Chile Street April 2025
A newsletter by R.M. Lowery
Welcome to the revamped Chile Street! For most of you reading this in your inbox, Chile Street probably looks a little different than you remember it. Here’s why.
First launched in 2018, Chile Street has been through a few iterations—from a roundup of quirky social media posts to an aggregation of weekly news about New Mexico. Since July 2021, this newsletter has been authored by me, R.M. Lowery, an author and journalist based in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
I last published an issue of Chile Street in January 2023. At the time, it was supposed to be a brief hiatus to allow me to catch up on some things, like publishing my first novel, The Gentle Slope. Released in March 2024, the book was recently awarded a Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for Best Suspense Fiction. I signed a three-book deal with a publisher, and so, I went to work preparing for publication the second book, We Kill Our Own (due out next month), and the third book Time Fades Away (due next year). Writing and publishing novels has been a lifelong dream, and so, things like Chile Street got placed on a back burner and the respite became an ongoing rest.
Along the way, I had hopes of writing a newsletter about books, the writing process, and news on proposed legislation that threatens access to literature. I’ve also had publishers and other industry pros tell me that every author needs a newsletter as part of their “platform,” a buzzword in the publishing world that basically means “a way to promote yourself and your work.” One day it occurred to me that I could do both all in one newsletter, and as it so happened, I had one with a cool name just sitting here gathering dust.
Now that I’ve shifted the focus of Chile Street, I suspect some of you who signed up for earlier versions no longer want to receive it, and that’s okay—I totally get it and won’t be offended if you leave. (There’s an unsubscribe button at the bottom of this email. Just click it, and your address will be removed.) However, I really do hope you’ll stick around and give the new version of this newsletter a shot.
Now, maybe you’re thinking, Platform? That sounds like a fancy word for spam.
Here’s my promise to you as a subscriber. For one, I will never sell your address or any other information you provide. Second, while this arm of my “author platform” makes my publishers happy, I don’t plan to hit you with a constant barrage of links to buy stuff or to pepper you with gratuitous self-promotion. Yes, I’m proud of the work I do and I will occasionally link to my books. And yes, I will offer updates on things I’m working on, but that will not be the primary focus of this newsletter.
So what is the focus? Mainly, I plan to provide information and updates about literary and library news—particularly stories related to potential book bans and legislation that threaten to restrict the public’s access to books. I’ll also offer some giveaways, like copies of my books, and I hope to give readers a glimpse into my writing life and to answer any questions you might have about life as a writer. So feel free to reply to this email with questions or suggestions about what you want me to talk about.
Now, let’s get to some of the news out there, shall we?
Libraries to lose funding after shuttering of federal agency
President Trump on March 14 issued an executive order that effectively eliminated the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Last year, the majority of the agency’s $290 million budget was distributed to local libraries through grants for services like staffing and the creation of new programs.
Libraries and museums in every state currently receive funding from the IMLS through a program called Grants to States. Last year, IMLS distributed roughly $160 million to state library agencies, funding that amounts to one-third to one-half of library budgets.
“Americans have loved and relied on public, school, and academic libraries for generations,” the American Library Association said in a statement. “By eliminating the only federal agency dedicated to funding library services, the Trump administration’s executive order is cutting off at the knees the most beloved and trusted of American institutions.”
Without this critical funding, libraries across the country stand to lose funding for programs such as early literacy development and grade-level reading programs, summer reading programs, high-speed internet access, employment assistance for job seekers, braille and audio books for people with visual impairments, and more, according to the American Library Association.
Libraries and museums also receive funding from public donations and other federal agencies, but according to a statement from the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, “IMLS is the single largest source of critical federal funding for libraries.”
For now, IMLS funding is secured through September as part of a continuing resolution passed by the Senate and signed by the president on March 14. However, the same day the resolution was signed, nearly every IMLS employee was placed on administrative leave, effectively shuttering the agency and usurping Congress’ intentions. So ultimately, the fate of IMLS likely falls into the hands of Congress and the federal courts.
Federal judge orders Colorado district to return banned books to school libraries
A federal judge on March 19 ordered a Colorado school district to restore library books band by the district and further prohibited it from removing books that the school board objected to politically, Elizabeth Hernandez of the Denver Post reported.
In August, the Elizabeth School District in Elbert County pulled 19 books from its school libraries, citing officials deemed the books too controversial.
The books removed from shelves were: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, #Pride: Championing LGBTQ Rights by Rebecca Felix, You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson, It’s Your World — If You Don’t Like It, Change It: Activism for Teenagers by Mikki Halpin, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Looking for Alaska by John Green, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and George by Alex Gino. The district also removed six books by Ellen Hopkins: Identical, Fallout, Glass, Burned, Crank, and Smoke.
In the ruling, U.S. District Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney issued a preliminary injunction stating the banned books must be returned to school libraries. The order also prohibits the school board from removing books “because the district disagrees with the views expressed therein or merely to further their preferred political or religious orthodoxy.”
The injunction followed a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado filed in December against the district for its removal of the books from school libraries — titles largely featuring people of color or LGBTQ individuals — in an act the organization alleged violated free speech protections.
Read the full story here as a paywall-free gift article: https://www.denverpost.com/2024/08/15/elizabeth-school-district-book-banning-colorado/
Texas Senate approves bill changing how schools select library books
The Texas Senate on March 5 passed a bill aimed at giving parents more power over which books their children can read in public school libraries, Pavan Acharya of the Texas Tribune reported.
The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 13, would require that school boards, rather than librarians, have the final say over which new books or materials can be put in school libraries. The bill would also create a way for parents to challenge any library book and have it removed from shelves until the school board decides whether that material is allowed.
The bill comes as book bans have increased in Texas and nationwide in recent years. Texas banned around 540 books during the 2023-24 school year, according to PEN America, an organization tracking bans throughout the country. Of the books banned, 44% included characters or people of color and 39% included LGBTQ+ characters.
Read the full story here (no paywall): https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/05/texas-school-library-book-bans-senate-bill/
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading!
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R.M. Lowery is the award-winning author of the Jakob Larsen Mysteries: “The Gentle Slope,” “We Kill Our Own,” and “Time Fades Away.” His stories have appeared in Black Cat Mystery Magazine, Workers Write, The First Line, and others. Rooted in Illinois and raised in Colorado, Lowery splits his time between Colorado and New Mexico with his beautiful wife and their clowder (of cats). Learn more at rmlowery.com.
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