Pop culture reviews, indie animation, archives, false claims of library "neutrality", LGBTQ topics, and everything nice
This newsletter will focus on recent reviews I've written, along with articles about archives, libraries, genealogy, history, LGBTQ people, and much more!
It has been far too long since my last newsletter on June 14. Since then, I’ve been abuzz with activity. The biggest news is the publication of my review about archival themes in The Watermelon Woman in The American Archivist Reviews Portal. Otherwise, I wrote various posts for Pop Culture Library Review, either on Mo Testa in Dykes to Watch Out For, fiction accepting the Dewey Decimal System without question, and library marketing at Kokoro Library. As a fair warning, this newsletter is “too long for email” meaning that you won’t be able to read the whole thing in your email message as its current length is the equivalent of over 8 pages long.
For The Geekiary I wrote on other topics. This includes series recommendations of Amphibia, The Owl House, and Dead End: Paranormal Park, and season reviews of The Executioner and Her Way of Life and Birdie Wing.
On a related note, earlier this month, I published another article on the indie animation scene in Pop Culture Maniacs. The article has been praised by animators who said they were “super excited” to read it, and said the fact they were mentioned was “awesome”. Others thanked me for being featured (also see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here), were excited to be mentioned (also see here and here), and noted the articles have been “really thorough”. Some said that it shows that indie animation is stronger than ever, saying they “absolutely loved” to see the article, praised me for gathering all the information about the shows together, called it an “absolute honor” to be mentioned, and appreciated the work I do covering the indie animation scene.
I also connected with Arin W., an indie-animator and Community/Social-Media Manager for Fiyah.tv, an indie animation platform. There were further direct messages I got from creators of various series, animators, and others. With all of that being said, let me move onto the rest of my newsletter.
My article for NSA that I wrote back in late May, was summarized by Inside Climate News. Military Emissions Gap, a research project by the Conflict and Environment Observatory, put together a thread on the article. Inkstick Media also mentioned it in their newsletter, as did Dr. Jessica DeWitt in her Network in Canadian History & Environment (NiCHE) newsletter.
In other archives news, it’s worth mentioning articles about radical empathy in archival practice, a review of the community archiving workshop handbook, the story of a UTSA archivist working to preserve San Antonio LGBTQ+ history, the legacies of marginalized people in archives, and seven centuries of Irish archives painstakingly recreated after being destroyed in civil war. There were additional articles about preserving records of migrant detention, the use of quality management standards in trustworthy digital archives, long-term preservation of Earth Observation data, equality, equity, and liberation for archivists, and the politics of being an archival donor. Further articles were on media training for archivists and an interview of the public access manager at the Academy Film Archive.
Apart from Documenting the Now’s archivists supporting activists list, which includes “archivists and memory workers…[who] help support activists documenting this violence”, there was some discussion, in early June, about bad takes on archivists. Some pointed out that patrons shouldn’t try to undermine archivists and go over their heads, that preservation priorities are important for patrons to remember, stated that archivists know how to prioritize preservation, and expressed their anger that historians (like David Silkenat) were disrespecting archivists. Others said that people don’t understand what fragile means, that patrons sometimes need to see destroyed records to get the point as to why they can’t be digitized, noted the importance of balancing conservation costs against likely usage, and that stuff may be thrown away if nobody ever sees it and noted challenges of project funding.
There were additional archivists who noted that conservation and digitization of scrapbooks take time, are a nightmare to preserve because of how they are made, defended archivists and noted how historians complained about reading rooms having limited opening hours at the beginning of the pandemic. Some felt sick about tips of how to bribe (or seduce) an archivist to get keys, and noted the need for more money and staffing, especially for conservation projects. There were additional comments about how archives have lists of preservation priorities, selfishness of historians, and the latter not recognizing that access is at the core of being an archivist.
