A Saturday full of books, stories about librarians, the warriors on the front lines of book wars. A letter from a President who uses words like an artist uses a paintbrush. Another artist and writer give us his take on writers' advice and criticism and drone footage from Iceland's volcano. A book primer and reading system for book lovers to finish the morning. Cheers!

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Former President Barack Obama has recently penned a letter to librarians. We've written about super-hero like librarians, and the comparisons made by President Obama follow a similar thread. In a land where individual liberties are held in the highest esteem, it is unimaginable to some of us that anyone would go after our freedom to read a book. Only those who wish to suppress thoughts and freedoms work to ban knowledge, a topic we've discussed in the past that never works.

President Obama is well known for his words, and in this short 4-minute read on Medium, he proves it once again. As I read the words, knowing how important books have been to my existence, it was difficult to hold down my emotions. In a passage, the President said the following:

I had to read the quote multiple times to catch one word; the word is a coincidence, and it is used to point out that specific actions are done with purpose. Using the word coincidence emphasizes the actions, not the people; by doing that, the President presumes intelligent people will know his message. I had to read it several times because I thought about the word surprise instead of coincidence. If you say, "It's no surprise that these banned books…" you are saying those people instead of the actions. Slight difference, but it's the difference between someone above the fray, talking with a character who has had to spend too much time carefully crafting the words he uses and being conscious of what he represents. 

People in charge of sharing knowledge and keeping the house of knowledge open and available to everyone did not sign up to be the knowledge police. It's like going to the zoo and telling the zoo keepers that they are now supposed to take some animals away and not let the children look at them? Sometimes what you signed up for isn't what life decides to give you. If librarians are being forced onto the front lines, the rest of us freedom-loving bookworms need to back them up. Volunteer at your local library!

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Austin Kleon gives us a quick post about writing and the suggestions and criticisms you might get from your drafts. Kleon describes advice from several well-known writers and collects advice that advocates for keeping your voice in your work. Nothing is wrong with advice, but what you do with it can help you become a better writer. 

One of the best pieces of advice came from poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau; he suggests you take what the critics don't like and turn that into better work. He says it's the most personal part of your work; it keeps you… you.

Iceland is on fire; the Litli-Hrutur volcano continues to blaze a path of molten rock throughout the Reykjanes peninsula. Moss And Fog highlight photos and video taken with a drone showing the spectacular power of Mother Nature.

A newsletter full of stories about librarians and writers let's add a recommendation for reading comprehension in the Sound Check section. Why? That's what Jean Cocteau would do! Nik Goke, the writer, and entrepreneur, wrote a short 20-page guide on reading, and if you love to read, why not read how to read better? 

Never Say Never.

Click on the Apple Music image to listen to the song on Apple Music or on the Spotify Image to listen to Spotify.

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Thank you for spending a few minutes with us. Here’s one for the road!

With A Shout newsletter is written by Johnny Christian with the support of a thousand idea bits and the help of many people.

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