Hey everyone, 

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)

Website: https://mitradesouza.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100094224633370

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/mitradesouza

Well, that’s Mitra de Souza wrapping up our time in California, everyone! Stay posted till our last one in the States, up in Washington.

Purchase UnCensored Ink at Barnes & Noble

Purchase UnCensored Ink at Amazon

Hey everyone, 

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!

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Barnes & Noble

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Amazon

Hey everyone, 

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 10^th!  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. 

7. Lastly, what platforms can we find you? 

I am on a few platforms for now, but planning on more!  So far, I am on Instagram: @christopherldewitt and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61562008559855

Well, that’s Christopher DeWitt from Arizona, everyone! Stay posted till the next one, we’re heading into California!

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Barnes & Noble

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Amazon

Hey everyone, 

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!

7. Lastly, what platforms can we find you?

My website (which also includes a blog/newsletter) is abigailftaylor.wordpress.com and you can find me on

twitter: @abigailftaylor

Instagram: @abbyandfurriends

tiktok: @talltailsabigail 

Well, that’s Abigail F. Taylor from Texas, everyone! Stay posted till the next one as we finally cross into the West Coast!

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Barnes & Noble

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Amazon

Hey everyone, 

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 Dana Hawkins from Minnesota. She is a contemporary romance author of sparkly stories. When not searching the country for the perfect cup of piping hot Americano, she spends her time chasing her kids and rewatching ’90s movies. After living for twenty years in Seattle, she recently trekked back to her hometown. She is a huge romance-genre book nerd and borderline obsessed with happy-ever-afters.

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 short piece is about a young trans girl, Emma, who is putting on make-up for the first time and her father’s reaction to seeing his daughter in her authentic self. I wanted to capture the freeing feeling of being yourself and the power a positive parental response can have on a child.

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, besides writing, I love taking my kids to the river to skip rocks, read, or rewatch the same shows I’ve watched a million times (Schitt’s Creek, anyone?). I have loved to read since I was a kid but didn’t get into writing until the pandemic. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. Regarding my favorite book quote, there are too many to choose from! 

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? 

The King County Public Library is great. I recently moved from Seattle, and when I lived there, I went to their Fairwood branch once a week. In Minnesota, I really love St. Cloud Barnes and Noble. 

4. Tell us more about this bookstore/library. What do you love most about it? 

St. Cloud Barnes and Noble has been hugely supportive of me and even invited me to do a book signing during Pride month. They have my books prominently displayed, and I have had several wonderful interactions with their team. 

5. What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries? 

Books, especially diverse books, are critical. They can save lives, and I am not saying that to be dramatic. When people see themselves in stories, it unlocks something in our souls and helps us feel less isolated. It also introduces readers and humanizes people and cultures we may be unfamiliar with.

6. Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?

Yes! I am always working on projects. I will release the third book in my sapphic rom-com series in January. Please stay tuned. 

7. Lastly, what platforms can we find you?

danahawkins.com

 Instagram @d.hawkinsauthor 

Twitter @DHawkinsAuthor

Well, that’s Dana Hawkins from Minnesota, everyone! Stay posted till the next one, as we head on out of the Midwest, on to Oklahoma!

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Barnes & Noble

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Amazon

Hey everyone, 

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 Eric Diekhans from Illinois. His fiction has appeared in Etched Onyx and Jelly Bucket magazines, and the collection Unforgettable (Walkabout Publishing), His screenplays won the Chicago Screenwriters Network and Illinois/Chicago Screenplay competitions, and he is the recipient of an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship in Screenwriting. Diekhans received a BA in Comparative Literature from Indiana University and an MA in Film from Northwestern.

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 in UnCensored. The Librarians is an excerpt from my novel set in post-apocalyptic America. It’s about a young woman who escapes her walled city where the citizens are kept ignorant of the outside world and joins a valiant band of librarians who spread literacy to a world on the brink of renewed violence. It was inspired by all the talk about building walls and banning books. My always speculating mind put the two ideas together.

