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Press

Publishers Weekly
Five Publishers Join Lawsuit to Stop Iowa Book Banning Law
By Andrew Albanese 

 

Early Bird Books

The 10 Most Banned and Challenged Books in 2023
By Orrin Grey

Politico
Penguin Random House, others sues Florida school district over book bans 

By Andrew Atterbury 

PEN AMERICA

Utah School District’s Reversal on Decision to Remove 52 Books From School Libraries Is an Important Step in Recognizing Students’ Speech Rights

CNBC

Penguin Random House sues school district over book bans

By Jo Yurcaba

PEN America

The 11 most banned books of the start of the 2022-2023 school year

 

Afternoon Drive with Allison Devereaux

CBC Afternoon Drive host Josiah Sinanan conversation on how the book, PUSH continues to stir discussions today

Latin Times
Anti-LGBTQ Book Bans Intensify in Michigan as Muslim-Americans Join Pro-Censorship Crusade

By Elle Yap


The Detroit News
Dearborn book bans draw supporters and foes

By Myesha Johnson and Hannah Mackay


Detroit Free Press 
Dearborn Public Schools removes 7 books from libraries after parents complain

By Emma Stein

The Salt Lake Tribune
Utah school district pulls 52 books after concerns and flagged another 32 for later review

By Courtney Tanner

 

New York Times

The 25 Most Significant New York City Novels From the Last 100 Years 

By By Rose Courteau, Kate Guadagnino, and Miguel Morales

 

The Guardian 

A heartbreaker and a heart mender: how Sapphire’s Push birthed a new American heroine

By Tayari Jones

Melan Magazine

Twenty-five years after the release of Push, the agonizing book exploring incest, rape and HIV/AIDS, its author, Sapphire reflects on how little has changed around structural inequalities around race

By  Katrina Marshall

The Center Post

Turning the Pandemic Into Poetry 

Hosted by Sree Sreenivasan

Cortland Voice

Author behind ‘Precious’ film to speak at SUNY Cortland

My Central Jersey

Author Sapphire to speak at Raritan Valley Community College

By Cheryl Makin

WAMC

A Conversation With Best-Selling Author Sapphire

By Allison Dunne

Claremont McKenna College

Author Sapphire Shares Casual Conversation with Claremont McKenna College During Visit

By Kelsey Brown 

Chicago Tribune

Talking with author Sapphire about Push, Precious, and The Kid

By Margaret Holt

WBEZ

‘Push’ author Sapphire revisits childhood abuse in second novel

By Robin Amer

 

Politico

Sapphire describes the joy and pain of 'Push,' and her latest, 'The Kid

By Melissa Smith

Flavorwire

New York’s 100 Most Important Living Writers

By Flavorwire Staff

I LoveLibraries 

Authors on Libraries: Sapphire

Westword

'Push' author Sapphire discusses 'The Kid'

By Josiah M. Hesse

Evening Standard (UK)

How author created film character Precious 

Vibe

Sapphire to Publish ‘Push’ Sequel

ColorLines

'The Artist is not there as a Massage Therapist' 

By Katti Gray 

The Guardian

Sapphire: 'I knew it was disturbing' 

By Bidisha

BBC Radio

Interview with novelist Sapphire 

Hosted by Mark Lawson

Mail & Guardian

Novelist Sapphire complains of ‘very real’ racism in the arts

The Guardian

Sapphire talks about abiding barriers to black artists in America

By Charlotte Higgins

The Guardian

The story of the brutalization of a young boy is as bold and powerful as its prequel, Push

By Bernardine Evaristo

KCRW

Bookworm – Sapphire: The Kid, Part 2

Bookworm – Sapphire: The Kid, Part 1

Hosted by Michael Silverblatt

Chicago Tribune

Sapphire talks about the difficult birth of 'The Kid'

By Elizabeth Taylor

Mercury News

Sapphire talks about latest novel, ‘The Kid’

By Angel Hill

Bay State Banner

Sapphire releases ‘The Kid,’ a sequel to ‘Push’

Florida Center for the Literary Arts at Miami Dade College

Is Sapphire the bravest, toughest–and most optimistic–author in American literature?

