2.17.2004

Plum Ruby Review would like to strongly urge you to read the following press release and sign the petition.

Book, Library Groups Launch Petition Drive to Restore Privacy Safeguards to USA PATRIOT Act

(NEW YORK - Feb. 17, 2004) Groups representing booksellers, librarians and writers today launched a nationwide effort to obtain one million signatures in support of legislation to amend Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act. The groups hope to persuade Congress to restore safeguards for the privacy of bookstore and library records that were eliminated by the Act.

The Campaign for Reader Privacy - sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, the American Library Association and PEN American Center - will gather signatures in bookstores, libraries and on a new Web site, www.readerprivacy.org. Over the last year, Republicans, Democrats and Independents have joined to sponsor a number of bills to amend Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act, including the Freedom to Read Protection Act (H.R. 1157) and the Security and Freedom Ensured (SAFE) Act, S. 1709.

"Booksellers are deeply concerned about the chilling effect of Section 215 and President Bush's stated intent to seek blanket reauthorization of the PATRIOT Act," said ABA Chief Operating Officer Oren Teicher.

Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act amended the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to give the FBI vastly expanded
authority to search business records, including the records of bookstores and libraries: the FBI may request the records secretly; it is not required to prove that there is "probable cause" to believe the person whose records are being sought has committed a crime; and the bookseller or librarian who receives an order is prohibited from revealing it to anyone except those whose help is needed to produce the records.

Read the full press release and sign the petition here.
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2.2.2004

Plum Ruby Review would like to congratulate Pamela MacIsaac! Pamela's story, "St. Augustine's Mother," published in the December 2003 edition of The Plum Ruby Review, has been nominated for the storySouth Million Writers Award for Fiction. Best of luck!
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2.1.2004

Welcome to the second issue of Plum Ruby Review!

Our first issue of the new year begins with a bang, with our featured poet, Erin Noteboom. Noteboom talks to PRR about her book of poetry, Ghost Maps, Poems for Carl Hruska, which won the CBC Canadian Literary Award in 2001. We think you will find her work as enchanting as we do--her lush, evocative words leap off the page to startle and delight the reader. We invite you to read about Ghost Maps, learn more about Noteboom and to revel in the poems we feature this issue.

This month's featured artist, Mikey Cofer, also graces our pages this issue, with images that both refresh and inspire.

Plum Ruby will be unveiling a bookstore in the coming weeks, so please check back to find out more about how you can help support the artists whose work you read and enjoy in our pages.

Additionally, we hope to feature timely news about the literary and arts world as well as information about Plum Ruby contributors.

The Latest

Join PRR contributor Paul A. Toth as he reads from and discusses his novel Fizz on New York public radio's 'Everything goes?' WNYE-FM (91.5), Friday, February 20, 6:00 - 6:30 p.m.

Publishers go Green
45 U.S. publishing houses voluntarily commit to printing more earth-sensitive products.

Plum Ruby Review Book Recommend: The Practice of Poetry. A distinctive collection of more than 90 effective poetry-writing exercises combined with corresponding essays to inspire writers of all levels. Inspiring for both new and established poets.

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