My second piece is the short story “Cherry Bomb,” about a school library where all those pesky, controversial words contained in books have been eliminated. I was inspired to write the story while watching the Frederick Wiseman documentary Ex Libris—The New York Public Library. There’s a wonderful scene in the movie that takes place in the picture collection, which contains drawers filled with historic photos. I imagined that room was the library’s entire collection.

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’m an avid cyclist and belong to two bike clubs. The long miles clear my head, allowing me to come back to the page with new energy. I love travel and languages. I’m currently studying Armenian, which I became interested in after we adopted our youngest daughter from Armenia. I can’t say that I have a favorite book quote, though I keep an inspirational quote on my computer screen: “Be bold, push yourself, and get comfortable being uncomfortable.” I think that’s sound advice to a writer.

I’ve always been a voracious reader. In high school English, I would sit in the back of the class with a book in front of my face because I had already finished the assigned reading days ago. After receiving a Masters in film from Northwestern, I produced other people’s short films. I made attempts at writing, but I always found them lacking. I thought great writers were born, not made. Then a girlfriend bought a copy of The Artists Way. She had a habit of buying books and not reading them, so I picked it up. It changed my life. I realized there was a stuck writer inside me waiting to get out.

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? 

I had a traumatic experience in a library as a child. I stepped into the library excited to check out books. I went to the counter and asked the librarian where I could find books on World War II. She looked at me sternly over her glasses and said, “Check the card catalog.” She inspired Mr. Gordon in The Librarians.

That said, I do love my local library in Evanston, Illinois. 

4. Tell us more about this bookstore/library. What do you love most about it? 

The Evanston Public Library is a lovely space with a beautiful mobile hanging above the stairway. A couple of years ago, I was taking my daughters to San Francisco and wanted to find a good guidebook. I asked the librarian behind the desk for a suggestion. She not only walked me back to the stacks and went through their collection, she shared her own extensive knowledge of The City on the Bay. She completely erased my childhood trauma.

I also love Chicago-Main Newsstand near my house. They carry a dizzying array of magazines from all over the world, a rarity today. They even carry Jelly Bucket magazine, which published one of my short stories.

5. What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?

Bookstores and libraries are about building community. They bring people together who want to learn, explore, and meet like-minded people. They’re a haven, a refuge. Bookstores can’t compete with Amazon on price, but you can’t wander the stacks of Amazon, pulling books off the shelf, and you can’t hold an author reading or talk to a nice librarian.

6. Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?

I’m currently seeking a publisher for The Librarians and I’m working on a new novel about an estranged mother and daughter set during the Great Recession. I’m also finishing up my next short story. 

7. Lastly, what platforms can we find you? (Social media and websites are all encouraged, this is to highlight and champion you guys)

www.ericdiekhans.com

Twitter: @EricDiekhans

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089587210279

Well, that’s Eric Diekhans from Illinois, everyone! Stay posted as we head on to Minnesota next!

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Barnes & Noble

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Amazon

Hey everyone, 

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 Earl Carrender from Indiana. He is a poet and writer who earned his BA in English at Marian University and his MFA at Butler University. His fiction and poetry have appeared in The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library Journal, Punchnel’s, Clever, Scissors and Spackle and BullshitLit among others.

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?

It’s about an artist who died of AIDS in 1986. I was reading The House of Impossible Beauties by Joseph Cassara and watching the Nelson Sullivan videos on YouTube and one video featured the artist Martin Burgoyne, an artist who was central to the downtown NY art scene in the 80’s. Then I read an article in the NYT about a party at the Pyramid club to raise money for Martin’s medical expenses and I wrote about that party and just kept writing

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?

Free time? Cooking, reading, writing and watching documentaries mostly (I’m a big history nerd). I got into reading because the women in the neighborhood where I grew up were always trading books among themselves and they shared their books with me. I started writing when I was a kid, around 8 years old. Writing my own episodes of TV shows I liked. Favorite book quote: “We live as angels among the Sodomite,” from At Swim, Two Boys, by Jamie O’Neill. And “A mirror becomes a knife when it’s broken. A stick becomes a flute when it’s loved,” from Grapefruit by Yoko Ono.

