What happens when a deeply personal story about identity becomes a national target? In this powerful episode, we sit down with Maia Kobabe, the author and illustrator of the award-winning and heavily challenged graphic memoir, Gender Queer.

Maia opens up about the journey of creating a book that has become a lifeline for countless queer and questioning readers, while also finding itself at the center of a firestorm of censorship. We discuss the surprising, heartfelt responses from readers that convinced em to share eir story with the world, the painful reality of being targeted by bad-faith critics, and eir passionate defense of the freedom to read.

This is a conversation that goes beyond the headlines, exploring how a single book can help people find the language for their own identity, open up crucial conversations with family, and become an act of quiet resistance. Join us for an honest look at art, authenticity, and the ongoing fight for the stories that matter.

Discover more of Maia Kobabe: https://redgoldsparkspress.com/

Flamer author and illustrator Mike Curato joins Unban Coolies for a powerful conversation about identity, queerness, faith, and surviving adolescence when the world tells you there is something wrong with who you are. Flamer has become one of the most frequently challenged books in America, appearing on the ALA’s Top 10 Most Challenged list, not because it is explicit, but because it tells the truth about a queer teen trying to stay alive.

In this interview, Mike speaks openly about what it was like to revisit his own memories of shame, bullying, and suicidal ideation, and he also clears up the biggest misconceptions about the book including what it does and does not depict. He explains why fiction became a tool for protecting his younger self, how comics gave him a language when prose could not, and why representation for queer Asian youth is still urgently needed.

Note that later in the conversation, Mike also talks about GAYASIANS, his new graphic novel for adult readers. The conversation itself is not explicit, but the book is intended for adults.

This conversation is part of the Unban Coolies series, featuring authors whose work is targeted by censorship but deeply needed by young people seeking belonging, representation, and honesty.

Jason Reynolds joins UNBAN COOLIES to explore how stories create space for every reader. We talk about friendship as the most valuable relationship, why difference should pull us closer, and why openness can be more honest than empathy when you cannot know someone else’s life. Jason reflects on Long Way Down, the pressure to stay silent, and what it takes to break cycles. He shares a work in progress about the bully — and why humanizing kids who cause harm can help us change the environment around them. We unpack his library is a menu metaphor and why book bans do not protect children; they erase choices and experiences. Plus: creative instinct, trusting your voice when school did not, and the role of books in classrooms and libraries.

About Jason Reynolds:

#1 New York Times bestselling author of Long Way Down, Look Both Ways, Stamped, Stuntboy, and Ain’t Burned All the Bright. Recipient of a Newbery Honor, Printz Honor, NAACP Image Award, and multiple Coretta Scott King honors. Former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Based in Washington, DC.

In this episode, we sit down with Daniel Nayeri, award-winning author of Everything Sad Is Untrue and The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams. Born in Iran, Daniel fled with his family after a fatwa put their lives in danger, spending years in refugee camps before resettling in Oklahoma. From these experiences, he developed a unique storytelling voice that blends memory, myth, and survival.

We discuss how his childhood shaped his writing, the power of humor and laughter as a coping mechanism, and the delicate balance between fact and fiction in memoir. Daniel also shares his thoughts on book challenges and bans, the resilience storytelling fosters, and advice he would give his younger self. This conversation is a moving exploration of identity, creativity, and the transformative power of stories.

Tune in to hear:

How refugee experiences shaped Daniel’s imagination

The art of blending memory and myth in writing

Humor, pain, and laughter as tools for survival

Insights into book bans and the role of storytelling in resilience

hosted by: Christopher Lau @unbanCoolies

What do a gorilla who paints, a sarcastic oak tree, and a group of kids who morph into animals to fight aliens have in common? The creative mind of Katherine Applegate. In this interview, the Newbery Medal–winning author opens up about her journey from ghostwriting Sweet Valley Twins to creating beloved stories like Animorphs, The One and Only Ivan, Wishtree, and her newest book, Pocket Bear. Katherine shares how Charlotte’s Web sparked her love of books, why she writes about empathy and second chances, and what it’s like to have her work face censorship.

Katherine Applegate has captivated generations of readers with her unique blend of heart, humor, and imagination. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Applegate is the author of award-winning series including Animorphs, Remnants, and Everworld. She won the 2013 Newbery Medal for The One and Only Ivan, a moving novel about a captive gorilla who discovers his voice — and his freedom — through art.

Her novel Home of the Brave has also received critical acclaim for its portrayal of a Sudanese refugee’s experience in America. We also discuss her upcoming picture book Pocket Bear, inspired by the real-life teddy bears carried by WWI soldiers. Told through the eyes of a sarcastic cat and filled with heart, it’s a story of love, loss, and second chances.

Jack Gantos isn’t your typical award-winning author. Before writing the Joey Pigza series, Rotten Ralph, and the Newbery Medal-winning Dead End in Norvelt, he served time in prison for smuggling hashish—a moment he turned into the acclaimed memoir Hole in My Life (a Michael L. Printz Honor and Sibert Honor Book). In this powerful conversation, Gantos opens up about second chances, censorship, ADHD, and how storytelling became his lifeline. Educators and librarians can explore his school visit offerings and presentations at jackgantos.com.

How do you write books that change lives—and why are they being banned?

In this inspiring interview, National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson joins Christopher Lau, host of UNBAN COOLIES, to discuss the power of literature to make young readers feel seen. Woodson talks about how her memoir Brown Girl Dreaming became both a classic and a target of censorship, and shares her thoughts on slow reading, storytelling, and what books can do that social media can’t.

We also explore how adults can guide children through tough themes in books, why some parents fear honest stories, and what it means to see your work challenged in today's climate. Woodson’s words are calm but urgent—calling for courage, compassion, and curiosity in how we share stories with the next generation.

About Jacqueline Woodson:

Jacqueline Woodson is one of America’s most celebrated authors for children and young adults. Her memoir Brown Girl Dreaming won the National Book Award, Coretta Scott King Award, and a Newbery Honor. She’s also the author of Feathers, After Tupac and D Foster, Show Way, The Day You Begin, and more. Woodson has served as the Young People’s Poet Laureate and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and has been honored with both the Hans Christian Andersen Medal and a MacArthur Fellowship. Her work often explores identity, memory, family, and the Black experience in America.

Interview hosted by Christopher Lau, founder of UNBAN COOLIES, a platform dedicated to amplifying diverse voices and defending the freedom to read.

Christopher Paul Curtis didn’t set out to become a literary legend—he was clocking 10-hour shifts on the General Motors assembly line, fighting exhaustion and monotony one car door at a time. But in stolen moments on the factory floor, he found escape through writing—stories scribbled between bolts and metal that would later earn him the Newbery Medal and redefine children’s literature. In this revealing interview, Curtis shares the unlikely journey behind Bud, Not Buddy and The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963, born not from privilege, but perseverance. He opens up about navigating life as a Black man in America, the childhood moment his mother gave him permission to imagine, and how censorship threatens to erase the very history his books work to preserve.