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Mint Deputy Director Ventris C. Gibson said in a statement that “each 2022 quarter is designed to reflect the breadth and depth of accomplishments being celebrated throughout this historic coin program. Maya Angelou, featured on the reverse of this first coin in the series, used words to inspire and uplift.” Angelou wore many hats as a poet, performer, activist, professor, dancer, and singer. She gained international acclaim with the 1969 release of her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and would go on to publish more than 30 works, including nonfiction, fiction, and verse....

On May 1, 2019, state champions competed in Washington, D.C., reciting more poems they’d memorized. What started with over 275,000 students came down to the top three. The third place finalist, Alejandro J. Campo, recited “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold. You can find more by Arnold in this collection: Dover Beach and Other Poems. The second place finalist, Scottlyn Ernestine Ballard, recited “Self-Help” by Michael Ryan. More from Ryan can be found in his New and Selected Poems by Michael Ryan....

Imagine the future. Actually, imagine multiple futures, as there are millions, if not billions, of potential futures floating around out there. In one of them, there is Femizonia, a planet ruled by women who subjugate men. In another, there is Machus, a planet ruled by men who subjugate women. They both suck a lot. Somehow, these opposing futures are slowly coming together, and only one will survive the impending merger....

Origins Peek-a-Boo debuted in Flash #180 with this absolutely fantastic cover. I love how playful it is. But this jauntiness reflects the comic’s contents not at all. Lashawn Baez was in medical school when her father became seriously ill. She dropped out of school to care for him and even tried to give him her own kidney. But as the operation began, Lashawn’s latent powers kicked in: any time someone touched her, she would uncontrollably teleport away, creating a violent explosion in her wake....

Yes, that also means for many of us it’s time to leave our days of leisure behind, hit the books, and get back to school. Maybe that sounds like a bummer for you, but for those of us who live for the fall, we are so ready! It’s back-to-school time. It’s time to put away your fun, easy, summer romances and dive into some atmospheric campus reads. What could be better?...

These collections are a long time coming. It wasn’t until the early ’90s that both companies introduced openly gay heroes: DC’s Pied Piper had a very laid-back coming out in Flash #53, while Marvel’s Northstar made a far more bombastic announcement in Alpha Flight #106. By the mid-2000s, gay characters started getting their own titles: Marvel released the controversial Rawhide Kid: Slap Leather miniseries in 2003, and DC revamped Batwoman into a lesbian icon in 2006....

New York Times bestselling authors Barry Lyga and Morgan Baden have teamed up for the first time to create a novel that’s gripping, terrifying and more relevant every day. The Hive follows seventeen-year-old Cassie, who, after being “condemned” on social media, is on the run from a deadly state-sanctioned mob seeking to exact IRL punishment. Aided by a shadowy underground network, Cassie becomes an unlikely heroine, as her search for the truth makes her a threat to the entire unjust system....

What Bookish Documentary Should You Watch Right Now? Book Title, Song Title, or Both? Who is Your Literary Soulmate? Which Literary Fiction Book Should You Read Based on the Book You Want to Write?

First, let’s start with a couple of definitions: Black Romance: romance written by a Black author in which all concerned parties are Black. Black-Written Interracial Romance: romance written by a Black author in which one or more, but not all, concerned parties are Black. Note: there is also Black-written romance in which none of the parties are Black, but we’ll save those for another time. One of the key elements of Black love is about reading Black History with a large helping of Happy Ever After....

Meet Libby. The one-tap reading app from your library, powered by OverDrive. Downloading Libby to your smartphone allows you to borrow thousands of eBooks and audiobooks for free anytime and anywhere. You’ll find library books in all genres, ranging from bestsellers, classics, nonfiction, comics and much more. Libby works on Apple and Android devices and is compatible with Kindle. All you need is a library card but you can sample any book in the library collection without one....

An irresistible story about an ordinary Japanese-American girl who discovers that her father is the Crown Prince of Japan! Which means outspoken, irreverent Izumi Tanaka is literally a princess! In a whirlwind, Izzy travels to Japan and finds herself caught between worlds—back home, she was never “American” enough, and in Japan, she must prove she’s “Japanese” enough. Will she crumble under the weight of the crown, or will she live out her fairytale, happily ever after?...