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? 

To be honest, I don’t get out to bookstores (or anywhere else) much these days. I live in a small town in Indiana, literally next to a huge cornfield! My friend, Luke Wortley, loves Books and Brews in Indy. And there’s Indy Reads (my sister works in an office nearby and she loves it). My friend, Tracy Mishkin, just gave a reading there recently and they are doing great work there with literacy and education. Another bookstore I want to go to is called Dream Palace Books. I love their website and…is that the coolest name for a bookstore or what? And, of course, there’s Carmichael’s in Louisville where I went to grad school. And it’s Indy so the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library is a must.

The libraries I remember from childhood were the school libraries. I used to skip lunch and sit in the library reading. I still remember the librarians, Mrs. Jacobs and Mrs. McDonald. I loved them. Not really a childhood memory, but in my late teens, early 20’s there used to be a “feminist” bookstore here called Dreams and Swords. For a young guy coming out, it was a godsend. It’s where I discovered queer literature, and it literally saved me. It breaks my heart that feminist/queer bookstores have virtually disappeared.

4. What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?

Bookstores, for me, aren’t just about the books. They are about community. It’s where I found my tribe as a young queer coming out. But that’s true for everyone, not just us. Readings, open mic nights, music. I was once a member of a writer’s group that met at a local Barnes and Noble. Bookstores are a safe space. I worry that those spaces, especially for queers and misfits like me, are disappearing. 

5. Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?

I’m writing a novella-in-flash that takes place in 1968 and is inspired by the music of that period. I’m really enjoying the writing on this one because the characters are so lively!

6. Lastly, what platforms can we find you?

@Nu_Flash_Prose on X

Well, that’s Earl Carrender from Indiana, everyone! Stay posted, we are heading over into Illinois next!

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Hey everyone, 

Ian Tan here, lead editor and project coordinator of UnCensored Ink: a banned book anthology, set to release this October 29. Here is an interview series called The UnCensored Pages 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 Shaelynn Long from Michigan. As well as being a current small-town English instructor, she has previously published Fury’s Fate, Ache, Blur, Work In Progress, and Dirt Road Kid, as well as appearing in a previous Wild Ink anthology: The Carnation Collection. Shaelynn can usually be found with her nose in a book and covered in Corgi fur.

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?

For UnCensored Ink, I was driven to write a poem–something that captured my frustration with book bans. Frankly, book banning enrages me. The poem really focuses on my sense of what’s lost when we start determining which voices get heard and determining which perspectives have validity. For too long, literature has prioritized those who already have power, and it feels too coincidental that book banning is happening more frequently now that there are such loud calls for more diversity in literature. We still have such a long way to go, and the focus on banning stops that work, which is so beyond unfortunate that it’s hard for me to remain calm when talking about it. So I tried to take all of these really complex feelings and channel them into a poem that showcases my own sense of what could be lost if we let people ban books.

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 spend most of my free time writing, which is probably not surprising. If I’m not writing, I’m probably reading! Writing has kind of turned into a bit of a side job, though, and I teach literature, which means I’m often reading books for my classes, so I’ll focus on some non-work-related hobbies! I taught myself to crochet last year, and I’m still loving it. I also sew, quilt, and cross-stitch. Something I do almost every day that I really love, though, is cooking. I bake, as well, which is so fun to do in northern Michigan because of the access to so many fresh fruits.

I’m going to be honest, I don’t really remember getting into reading and writing. It’s kind of always just been there? I know that I was frequently read to as a child, and I’m sure that has a lot to do with it–if not everything! I was always encouraged to read, and I was always given the freedom to choose books for myself. No one ever told me I was too young for a book or minimized my selections in any way. Something like that would have stuck with me, and I know I’m really lucky to have had the support of my parents and extended family. I had amazing librarians and teachers, as well, who saw me with my nose in a book and just kept encouraging that. I had a particular teacher in high school who would lend me books from her own personal library–ones she thought would interest me. Really, at every turn, I was encouraged to love reading–even when my mom caught me multiple times reading under the covers with a Fisher Price flashlight.

