Fika With Vicky, Patty De Biase & Barbara Venkataraman Chat Book Banning - April 6, 2023

Our guests this week are Patty De Biase and Barbara Venkataraman. They are joining Fika with Vicky to chat about recent book banning activity, and its significance. Book banning is a huge topic. Do you start with its history, current events, social impact, or go straight to intellectual freedom? So this is the first in a series of sporadic episodes, I will be sharing on the many aspects of this subject. Patty De Biase - I taught for Broward County, Florida, for 38 years from K to 5th. My favorite was 3rd. I retired during c-vid to take. care. of my new grandbaby. So with a lot of time on my hands, I started to get more politically involved to make sure. people get out and vote. I'm Vp. for the Hispanic Caucus and. secretary for the Weston Democratic Club. I am also involved with the Truth Matters project which is non- party just issues based. WE have been going to all the school board meetings and speaking out from diversity. Whatever the school board throws out there we make sure it's all true or we are confronting them. Barbara Venkataraman, is an author, attorney and moderator specializing in family law, and a Florida resident. Her works include: "The Fight for Magicallus", a children's fantasy; "If you'd Just Listened to Me in the First Place", a humorous short story; and three books of humorous essays: "I'm Not Talking about You, Of Course," "A Trip to the Hardware Store & Other Calamities," and "A Smidge of Crazy", from her series, "Quirky Essays for Quirky People." Barbara’s “Jamie Quinn Mystery Series”, is a collection of six books, sure to please any armchair detective. Her nonfiction book: "Accidental Activist: Justice for the Groveland Four", is a memoir she co-authored with her son about lessons he learned while working to exonerate four men falsely convicted of a terrible crime in the Jim Crow South. She has a collection of short stories; “Duck for Cover and Other Tales” and a collection of flash fiction stories: “A Year of Shorts.” She even has a new Young Adult novel out; “Five Fortunes.” You can find Barbara on goodreads, where she answers questions and keeps her readers updated on what’s new in her writing world. Here’s the link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5779805.Barbara_Venkataraman