We have always believed at the LCOPL, that once an author spends any amount of time in Oxford, we consider them ours. Today we have two “local” authors that agreed to help us out with our Banned Books Week posts.

Mary Miller is the 2014-2015 Grisham Writer in Residence at the University of Mississippi. Her collection of short stories, Big World, and her first novel, The Last Days of California, have proved impossible to keep on our shelves!

I grew up in a strict Catholic household in Jackson, Mississippi. Though my parents have adapted admirably with the times, I distinctly recall hiding Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. when I was eleven. Unfortunately, I didn’t hide it well enough and my mother found the book. I was horrified. I can’t recall if she confiscated it; I only remember her disapproval and the feeling of shame that followed…