Choosing a single book quote is too difficult a task. I will, however, share one of my favorites:

“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.” – Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

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?

I live in a pretty small town in Michigan, currently, and we don’t have a local bookstore. There is one in a nearby city, though, called Mclean and Eakin, and it’s fantastic. I’m an instructor at the community college in the same city as that bookstore, and I still remember how giddy I was when one of my students sent me a photo of my debut novel in that store. Such a surreal feeling! 

I grew up in yet another small town in Michigan, and I spent quite a bit of time during my childhood at the Coleman Area Library. That’s really where I fell in love with fantasy and science-fiction, and I’m pretty confident in saying that I wouldn’t be a writer without having had access to a library. There was no way my parents were going to be able to afford what was and has continued to be a very consuming habit with books, and being able to go to the library and find things that interested me was irreplaceable in terms of both my experiences and my memories. 

4. Tell us more about this bookstore/library. What do you love most about it? 

So, here’s the difficulty of talking about my time in the Coleman Library. It doesn’t exist anymore. At least, it doesn’t exist in the location that I remember most. It moved into a beautiful new building that I’ve been in and do enjoy, but my memories are all of a very old, really gorgeous brick building. (The building still exists!) The insides were pretty cramped space with metal shelves that seemed like they reached the ceiling. They probably didn’t, but I was short then and I’m only 5’2″ now, so bear with me! I remember walking in and having the wood floors creak underneath my feet. The checkout desk was just to the right of the entrance. I can still hear the sound of the date stamp being used to tell patrons when their books were due. The children’s area was upstairs, and you’d have to walk across the creaky wood floor and go through a big, heavy door. There was a narrow staircase with carpet. I think it was blue. And upstairs, through another door, was the children’s area. It’s funny how much I remember about that area, because I don’t recall choosing books from there. I remember the science-fiction and fantasy section that was just to the left of the checkout desk. A small square. It was dark and cozy.

The library was a safe space for me. I still remember the day I got my own library card. As you can imagine, it was a Big Deal. I just have so much love for libraries and librarians. Good spaces and good people.

5. What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?

I have a strong stance on sustaining local bookstores and libraries. For one, local bookstores are small businesses that serve a very specific community, most of the time. It’s a place you can go and be a regular. And while that might not be a meaningful experience for everyone, going somewhere that feels like a place you’re not only welcomed into but made to feel like you belong in is absolutely paramount for many individuals. Supporting local bookstores means supporting community members, thus supporting the community. Local bookstores are also so much more likely to support other businesses, including local artists. That’s huge. They’re also so much more likely to respond to their consumers.

Libraries are the cornerstone of a community, plain and simple. They’re a safe place for people to go and spend time. They house tons of information, as well as ways to get to the information they don’t have. Libraries have tons of free services, too. With the rising cost of living, having access to those services can be life-changing. I said before that my parents could not have afforded to buy me all the books I read. Without access to a library, I simply wouldn’t have had access to books. Which means my world would have been very, very small and very, very limited. With access to a library, the entire world opened up for me. Beyond access to books, there’s access in a library to the internet, to meeting rooms, to activities, to social events, and to all kinds of other things. And librarians? Coolest people on earth.

Libraries are such a valuable resource. We need to support them!

6. Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?

I do! I’ve recently written wild thing, which is a book of poetry that will be coming out from Wild Ink. I’m also working on a new romantasy, but there are no plans for publication yet. Subscribing to my newsletter is a surefire way, though, to make sure you know what’s happening in my world!

