Giving Characters Agency in Restricted Spaces
How writers can give their protagonists agency even if the characters are very young or live in very restricted environments.
The Lost Democracies of the 21st Century
A discussion of the fates of democracies that gave way to dictatorships from the mid-1990s to the present. How many of them are democracies again?
Gambling With Freedom
An election in which our very democracy and freedoms are at stake, and what we lose if we lose them to shiny promises and violent solutions.
Rally Against Project 2025
Why I'm going to a rally to protest Project 2025. What it is and why it's a danger.
First Look at Eyes Open
Signing advance copies and getting advance praise for my next book, the YA verse novel Eyes Open set in Portugal in the 1960s.
On This Day 100 Years Ago: The Fascist “March on Rome”
A guest post by historian Walter Adamson explores Mussolini's March on Rome and its connection to the January 6, 2021 insurrection in the U.S.
Unpacking the Shirley Exception
"Surely there will be an exception for me" when draconian laws restricting liberty are passed. Don't be so sure.
On This Day: The Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia
Remembering the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, which took place on this day in 1968.
Resistance Heroes: Ai Weiwei
A review of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's recently published memoir and thoughts on freedom, art, and home.
Speak Out for Freedom of Expression (While We Can)
The rise of book banning in schools, libraries, and bookstores, and what we can do to prevent it.