On a related note are the 58 archivists fired by a national broadcaster in Australia (ABC) and replaced by journalists. Some noted that digital archiving and preservation require specialist skills and said this is a “bad call”. Others said it is “awful” and is a mistake that ABC will regret. This decision made staff furious, was criticized as something that will damage the journalism of ABC, and criticized with a call for the positions of archivists to be maintained. Interconnected to this is an article about the problems with contingent employment in archives, how the word “reorganize” should be used the right way to avoid confusing archivists, and that emailing archivists is not the norm unfortunately, even though it should be. I also enjoyed reading Rachel Santarsiero’s post about her Scoville Fellowship at the National Security Archive, in which she organized documents about the Iraq War and intersection of climate and security, two projects I also worked on! Best of luck to her in the future.
That brings me to articles about libraries. Some wrote about school librarians under pressure, a judge striking down Maryland law requiring publishers to make e-books available to libraries, a Lafayette, Louisiana public library removing Pride Month and Women’s History book displays, and dozens of Texas A&M librarians waived tenure. There were other articles examining sex, sexuality, and queerness in Library of Congress Classification, records showing that ICE uses LexisNexis to snoop on millions (and far more than previously thought) of people, and using “un-indexed articles accessible only on microfilm at the public library” to learn about the Black beach resort that almost changed North Carolina.
Additional librarians wrote about preparations for budgets for small spaces, efforts to ban books at public libraries, teaching computer skills in rural Vermont, different library jobs on the rise, the library in Uvalde becoming a refuge after the shooting, and the future of algorithms (and collaborative tagging) in libraries. There was also a an article about library workers across Oklahoma’s Metropolitan Library System (MLS) warned to not use the word “abortion” or “help patrons locate abortion-related information on either library computers or their own devices”, saying that if they did so, they “could be held legally liable and face penalties under the state's abortion laws.” This led some to say, in the same article, that public libraries have turned into a “culture-war battleground”. Clearly, not somewhere that is neutral.
This brings me to Alex Brown’s post, originally shared on Twitter, noting that “libraries are a hotbed of tension right now”. They criticize the idea that libraries are neutral, saying that actions libraries take in the name of neutrality are not, when “library workers are being asked to financially support and dedicate valuable shelf space to books and authors promoting…[hateful] ideologies” and provide misinformation to patrons. They go on to say there are not “both sides” to human rights, and that libraries “cannot escape responsibility for the harm caused by clinging to a comforting illusion at the expense of the people they’re supposed to serve”. They also call on library workers to update their policies, actively curating collections, and for libraries to rethink how they operate and what needs are prioritized going forward. I can’t agree with her article more and am glad library “neutrality” is being challenged.
Beyond this, were articles about a groundbreaking study which examines trauma and stress in frontline library workers, the banning and censoring of Palestinian books and publications by brutal Israeli occupiers, how universal design for learning is not enough in libraries, and examining of business practices of a library vendor. There’s also a presentation from We Here about recasting roles of academic libraries in contemporary contexts. Hridi Das used freeform poetry to “reimagine the disillusionment of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) librarians in a fantasy imbued with elements of the sea”.
There’s the related story of the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) accused of censorship and Islamophobia over mural project, even wanting to photoshop out so-called “discriminatory” language, saying that Zionism is racism despite a U.N. resolution (United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379) saying it as such from 1975 until it was revoked in 1991 due to Zionist pressures and a push from George H.W. Bush. The SFPL is, plain and simple, caving to reactionary pressures, while the organizers pushed to move forward. They were able to get the ACLU of Northern California to criticize the library for this censorship. There’s a petition on this topic, to call out the SFPL for this censorship.
On a similar note is the case of the Indianapolis Public Library whose director was accused of racism with their defense that “library employees of color are lying”. The article notes, rightly, that libraries belong to communities and do not belong to the (usually) White directors. This is something which should be recognized more.