KCRW

Bookworm – UpClose: Sapphire

Hosted by Michael Silverblatt

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Author Sapphire transforms with new novel

By Nedra Rhone

Chicago Tribune

A "Precious" interview of Sapphire, author of "Push," and its sequel, "The Kid"

by Elizabeth Taylor

LA Weekly

Sapphire's The Kid: push author discusses sex, violence and child abuse in her new novel about Precious' son

By Sarah Labrie 

The World

Studio 360 Interview with Sapphire, the author of 'Push' 

Hosted by Kurt Andersen

Sun Sentinel

Keeping it real is still precious to Sapphire

By Chauncey Mabe

Wiz Nation

Author/Poet Sapphire Talks “The Kid” 

By Nyketa

The Root

Sapphire: The Interview

By Akoto Ofori-Atta

WBUR 

Sapphire Releases Graphic Sequel To 'Push'

Hosted by Michel Martin

LAist 

Just Don't Call Her Controversial: Novelist Sapphire and Michael Silverblatt on 'The Kid,' Precious, and The Future of America

By Katherine Manderfield

USA Today

Sapphire introduces new 'Kid' in Harlem: Precious' son

By Bob Minzesheimer

Book Page

Sapphire – Finding hope in unlikely places

By Arlene McKanic

Albany News

Push Author Exposes Critical Public Health Issues of Obesity, Domestic Violence Through Award-Winning Work 

Sampsonia Way

Sapphire on Precious’ Emancipation

By Elizabeth Hoover   

UCF Today

Women Leaders Listen to "Push" Author Sapphire

By Terry Helms

St.Louis Post-Dispatch

Author Sapphire's hope is to 'change the world'

By Kevin C. Johnson

Northwest Indiana Times

Sapphire shares her passion

By Jane Ammeson

The Ann Arbor News

Sapphire, author of "Push," delivers to a standing-room-only crowd

By Leah DuMouchel

NPR

A Role Model For 'Precious' Girls

Hosted by Michel Martin

NPR

Sapphire's Story: How 'Push' Became 'Precious'

via All Things Considered

Social Workers Speak

Exclusive: Interview with Author Sapphire

By G. Wright

Vintage and Anchor Books

Interview with Sapphire, author of PUSH  

NYTimes

The Audacity of 'Precious'

By Lynn Hirshberg

Nnedi's Wahala Zone Blog

My interview with Sapphire, author of the novel 'Push'

By Nnedi Okorafor, PhD

O Magazine

A Mother's Power: 'Precious' Author Sapphire Discusses 'The Kid'

By Crystal G. Martin

Virginia Tech 

Why I Choose to Teach Sapphire's PUSH 

By Mary Baron 

Poets & Writers

Breaking Karma: A Conversation with Sapphire

The Washington Post 

Sapphire's Raw Gem

By William Powers

Charlie Rose 

Charlie Rose interviews poet and author Sapphire

The New Yorker

Excerpt of PUSH by Sapphire

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"People ask me: is it a story about obesity, abuse or race? Actually, what it's really about is the transformative power of literacy. At the end of the film, Precious is still black, still poor and still fat but what's changed is that she can read and write and has begun to re-invent herself. She has left her abusive home environment, and has gone from feeling stupid and worthless to embracing a positive vision of her future."

 

~ Sapphire, Evening Standard

Turning the Pandemic Into Poetry

An Interview with Sapphire

"A lot of research that I did for 'The Kid' was on the social services system, the issues and challenges of adoption and foster care. ...Too often, we focus on the end statistics–and not the early troubles–including the overwhelming number of African Americans caught up in the criminal justice system. Of that population, there are a disproportionate number who’d languished in foster care before they landed in prison."

~ Sapphire,  ColorLines

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Ladies Home Journal Magazine

Photo: Jonathan Becker 

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Oprah Magazine 

Photo: Olivia Barr 

Sapphire at the NYS Writers Institute 

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Sapphire  talks about abiding barriers to black artists in America with The Guardian, UK 

Sapphire talks about writing the book PUSH

and the making of the film. 

Katie Couric interviews Sapphire

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Director Lee Daniels and Sapphire

New Yorker Festival 

Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images

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Charlie Rose Interview 

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The New Yorker PUSH excerpt

Photo: James Hamilton

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Sapphire speaks about The Kid  at Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C. 

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