7. Lastly, what platforms can we find you?

TikTok: @shaelynnlong

Instagram: @shaelynnlong

Threads: @shaelynnlong

Twitter: @shaelynnlong

my website

Well, that’s Shaelynn Long from Michigan, everyone! Stay posted till the next one, a little lower in Indiana.

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Barnes & Noble

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Amazon

Hey everyone, 

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 Amanda Hayden from Ohio. She is the current Poet Laureate for Sinclair College and award-winning Professor of Humanities, Philosophy, and World Religions. She lives on a windy little farm with her partner, daughters, and many furry rescue babies including two goats, seven pigs, and an incredibly special, blind, three-legged “angel in a dog suit” Vinny Valentine.  

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?

This prose poem is called “School of Athens at the Vatican” and was inspired by my trip to Rome and seeing this painting by Raphael up close and in person for the first time. I have taught Philosophy for 25+ years and so this is a familiar painting I have discussed with my students pretty much every semester. To see it in real life, how enormous the painting is, and all the details of each philosopher, was nearly as moving to me as seeing the David or the Sistine Chapel. I wrote it as both a descriptive narrative of several of the philosophers portrayed and as highlighting some of their individual philosophies in a poetic and stream-of-consciousness way. 

Philosophers are by nature questioners of the status quo and strong advocates for knowledge, with a long history of facing censorship. Socrates was killed for his questioning, which directly affected Plato and Aristotle. Diogenes was exiled; Hypatia, the lone woman philosopher (there are many more) was literally torn limb to limb for her “radical” ideas, Simone de Beauvoir’s writings were banned by the Vatican as “pornography” and on it goes.  

One of Plato’s greatest contributions is the “Allegory of the Cave” where he likens our journey to knowledge to being in a cave all our life, believing that the shadows we see are the only reality, but once we climb out into the light, we realize we were mistaken to think that the cave was all there was, that there is a whole new, brighter, clearer reality to understand and know. Historically, those who exit this cave “of ignorance” into knowledge are taunted, mocked, or even, like Socrates, killed. I end the poem with the line: “Socrates…said an educated person is defined by their ability to entertain an idea without agreeing to it and 2500 years later, we still look at those who climb out of the cave, dirt still under their nails, in fearful disgust, offense burning our faces.”

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?

Well, I’m a mother of 3 fierce, amazing daughters and am a full-time Professor of Religion and Humanities and also have a small farm with several rescue animals with special needs, so “free time” is definitely the holy grail. We have several acres, so walking in our woods and prairie is my favorite way to relax and unstress, just wandering and wondering at all the beauty in nature. I do yoga regularly and have loved reading and writing from a very young age. I received a diary at Christmas when I was five and that’s when I began writing…and never stopped. My favorite book quote is a tie between the last line of Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder: “This could not be forgotten because now is now…it can never be a long time ago.” (this line inspired one of my poems in the first book) and the Shakespeare line from A Midsummer Night’s Dream: “Though she be but little, she is fierce.” I was in this play many years ago as Hippolyta and I’m also 5’1, so this quote has always resonated with me! 

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? 

YES!  We frequent our Greene County Library. My favorite local bookstore is Half-Price Books.  Also, there is a lovely little nook called Rabbit Hole Books in Dayton, Ohio.

I do have a vividly positive childhood library memory – our library was a little old building with green carpet, very 70s, and had a musty, old book smell, which I loved and STILL love to this day. It was a small town, so there was not too much selection, but I remember getting so excited to pick out a few books for each weekend, sometimes reading my favorites over and over again, a lot of Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume, I remember.  I still find older books that I’ll stick my nose in and take a big whiff because they smell just like that library and take me back to such a great memory/feeling.

4. Tell us more about this bookstore/library. What do you love most about it? 

Everyone at Green County Library is SO wonderful, especially librarian Mary Stamper – she does so much there, including starting a seed library!  I’ve done a couple of presentations there on our farm and recently, on writing.

You can always find great deals at Half-Price Books and I love searching the poetry sections. And every book is $1 in Rabbit Hole Books!  I’ve picked up some great poetry finds there.