I’m going to switch gears here and talk about history. Danté Stewart wrote in the Oxford American about experiments of Black liberation, that Langston Hughes was a screenwriter, and opposition to so-called “critical race theory” in Virginia which is code for any teaching that raises racial consciousness. There were many articles of note in the History News Network. Scholars wrote about how a plan to attack Pride march shows connections of White supremacy and anti-LGBTQ politics, challenges of teaching Black history in Virginia, the Supreme Court aiming at dismantling the regulatory state, asking whether a law can be an instrument of Black liberation, describing when cities put up monuments to traffic deaths, the xenophobia within America, reactionaries celebrating Bernhard Goetz as the Kyle Rittenhouse of the 1980s, how the events on January 6 were not an anomaly in U.S. history, telling the story of Title IX, and a review of a book about hippie capitalism pioneer and technofuturist named Stewart Brand.
Other articles focused on Matthew Barton, the person behind the Library of Congress's Recorded Sound Division, the legacy of Watergate scandal, the Milbank Memorial Fund apologizing for its role in Tuskegee Syphilis Study, the real “Great Replacement” no one talks about, why Andrew Jackson believed in gun control, Smedley Butler and American Empire, and noting that California isn’t a “liberal sanctuary” for people of Asian descent. Of further note are articles about the Gwangju Uprising in South Korea, the back channel between Pope Pius XII and Hitler, the importance of rescuing Shirley Chisholm's life from symbolism, and a reparations report which details 150 years of state-sanctioned harm to Black Californians. There were other articles on Shirley Temple Black's second act as a diplomat, the effort to stop traffic fatalities, the monument controversy around statues dedicated to Indigenous women which have gone missing, Baltimore’s long history of police brutality, and how the lead industry lied to the public for decades.
There were additional articles on the lack of privateering in the so-called “Spanish-American War”, the polar voyage of the U.S.S. Jeannette, how the hurdles women athletes face today are the same as those faced in the past, and a new history which changed the balance of power between Ethiopia and Medieval Europe. Others focused on public service versus business, racist violence resources, story of the Pith helmet, and why the P-51 Mustang was the quintessential fighter of the World War II era.
Stories about genealogy are just as important as those about history. Some wrote about eight websites where you can find Mexican ancestors, making the most of FamilySearch resources, access to nearly 1 million slave trade records, and articles in Genealogy journal about stories that connect us, and from heraldry to genealogy from silverware. Others focused on Irish ancestors named Anne or Nan, a new database for Ukrainian records, Irish genealogy search, and the explosion of Black people, over the last couple of years, who have been working to figure out their roots.
With that, I come to a completely different topic: LGBTQ people. There were posts talking about how the mainstream media doesn’t go beyond defining grey asexuality, problems with framing romantic orientations as a necessary part of portraying asexual characters, the personal journey of a queer (and asexual) woman, the struggle of asocial asexuals, intersections between asexuality and gender, and comparing additive and subtractive constructions of attraction. One of the more interesting articles of this lot focused on the importance of asexuals rejecting Whiteness.
There were further articles about polyamorous relationships, a growing number of Black Latine people identifying as LGBTQ, performative activism during Pride Month, and official Star Wars account saying on June 15 that “queer characters existing isn’t political”, although others said they have always been political. However, LGBTQ characters aren’t represented well in the franchise, with Disney even editing out a same-sex kiss from a Star Wars film, and the 126 LGBTQ characters listed on Wookiepedia are almost exclusively in comic books.
There are accounts specifically focusing on this like Star Wars Queers Watch, known as QueerSWatch on Twitter. With Amandla Stenberg, as first nonbinary actress in a lead role in Star Wars in The Acolyte, perhaps there is a change on the way. After all, there are popular comics like Doctor Aphra which has a lesbian protagonist, where it was noted there is no homophobia in the Star Wars universe, the bury-the-gays trope, and queerphobia in society. There were other stories about the new Lord of the Rings live-action series, which is said to be queer and diverse, even though the original is filled with Whiteness from top to bottom, and is argubly racist.
