by Georgia Luckhurst This summer, we wanted to celebrate the female protagonists who truly stood out for us as the most kickass, daring, courageous, and admirable. In this week’s Summer Reading series, SPARKteam activists will be discussing those heroines who matter so much to them personally – and why they should matter to you, too. …
by Montgomery Jones I first read The Fault in Our Stars in February of 2012. As a nerdfighter and avid book reader, I make it a point to read books by my favorite authors hot off the presses. At that time there was not a huge following for the book, so there were no whispers…
by Montgomery Jones Sometimes it feels like films and television shows think biracial or mixed children are mythical creatures. More often than not, multiracial actors play whichever ethnicity they “look like” most, and as a mixxie myself, this has always saddened me. Because it’s 2014 and we lack representation of interracial couples and their kin,…
by Madeleine Nesbitt Despite the fact that the first known novel was penned by a woman, the devaluation of female-produced literature has presided over the literary arts since they came to exist. Women continue to go by initials in hopes of being taken for a man (example a: J.K. Rowling), and the 2013 VIDA Count points out that women…
by Sam Holmes Dear Linda Holmes, My Aunt first showed me one of your blogs over a year ago. That introduction has been, without a doubt, one of the greatest gifts that she has given me in the past 18 years. First and foremost, I have to say thank you. I am one of many people…
by Montgomery Jones There are so many wonderful things that can be said about Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o. She seemingly appeared on the Hollywood scene out of nowhere. Actresses spend years and money trying to reach the success that Lupita has garnered from her performance in 12 Years a Slave as Patsy. Lupita caught…
This post is part of #ReadWomen2014. by Anya Josephs Tamora Pierce has written a number of series of books for young adults. Most of them are set in one universe, a sort of magical alternate history in a place called Tortall. Her first series, The Song of the Lioness, focuses on a girl named Alanna,…
by Maya Brown As I look back at my first semester of college from my own bed, I’ve come to realize that I made the perfect decision for me. It’s comforting that after a year of college application hell that I got into and actually really love the school I’m at. I love it for…