5. What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?  

SO IMPORTANT!  Local bookstores are vital – they are hubs, community builders, safe havens, so many things. Local Libraries offer so MUCH to our community, classes, resources, films, seeds!  Their value to educate (for free) is extraordinary.

6. Do you have any projects that your current and future readers can look forward to?

I do!!  It’s a lifelong dream realized to be able to say the following: my debut poetry collection, American Saunter: Poems of the U.S., will be published this fall, 2024, by FlowerSong Press. My first chapbook, How to Tie Tobacco will be released on May 27^th, 2025 by Wild Ink Publishing and then, my second full-length collection, Old World Wings: Poems of Europe, will be published in late fall 2025, also by Wild Ink Publishing!  I am ecstatic and so grateful.

7. Lastly, what platforms can we find you?

https://windychickenpoet.com/

https://www.facebook.com/WindyChickenPoet/

https://www.instagram.com/windychickenpoet/

Well, that’s Amanda Hayden from Ohio, everyone! Stay posted till the next one as we hop one state over into Michigan!

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Barnes & Noble

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Amazon

Hey everyone, 

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 Erica Duarte from Tennessee. In 2001, Erica graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in Psychology. After working numerous jobs, she joined the Peace Corps, where she taught English and traveled for a time. Erica is married with two rambunctious girls. At home, she loves having lots of pets, reading lots of books, and writing lots of stories, especially those that embrace shades of gray. 

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?

Mazi is a fictional character in a partially true story about the bible belt of middle Tennessee. The story took shape after several billboards popped up in my hometown, paid for by a local church, that said things like: “There is only he and she, no they” and “One man, one woman is holy matrimony.” I wondered of the negative impact this might have on a young person who was gay, lesbian, or bisexual? Then Tennessee passed a bill requiring schools to list all books in their library online for public inspection, and the idea came full circle. “Mazi” is the story of a young bisexual girl whose self-worth is affected by the hateful actions of a prejudiced few. Mazi must learn to navigate her community and grow into herself, but how can she do that when her state and city target books with LQBTQ storylines and billboards scream a way of life that will never be hers? In the end, I wanted to show how books (many banned) help kids like Mazi find themselves worthy to be who they are.

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?

Free time . . .  If I could write all day and read all night, I would. I’m obsessed. Ever since I could read, I’ve loved books. I got into writing around middle school. I wrote poetry, and it evolved from there into stories. My favorite book quote, if I had to choose, is the opening stanza of a poem by Lewis Carroll, as seen in the opening pages of Through the Looking Glass ca. 1946.

Child of the pure unclouded brow

And dreaming eyes of wonder!

Though time be fleet, and I and thou

 Are half a life asunder,

Thy loving smile will surely hail

The love-gift of a fairy-tale.

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? 

Favorite local bookstore: Plenty Downtown Bookshop. @plentbookshop on Instagram

I loved going to the library as a child and I take my children as often as I can.

4. Tell us more about this bookstore/library. What do you love most about it? 

Things about Plenty that I love: The beautiful sign above the door. The cozy atmosphere inside. The fact that it’s downtown, next door to a patisserie and across the street from a coffee shop. The local authors they celebrate! Including me and this anthology! They’re holding an author event for me to promote this excellent work in November and I can’t wait. 

5. What do you have to say on the importance of sustaining bookstores and libraries?

It is a must to sustain local libraries and bookstores. Nowhere else can a person find so many open hearts and minds, so many different worlds and ideas. In these places, there is truly something for everyone.

6. Do you have any projects your current and future readers can look forward to?

Yes, always. I’m currently working on a YA fantasy about a witch, a curse, and a shapeshifting monster. It’s a love story, of course.

7. Lastly, what platforms can we find you?

You can find me on Instagram @ericaduartewrites

Well, that’s Erica Duarte from Tennessee, everyone! Stay posted till the next one in Ohio as we enter the Midwest!

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Barnes & Noble

Preorder UnCensored Ink at Amazon