There has been a lot of chatter, as of late, about LGBTQ characters in animation. This includes the recent film, Lightyear, which had a same-sex kiss, and led to outrage from reactionary individuals like Ted Cruz, absurdly claiming there are “lesbian toys” in the movie and that the toys are “androgynous”. All the while, there have been countries which have banned the film after Disney refused to go along with the censorship this time. On the other hand, shows like The Owl House, which is filled with LGBTQ characters, was cancelled by Disney. It will come to an end either this fall or sometime next year. With the end of Amphibia and Mira, Royal Detective earlier this year, there’s not any Disney series that fills the void left by these shows which have ended. While The Ghost and Molly McGee and the Proud Family revival have their pluses, none of them is on the level of The Owl House or Amphibia. Neither is Big City Greens. All the while, there is an emphasis on more shows aided at kids like Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, or any of the others in development, like Kiff, Primos, Hailey’s On It!, or others like Tiana, Moana: The Series, Cookies & Milk, or Iwájú.
At the same time, shows like Craig of the Creek moved forward on Cartoon Network, while the network featured a video showing Marcy and Bonny wishing everyone a happy Pride Month. It is significant to note that none of the best animated TV Shows with LGBTQ+ Characters listed by Jessica Brajer in MovieWeb (Danger & Eggs, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Adventure Time, Sailor Moon Crystal, The Legend of Korra, Gravity Falls, and Steven Universe) are currently airing. Only one of those listed is currently airing: The Dragon Prince, with a new season coming later this year.
While this series is among other LGBTQ series on Netflix, like the aforementioned She-Ra, Dead End: Paranormal Park, and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, any possible animated series on the streaming platform are in trouble. It was recently reported that 300 more employees were laid off at Netflix. All the while, they seem to rely on animation to win back subscribers even as it cancels shows like The Midnight Gospel, by Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward and comedian Duncan Trussell, to give an example of one cancellation.
In more positive news, there are reports that there will be upcoming animated films about Aang, Zuko, and Kyoshi from Avatar: The Last Airbender, and another about Korra from The Legend of Korra, so that should be exciting. The latter is especially the case since it would be the first time Korra’s bisexuality is shown more directly in an animated series, as it was previously only confirmed in the finale of the series. There will also be a comic trilogy series focusing on Korra.
All the while, there’s continuation of shows for kids like Super Sema, the presumably young adult Iyanu: Child of Wonder series, HBO Max Latin America ordering an original DC Animated film called Batman Azteca: Choque de Imperios (Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires), and Alex Hirsch noting fights he had with censors at Disney. It was also announced that Helluva Boss will soon have the start date of the second season and Inside Job was renewed for a second season.
There are reports of new people taking the reins of animation studios and Disney Branded Television. There’s also continued fights for LGBTQ representation in animation and the welcome news that the Animation Guild reached a deal with producers, and those writing about Latine and LGBTQ representation in The Owl House, Disney’s patronizing pride, or noting shows that they believe should only be watched once. In the case of the latter, while I can agree that shows like Disenchantment, Hilda, The Legend of Vox Machina, Arcane, or The Owl House stick with you, I’m not sure about Invincible, Human Resources, Paradise PD, Brickleberry, or Dog Days, in part because I haven’t watched those. Of those series, I probably would only watch Invincible, but not the others, as they don’t really interest me.
With that, I’m going to switch gears and talk about anime. There were articles about the best queer anime, including some of my favorites, like Revolutionary Girl Utena, and others I haven’t watched like Given, No. 6, Sasaki and Miyano, and Yuri!!! On Ice. Other writers highlighted LGBTQ anime I’ve watched like Adachi and Shimamura, Wandering Son, Bloom Into You, Paradise Kiss, Whispered Words, Antique Bakery, and The Land of the Lustrous, and others I’ve not started like Princess Jellyfish and Princess Knight. I was also interested in Alex Henderson’s article in Anime Feminist about queer resonance and critiquing heteronormativity in Spy x Family, which did not go a direction I expected, noting how shows can have queer themes, but not queer representation, which was something to think about as I continue to watch anime.
