- When Humility Becomes a Cage
- Soulmates – A Poem
- More Than a Bookstore: A Love Letter for Independent Bookstore Day
- Shelf Defense -Loving Books Isn’t Enough Anymore
- Love Notes, Pager Codes, and Book Boyfriends
May 5, 2026
✊BIPOC Voices
Jesmyn Ward’s ‘Respair’ and Eddie Glaude’s New Book Lead May’s BIPOC Literary Moment
Two of the most important Black writers working today release major new books this month — Jesmyn Ward’s collected essays ‘Respair’ and Eddie S. Glaude Jr.’s new book on race, freedom, and American mythology. Both arrive at a moment when BIPOC stories face escalating political pressure.
Jesmyn Ward and Eddie S. Glaude Jr. both have major new books out this May — collected essays and a blistering new look at race and American myth — and we want every reader who cares about this country to read both of them. BIPOC voices are leading the literary conversation this spring. 🖤📖✊ #JesmynWard #EddieSGlaudeJr #Respair #BIPOCAuthors #OwnVoices #BlackLiterature #MustRead #IndieBookshop
🔖 New Releases!
The Ballad of Falling Dragons
Sarah A. Parker
The much-anticipated sequel to the NYT bestselling phenomenon When the Moon Hatched. The collector’s hardcover features sprayed edges and full-colored endpapers. BookTok has been waiting for this one for months.
The sequel to ‘When the Moon Hatched’ is HERE and the collector’s hardcover has sprayed edges and we are not okay about how beautiful it is. ‘The Ballad of Falling Dragons’ — this is why we buy physical books. 🐉📖✨ Pre-order or grab it now.
#TheBalladOfFallingDragons #WhenTheMoonHatched #SarahAParker #Romantasy #BookTok #SequelAlert #FantasyReads
✊Legislative
IMLS Saved — But White House’s FY2027 Budget Would Eliminate It Entirely
A landmark victory: ALA and AFSCME reached a settlement with the DOJ on April 9, securing the Institute of Museum and Library Services and reversing all staff cuts from Trump’s executive order. But the same week, the White House released an FY2027 budget that would eliminate IMLS funding entirely. The fight moved from the courts to Congress — advocates are now being asked to contact their representatives to protect IMLS in 2027 appropriations.
✊Book Ban
HR 7661 Still Awaiting House Floor Vote — Call Your Rep This Week
The federal book ban bill is still awaiting a House floor vote. With 133+ organizations opposing it and the bill expected to pass the House if brought to a vote, advocates are urging continued constituent pressure. Every call to (202) 224-3121 matters.
HR 7661 — the federal bill that would ban LGBTQ+ books from schools — is still waiting for a House floor vote. 133 organizations are opposing it. Your call still matters. (202) 224-3121. Say your name, your zip code, that you oppose HR 7661. Hang up. That’s it. Let’s keep going.
📚✊ #HR7661 #FreedomToRead #BookBan #CallYourReps #ALA #UniteAgainstBookBans #LGBTQ #IndieBookshop
✊Legislative
FY2027 Budget Threatens Innovative Approaches to Literacy School Library Program
The Trump administration’s proposed FY2027 budget also cuts the Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program — the federal program specifically supporting school libraries in high-need communities. ALA is asking advocates to contact appropriations committee members to protect both IMLS and IAL before June deliberations.
April 25, 2026
🎤 Spotlight Authors
Xochitl Gonzalez wrote ‘Olga Dies Dreaming’ and then took a breath and wrote THIS. A 2007 Brooklyn story about class, ambition, and the American Dream set against a historical election. Out TODAY. If she’s not already an auto-buy author for you — she should be. 📖🖤 #XochitlGonzalez #OlgaDiesDreaming #NewBook #LiteraryFiction #BrooklynBooks #BIPOCAuthors #MustRead
🎤Maggie Tokuda-Hall Leading the Fight Against HR 7661
Authors Against Book Bans president Maggie Tokuda-Hall has been front and center this week as HR 7661 heads toward a House floor vote. She helped draft the coalition statement now signed by 133 organizations and is urging everyone to call their representatives immediately.
✊ Advocacy
133 organizations — including every major publisher and every major library and bookseller advocacy group — have signed a joint statement saying NO to HR 7661. The floor vote is THIS WEEK. If you haven’t called yet, now is the moment. (202) 224-3121. Tell them you oppose HR 7661. Hang up. That’s it. We are all doing this together. 📚
✊ #FreedomToRead #HR7661 #FreedomToRead #BookBan #CallYourReps #ALA #ABA #PENAmerica #UniteAgainstBookBans #IndieBookshop
The American Library Association just partnered with AFSCME — the nation’s largest public employee union — to defend libraries. This is what organized resistance looks like. Librarians are not alone. Neither are we. 🌿📚✊ #ALA #AFSCME #Libraries #FreedomToRead #LibraryAdvocacy #BookBan #UniteAgainstBookBans
The proposed 2027 federal budget doesn’t just target IMLS — it also cuts Innovative Approaches to Literacy, the program that funds school libraries in the highest-need communities in America. We need people to contact their appropriations reps before June. Visit ala.org/advocacy for the script and contacts. Libraries in the communities that need them most are on the line. 📚🌿 #FundLibraries #InnovativeApproachesToLiteracy #IMLS #SchoolLibraries #ALA #LibraryAdvocacy #ActNow
March 15, 2026
📚Westward Women
Alice Martin
Women ages 18–35 become mysteriously drawn westward toward the Pacific Ocean in this hypnotic debut — part fever dream, part road trip. Librarians and critics are calling it one of March’s most talked-about debuts.
We have a new obsession and it’s called Westward Women by Alice Martin. Dystopian, feminist, utterly haunting — and it’s a DEBUT. The kind of book you read in one sitting and then just sit with the ending. 📖✨ On our shelves now. #WestwardWomen #DebutNovel #BookTok #WomensHistoryMonth #NewRelease #IndieBookshop
March 10, 2026
✊Book Ban
Federal Bill H.R. 7661 Targets LGBTQ+ Stories in Schools
The American Library Association denounced H.R. 7661, a federal bill that would restrict ‘sexually oriented’ materials and specifically target LGBTQ+ stories in schools.
Standing with librarians and educators fighting H.R. 7661! This bill threatens to erase LGBTQ+ voices from school shelves and put politicians in charge of what our children can read. Parents, not politicians, should guide reading choices. Support your local libraries and the freedom to read for all families. Every story matters. #FreedomToRead #BanBookBans #ProtectLibraries #LGBTQBooks
March 8, 2026
May can’t come soon enough! 🐉 The dragons are circling, the palace is scheming, and Raeve & Kaan are back for round two. THE BALLAD OF FALLING DRAGONS hits shelves 5/19, and I’m already mentally preparing for the emotional devastation. Sarah A. Parker said ‘let me ruin you twice’ and honestly? I’m here for it. Time to reread WHEN THE MOON HATCHED so I’m ready to spiral.
📖✨ #WhenTheSkyBroke #MoonfallSeries #SarahAParker #BookTok #Romantasy #DragonBooks #HighFantasy #BookSequels2026 #MayRelease #RaeveAndKaan