Stop banning books, y'all

Here's the thing: February's never been my favorite month. I adore romance. I love the journey of how people discover each other and, in the process, themselves.
But this month, with its confused weather and the flashbacks to how I misspelled it in every elementary school test and my allergies to cut flowers? It expects too much of me!
But the world needs romance. It needs hope. It needs places where we can all see happiness on the horizon, no matter who we are and who we love. (It's so grim here in the US, and I'm not talking about the weather.) 
So I've changed my mind about February. I'm all-in on celebrations of love and friendship and hope. (I'm excited to talk more about this at my fave new indie bookstore in Houston, Good on Paper, next week!) 
I'm also all-in on staying in the fight for those celebrations. Many wiser people than me have recommended picking a few key issues to keep an eye on; the deluge of news is so vast (and grim) and we can't fight if we're trying not to drown. 
I've watched as fellow authors deal with their books being challenged and banned. I'm not anyone's immediate target, but - no author should be. No book should be banned. Librarians and bookstore buyers curate their shelves with knowledge and deliberation. Consumers buy or check out what they want for themselves and their minors. No one else needs to fret about it! So book banning is one of my 'pay attention to it' areas, and I encourage you to do the same, since I know you love reading as much as I do. If nothing else, tell your librarians that they're your valentine this month, because they do so, so much to make our world better. 
I recommend Every Library as a resource to stay informed. They have plenty of news (including good news!), as well as petitions if you're up for signing. 
I also recommend 5 Calls as a handy place for scripts to call your representatives about any number of evolving issues, including book bans, immigration, reproductive justice, etc. My personal little trick is that, since I do not like my senators, I gave them, um, disrespectful images as their icons in my contacts list. Adds a bit of grim satisfaction to my call log. 
No matter what it takes for your February to bloom with love and power, I wish it all for you and yours.