2. Now, we would love to know you more! What do you enjoy doing in your free time, what is your favorite book quote, and how did you get into reading and writing?
Clearly, I love to read. No time spent on that is ever wasted. I like to read a variety of genres. When I am not reading, I enjoy just being out in the wild, somewhere, when the weather permits it here in Arizona. After a long summer one tends to develop cabin fever, so when the weather is cooler, I like to be outside as much as possible. I am also an avid fan of almost all forms of motorsport, but particularly Formula 1 and NASCAR. And anything to do with aviation. We have some great museums here and great airshows as well! Can’t get enough of those.
Favorite quote? Well, that is a tall ask, since there are so many great ones to choose from! I love the works of Rudyard Kipling, and a quote from his classic, The Jungle Book, always stayed with me since I read it when I was a kid, just because for me it was so memorable, especially the last line:
Now this is the Law of the Jungle – as old and true as the sky;
And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the Law runneth forward and back;
For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.
Come on, now. That is just way too… cool. And I always thought that I could never write anything that bloody cool.
I was born into a family of voracious readers, and I have my Mom and Dad to thank for that addiction. Like most writers, I started scribbling stories when I was little, initially at least due to school assignments. Only then did I find out how much fun and fulfilling it could be. I remember writing one story set in one of my favorite TV shows at the time – The Time Tunnel. I know this is going to date me all too well! I had to have been around eight or nine, so it would have been one of my first efforts. I used that show’s characters, so apologies to Irwin Allen Productions for that. It was my first and only fan fiction! At least so far. I had fun doing that, but what was more fun was when my teacher praised my story and told me I had a wonderful imagination. That kind of thing will set you to glowing for days, at least for a budding writer.
3. Do you have a favorite local library or bookstore? Also can you remember bookstores and libraries from your childhood, if they are not the same as the ones now?
Probably my favorite bookstore is in what we call “Old Town Scottsdale.” It is called The Poisoned Pen, which I always thought was just a fantastic name for a bookstore to begin with.
4. Tell us more about this bookstore/library. What do you love most about it?
They have many author appearances and talks, both local and nationally known authors. Jeffery Deaver is coming up here soon, for instance. It’s a super friendly and cozy setting too. They have several subscription book clubs for fans of a variety of genres. They even have their own press, which focuses, of course, on mysteries. It’s a pretty cool place, so definitely check it out if you are ever in town!
5. What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?
I can’t say enough on that topic. I have fond memories of going to the library from the time I was a little kid and it always seemed like a sort of sanctuary to me, and a place of endless possibilities, really. It is always heartening to me to see busy bookstores, especially the non-chain ones, filled with people, that reading is still important to many. In my opinion it is vital that we continue to pass that love of reading on and continue to protect the valuable, rich art form of literature.
6. Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?
I am absolutely thrilled that my short story The Eye of Sucuri is included in Wild Ink’s horror anthology Tenpenny Dreadfuls – Tales as Hard As Nails, releasing September 10th! Also, my first historical fiction novel, Devil Preacher – Tales of the Mystic Empire, about the notorious John Murrell and his gang operating on the Natchez Trace in the 1830s, will be out in December 2025. I cannot wait for that!
I am working on a fantasy set in the modern world. That is all I can say about it presently because – full disclosure – I am totally pantsing this one out. I find it quite fun and in a way very liberating, since I have no idea what is in store for the characters and the story. Okay, I have a vague idea… Beyond that, I have been wanting to do another historical fiction piece, adapted from a screenplay of mine, based on a World War II aerial battle, the famous raid on Ploesti, Romania. Code named Operation Tidal Wave, 164 B-24 Liberator bombers struck the Third Reich’s largest petroleum plant. The planners calculated that even if none of the bombers and crew returned, if they damaged the facility badly enough it would have been worth it. That is how important it was. It was a low-level mission (some of the bombers returned with cornstalks stuck in their bomb bay doors), and many incredible stories of valor came out of that one action. It still is the highest decorated single action in U.S. Air Force history.