There were further articles about 10 great non-Studio Ghibli family-friendly movies, the beginning of Urusei Yatsura later this year, the love triangle in A Couple of Cuckoos, explaining the timelines in The Executioner and Her Way of Life, sports anime protagonists, the best sports anime, and the best underrated sports series. Others ranked the healthiest couples in anime, noted great anime to binge, strong anime characters which became students, the most developed anime characters, and best romantic moments in Adachi and Shimamura’s light novel.
There were additional news items from Anime Feminist, noting reviews on the site about academic burnout in Blue Period, a NHK TV drama which sheds light on lives of asexual (and aromantic) people, and the appeal of K-On!! to a first time viewer. There’s also queer anime recommendations from Anime Feminist, including some series I’ve watched (Yurikuma Arashi, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Land of the Lustrous, Flip Flappers, and Bloom Into You), and others I haven’t (Kino's Journey, This Boy… Series, Yuri!!! On ICE, and Tokyo Godfathers), to name all those mentioned by the site.
That brings me to the final part of this newsletter, noting assorted articles that don’t neatly fit into other parts of this newsletter. CNBC noted the vast number of workers who are quitting their jobs, many of whom are switching industries. Military Emissions Gap shared an article with me about how many NATO members don’t count their emissions and greenwashing a Net Zero policy. TJ wrote about engaging with characters of color as a fan, suggesting creating content by broadening your creative range, supporting fans who are creating content you like to see, creating spaces centered on characters of color, and being willing to grow as a fan.
Then there’s Jessica Alba’s criticism of the lack of diversity in Marvel films, and others who talked about creating a safe space for people of color in the Star Wars (SW) universe, and asking why SW fans can’t imagine a world with Black people. There were further articles about racist roots of climate denial, the Dobbs decision puncturing the Supreme Court's “sacred mythology”, the effort to save the beloved Texas horned lizard, a conversation with historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez about why white evangelicals support reactionary politics, and a call on Democrats to go big, because if they don’t, then the country will move toward fascism.
There were further articles about what White creators can learn from Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts ethnicity confusion. I hope Rad Sechrist learns from his discussion about fans over Kipo being Blasian (Black Asian or Afro-Asian), and his reticence to portray that in the show, and improves in the future. Otherwise, History News Network had articles about how the police have no duty to protect you, how you can be supposedly “pro-life” and pro-gun, that public health officials aren’t doing enough to warn gay men about monkeypox (although it isn’t a sexually transmitted disease), the White Christian nationalist cult of the AR-15, how discarding legal precedent to control women's reproductive rights is rooted in colonial slavery, and someone explaining why they can’t wave a Ukrainian flag. Additional articles focused on righting reactionary sentiment in France, the open-source manual for terrorism, the Buffalo shooting/massacre drawing attention to eco-fascism, African American Policy Forum statement on the Buffalo Massacre, and the value of seed banks.
The final part of this article highlights illustrations from The Nib. For this newsletter, I’d like to highlight ones on corporate performativity on pride, millions of dollars spent by the GOP to find non-existent election fraud, how Puerto Rico’s LGBT community is ready to kick the door down, six cartoonists on gender and transition, the housing crisis made easy, an Iraqi soldier recalling fleeing through hell at the end of first Gulf War, new corner stores cornering the market and catering to new White residents as a neighborhood gentrifies, and modern slavery in Lebanon.
There were further illustrations on needing a car to move around, causing cities to be structured around them, then no money left for public transportation, the need to rethink approaches to forest management, insecurities fraud, and how imperialism, suffering, and violence are a feature of capitalism, not a flaw.
That’s all for this newsletter. I’ll try to make sure this newsletter comes out in less than a month, unlike the gap between this newsletter and the last one. Until next time!
- Burkely