For centuries, witches have maintained the climate, but now their control is faltering as the atmosphere becomes more erratic. All hope lies with an Everwitch named Clara. In Autumn, Clara wants nothing to do with her power; the price―losing the ones she loves―is too high. In Winter, storms rage, and Clara accepts that she’s the only one who can make a difference. In Spring, Clara falls for Sang. As her magic grows, she’s terrified she’ll lose him....

Luckily D&D is a hobby that you don’t need a lot for. If you’ve got dice, and a character sheet you’re just about good to go! All the sourcebooks below and the information in them, are readily available online. But if you’re interested in owning physical copies, or even just learning how to target your search for information these books will be your guide(literally)! The list starts at the most important D&D books and makes its way through to some of the best, newest, and most unique adventure and bonus info....

For my last Spooky Reads entry, I wanted to turn attention away from the supernaturally scary and over to the this-could-potentially-happen-in-real-life-which-makes-it-all-the-more-spooky scary. That’s right, it’s time for some Hitchcock-esque Modern Day Thrillers! Below, some of my favorite recent reads that I would, in a heart beat, pass along to my dear old friend Alfred if he were still alive and looking for something super-great to read while enjoying Kraft Services on the set of his latest movie: THE 39 PSYCHO VERTIGO-INDUCING STEPS WITH THE BIRDS FLYING OVERHEAD IN A NORTH BY NORTHWEST-ERLY DIRECTION....

I’d marked my calendar to attend sessions about YA, new adult, and diversity topics. I’d made a list of titles that had gotten buzz beforehand. And I was ready and raring to hit the floor and ask publishers for their recommendations. I’m happy to report that I left armed with a solid list of titles by YA authors of color from both traditional and independent publishers. I should note that I narrowed my search to realistic fiction, so most of the stories on my list fit into that category....

It’s taken me a few years of trial and error to get everything right. There’s actually quite a lot to consider when it comes to the ideal beach day, believe it or not. By the summer of 2020, I finished acquiring everything I needed for an outing to the beach at my local state recreation area. I knew beach reading was a relatively pandemic-safe activity, and I certainly wasn’t going to be spending any money on travel that year....

I don’t usually use an ereader, but it is simply a necessity for a long backpacking trip involving trains. Fortunately, my mother-in-law gave me a hand-me-down NOOK Glowlight (the original model, it’s an oldie) to load up with enough books to last me two international flights and at least six train rides. Since the ability to connect to wifi can be spotty on the various different train lines in Europe, I preloaded the reader with lots of options before leaving home....

I blame finding fairy bookshelves. They sent me down the rabbit hole of dollhouse libraries and tiny carved driftwood bookshelves. There’s something about making an object I love very small that I cannot resist. As much as I’m drawn to those tiny shelves, though, it’s the miniature books that are the most exciting. Those minute pages make it seem like they hide secrets told in script you’d need a magnifying glass to read....

Fruits Basket is a little mix of everything in a long story centring an orphaned teenage girl, Tohru Honda, and the mysterious Sohma family who take her in. Tohru soon realises that the Sohma family are victims of a very specific curse – when they’re hugged by someone of a different gender, they turn into an animal from the Chinese zodiac. It’s an odd hook, and one that is, predictably, the source of many a gag – but as the series unfolds, Takaya teases out a bittersweet tragedy alongside the comedy....

at Autostraddle: 13 Legally Free Digital Queer Books for Your Quarantine Needs at Bustle: 8 Books Marianne & Connell Read In ‘Normal People,’ For Those Wanting More at Crime Reads: 10 Riveting Reads Filled with Shocking Secrets at Electric Lit: 8 Novels That Celebrate Unlikable Women at E! News: 13 Hilarious Books to Read If You Need a Good Laugh at Epic Reads: 9 #OwnVoices YA Books with Trans and Nonbinary Characters at Get Literary: Bookshop Thrillers: 5 Suspenseful Reads Set Among the Shelves at Lit Hub: The Best of the University Presses: 100 Books to Escape the News at POPSUGAR: The 26 Best Cookbooks For Moms, by Moms at Riveted: 21 Important Books That Address Mental Health Topics at tor....