Reflections at the End of June
It’s the end of June and to wrap up Pride Month this year, the Supreme Court ruled that states may ban transgender girls from participating in sports at public schools. It’s a decision that will cause real harm for real people.
The end of June also marks the end of Audiobook Month, and in just five days, we’re launching the Kickstarter campaign for Against the Current‘s audiobook.
I’ve thought a lot about what makes the format so important, and, of course, it has to do with accessibility and literacy, but it’s also about the art of the final product. It’s about the performance and the way a human voice can bring meaning to a story and shape how listeners interpret the text.
Audiobooks widen access to content and support literacy, making room for more people to participate in the world of books and knowledge.
That’s all on my mind today, because access is the thread running through so much of June. Pride Month is about access to dignity and representation. Audiobook Month is about access to stories. And today’s Supreme Court ruling is about restricting access to participation.
In five days, we’ll launch the campaign.
Against the Current is the biography of Father Tom Oddo, a priest committed to widening access—to dignity, inclusion, and honest conversation—all things that, infuriatingly, are still up for debate.
If you’d like to follow it ahead of July 5, the pre‑launch page is live. And in a moment when access to participation, representation, and knowledge is being challenged, supporting this audiobook is one small way to help keep important stories available to everyone. When the campaign launches, the full project page will go live—we’ve put a lot into it, and we’d love to share it with you.
stephanie@unencumberedpress.com
