Thread by @keribla

ALERT: Florida prisons are meeting on 12/22 to decide whether to ban my book permanently!

If you would like to (politely) tell them fuck no don’t do that, please write this address and tell them why my book -Corrections in Ink is important for prisoners.

Also, #FuckBookBans

For background, this started several weeks ago when the mail room at one Florida prison temporarily “impounded” my book because they said it was “dangerously inflammatory” and a “threat to security.”

https://twitter.com/keribla/status/1585334155780366336?s=20&t=dsvcLoK6JqRimhCANH-Mgw

Specifically, they cited two sections: One was about my friend who created an imaginary pet chicken, and the other was about a mean April Fools joke.

https://twitter.com/keribla/status/1585334986437455872?s=20&t=dsvcLoK6JqRimhCANH-Mgw

After that one prison in Okaloosa flagged the book as a problem, the state’s Literary Review Committee had to review it to decide whether to permanently ban it statewide. This is where shit gets weird.

At first the spokespeople told me that the meeting to decide whether to ban it permanently would be the following week. When I followed up to ask them the outcome, they said it was “still pending.”

That was not true.

As I discovered weeks later, the meeting DID happen and my book WAS banned. I’d been planning to file an appeal once the committee made its decision – but when I was incorrectly told that there wasn’t a decision, I did not file an appeal.

This all feels rather intentional.

Anyhoo, I only found out what happened weeks later when Saritza from library services emailed my PUBLISHER to ask for a copy to rvw at their meeting. I was confused – bc they already had the confiscated copy & this seemed a little late to be JUST NOW deciding to actually READ it

Turns out, the secretary (of DOC? Of LRC? Unclear) on their own decided to reconsider the decision and the entire LRC would be holding a special meeting to evaluate whether to leave the ban in place.

Fortunately, that means that despite the communications department’s initial obfuscations, I have another chance to write a letter explaining why the book shouldn’t be banned – and if you’d like to support me you can too.

Please share this thread, and please write letters. I think the important things to emphasize are the ways in which this book has rehabilitative value and gives hope to prisoners - but whatever you think works!

https://twitter.com/keribla/status/1604143077286850560

And if you don’t have time to write a snail mail letter, I supposed you can probably email a letter of support to Saritza (who has been really nice and helpful, so please don’t be mean to her).

She's: Saritza.Legault at fdc.myflorida.com