In this episode, I chat with Erica Ware, a veteran librarian with 18 years of experience, who champions comic books and graphic novels as legitimate forms of reading. Despite often being dismissed by some as "not real reading," these formats are powerful tools for information reception. Erica, a dedicated film buff with a degree from Georgia State University and a lifelong fan of comics, shares her journey into library management and how she leveraged low literacy statistics to establish a successful graphic novel program. We also discuss the community's efforts in archiving history and her future aspirations beyond the library.

*Warning: Some expletives used this episode*

Librarianship is not a monolith. There are many different perspectives and this episode definitely explores one such perspective. In this episode, Marquita speaks with Jason K. Alston. Alston has worked in the library field since 2006 and is currently an instructor in library science. He is best known in LIS for his research on diversity residencies and his former role as the editor of BCALA's publication, BCALA News. And in his spare time, enjoys training in martial arts. In this episode, we talk about his views on Black male librarianship, diversity and lack thereof within library organizations, and where he sees his life, after libraries.

Hear from Black in the Stacks host, Marquita Gooch, MLIS, describe why she decided to start the podcast now. She talks a little about what inspired her, what makes *this* podcast different, the exploration of librarianship and information professionals, keeping Black librarianship alive and what to expect in upcoming episodes.