Ian Tan here, lead editor and project coordinator of UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology, set to release this October 29. Here is the UnCensored Ink interview series to introduce you all to the incredible writers, as well as the local bookstores and libraries that gave them safe creative spaces. Hopefully you can put these incredible places on your to-visit list, and feel inspired to support your own local bookstore, library and indie authors.
Today I am with Abigail F. Taylor from Texas. She is an award-winning author from Texas. She lives with four cats, two small dogs, and one sassy rooster.
1. You’ve written a fine piece for UnCensored Ink: A Banned Book Inspired Anthology. Can you give us a synopsis? How did the idea for this piece come about?
My story, BECOMING, is about a marathon runner who is determined to do what it takes to push herself to becoming the fastest long distance runner. It was inspired by the questions surrounding the ethics of human achievement, the story of a woman named Jill Viles with muscular dystrophy who shares the same genetic mutation as the Olympian Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, and the book CHASING CAPTAIN AMERICA by E. Paul Zehr.
2. Now, we would love to know you more! What do you enjoy doing in your free time, what is your favorite book quote, and how did you get into reading and writing?
In my free time, I love practicing aikido, going for jogs, and binge watching t.v. shows while cross stitching a never ending pattern. I also enjoy frequenting my local book clubs, and catching an art exhibit or a play when I can. But my favorite things are reading and writing. I can’t go a day without doing either. I would say getting into it was fairly easy. My family, on both sides, are big storytellers, and my dad used to take my sister and I around to poetry events he hosted when we were young. Stories have always been a backbone of who I am as a person. I think that’s why my favorite quote from a book is from Cornila Funke’s INKHEART “Books have to be heavy because the whole world’s inside them.”
3. Do you have a favorite local library or bookstore? Also can you remember bookstores and libraries from your childhood, if they are not the same as the ones now?
There was a library in my childhood town that had a really cool basement filled with all the resource books, mostly science and technology textbooks. I remember spending time looking at a guide to dog breeds as well as some books on space travel and the moon landing. But I have to admit at the time I was more invested in these fantasies and mysteries that I could get my hands on without my parents checking to see if they were age-appropriate. I did that successfully by going down to the basement.
Down there, I would sort through them to figure out which ones I’d like to take home with me. I’m sure it’s gone now, or renovated to fit a growing city, but I was drawn to the quiet mystique of the basement. I think, for kids, they’re much like treehouses: special and unique and secret. These days, when I’m not popping into my library up the street, I’m frequenting a few locals. The Wild Detectives, a bar/venue and bookstore, Whose Books, and Lucky Dog Books, which is a second chance home for books.
4. Tell us more about this bookstore/library. What do you love most about it?
The Wild Detectives is a great place to watch local bands and meet up with friends, while also grabbing a cocktail and checking out new releases. They also have a shelf for local authors, which is really cool. I love going to Whose Books because they do a LOT for the community with author talks, book clubs, and block parties (I got my most recent tattoo at one of these events!). BIPOC books and authors are the main features on their shelves.
Whose Books. I wish I had more block party photos from here, but only have a couple of videos that made its way to Instagram and the phone that had all the other photos is no more.
5. What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?
I think it’s incredibly important to keep bookstores and libraries. Not only are they a place to read, meet like minded individuals, and escape bad weather, they’re also a valuable resource for the community. I can’t afford much, so having a library that holds free classes like guitar, basket weaving, and book binding, as well as hosting holiday events for our diverse communities is so valuable to keep a city thriving. One of my libraries even has video game seasons for the kids leaving school while they wait for their parents to get out of work. It takes a village to raise a family and bookstores/libraries are an integral part of that.
The Wild Detectives
Me and a friend at The Wild Detectives
6. Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?
My next major projects are two books that will be released with Wild Ink. A YA horror, MARYNEAL, 1962 is set to release in 2025 and my historic magical realism novel, A HOME IN TISHOMINGO, will come out in 2026. Other than that, I have a few short stories floating around various journals and magazines. You can find a list of them on my website and all are free to read. I’ll be working on my next horror novella in the coming months. Hopefully I’ll find a home for it sooner than later!
Wild Ink Publishing 