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I never went to Comic Con but I’ve been dreaming of going.

I went to NY’s Comic Con this past Thursday, which was the only day I could get tickets for – but the important thing was I finally was going to Comic Con! And I had an amazing time. One of my friends, Lana who was a Comic Con newbie too, went with me and we were totally geeking out the whole time. Not ashamed to admit it!

I really wanted to see Alex Kingston, Jenna Coleman, and Matt Smith from Doctor Who but the costs for their signatures and photos were not in my grad-school-student budget, unfortunately. I could of seen them at their panel “Tales from the Tardis” but I completely forgot about it and I was emersed in the Show Room madness.

Lana and I first visited the Artist Alley

I met James C. Mulligan, an artist for Disney, who has worked on Frozen, Tangled, and Moana. We talked about how much the characters in those films went through drastic makeovers before production was completed. Mulligan told me Elsa was originally supposed look like a punk rocker, and the “final product” for her hair was inspired by a coworker’s hairstyle one day at work. Sadly I didn’t buy any of his prints but I did buy prints of Karen Hallion and Alice Zhang.

Our next stop was the Show Room, otherwise known as the place where you go broke. There are so many wonders to buy and vendors from all over (I met one vendor from Toronto). The aisles in the Show Room run from 100-3800 – that’s 38 aisles of geek-tastic stuff! And it took us roughly 5 hours to walk down every aisle and make our final purchases. Being in the Show Room was like dying and going to geek heaven, especially when we found items that are no longer on sale anywhere else. Honestly, the Show Room was a little overwhelming because there are 50 million (or more) items that catch your eye in every nook and cranny of the room. Plus the crowds are a bit claustrophobic when the people walking in front of you won’t move, and then your friend doesn’t obey the buddy system and disappears from you. But despite these downsides I can’t wait to go back next year.

There were a lot of cosplayers on Thursday but I think they were outnumbered by the people who sported clothing and accessories of the fandom they are a member of. Among the girls, Eleven and Harley Quinn were the most popular. I saw 2 Professors from the Powerpuff Girls, a great Sailor Mars, a Granny/Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood, and an amazing Winifred costume with a handmade replica of the Book – just to name a few.

My merch from a fantastic day!

Save Beth!!!

– Peggy Ann, intern Beaufort Books

Although we are taught in grade school about all of our rights and freedoms, it is important to recognize that various forms of expression, if not all at one point or another, have been censored, banned, or withheld, from the public. Whether it be religious groups, community leaders and politicians, or even school systems, art forms such as books, music, movies and more have been banned in an effort to protect the public or keep the peace. Those are the advertised reasons anyway. We celebrate Banned Books Week because it’s important, not only to embrace the diversity of ideas and appreciate the books that make us think but also because book censorship is still happening. Many people, when they think about Banned Books, they think ‘oh that’s just something that happened in small towns in the 50s by fanatics.’ Wrong. It could happen anywhere, and any time for any reason.

Most recently there was a novel banned by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice because the Directors Review Committee claimed that “parts of the book contained ‘material on the setting up and operation of criminal schemes or how to avoid detection of criminal schemes by lawful authorities charged with the responsibility of detecting such illegal activity.’” It had become popular with prison inmates which I suppose is what made officials nervous. They saw it as a sort of manual for crime, however I believe it was popular because the inmates related to it and understood it.

The book is titled Wolf Boys: Two American Teenagers and Mexico’s Most Dangerous Drug Cartel by Dan Slater.

Banned books are important for several reasons. Namely, developing critical thought and exploration. Readers should have the right to read anything they wish to read and have the opportunity to challenge and improve themselves. And writers for that matter should have the right to express their thoughts and feelings in written work.

So do yourself a favor and pick up a banned book today. Think about who challenged it and why. Consider the impact that it has had and soak up every word. Click the photo for a list of Banned Books that you should definitely read.

-Madeline, Intern
*Blog post shared between Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill Press

In my LBB (Life Before Beaufort), I had always assumed that book people and tech people lived in slightly different worlds. I believed that tech people lived in dark basements, hacking or coding or something. Book people lived in libraries and cafés and generally well lit, respectable places. I considered myself a book person. I study English at college and frequent cafés, so how could I be anything else? Imagine my surprise when, by the second month of my Beaufort internship, I found myself downloading elusive software and furiously typing editing commands. I was producing video tutorials for Beaufort and Midpoint, and I had become a tech person.

Looking back, I shouldn’t have been surprised. I read voraciously as a child, but then again, I also spent three days filming and editing a music video to a Fiona Apple song. It culminated in a frenzied lip-synching scene which involved jumping on my couch. I enjoyed the cutting and pasting in iMovie as much as I did the lip-synching. By the time I was in high school, I was making post-rock music videos to impress my boyfriend (he was in a band).

(Still from Don’t Miss a Day: Music Video for post-rock boyfriend)

When I got to college, I had the equipment and funds of a well-endowed school to further my habit, and I spent a winter making the short film “Purity Ring and the Pretty Gang”. It told the story of a repressed suburban housewife and the crew of delinquents who upend her world; it came out to rave student reviews and only one complaint from a faculty member.

(Promotional Poster for Purity Ring and the Pretty Gang)

My videos had always been a side project, a slightly eccentric way to entertain myself. But after producing over fifteen videos for Midpoint with riveting titles such as “How to Use the Financial Tab”, I’ve found a marketable outlet for my skills. I take pleasure it writing out scripts and manipulating footage. I even told a man on the train the other week that I was interested in “producing freelance video microconent for independent brands”. I have no idea what I meant, but it felt good when I said it.

(My new calling: online video tutorials)

As I fly away from Beaufort and Midpoint, I’m ready to spread my iMovie wings. I can stride confidently into life’s cafés and basements, and embody all the intersections of my interests. I emerge with my love of books intact and my love of tech ignited, and firm in the belief that, as always, I contain multitudes.

-Gillian, Intern and Burgeoning Tech God

Greetings everyone!

I’m Nadine, one of the newest interns at Beaufort Books. Keeping with the Beau name tradition, I’ll be going by the pseudonym, fittingly enough, Claire Beauchamp for the remainder of my time here.

                       Also known as H.S.I.C. (Head Sassenach In Charge.)

As you can probably tell, choosing the name was a no-brainer. Beau is coincidentally enough already a part of my leading lady’s name and Outlander by Diana Gabaldon is one of my favorites. There’s so much I can say about the book series, about Claire, but we’d be here forever.

                                         (Cue random break into song.)

If you haven’t read it or even heard of it, I highly recommend changing that (or at least checking out the show.) Gabaldon wrote the first novel of the series in 1991, and recently the books have been adapted by Starz into a hit television show (that to date has remained pretty faithful to the books I might add.)

For my fellow reader that’s into historical fiction sprinkled with a heavy dose of time travel, this series is for you. Add in the beloved Claire Beauchamp Randall Fraser and you’ve got yourself an adventure that will leave you reeling (too often) after each book.

Well that’s enough gushing and fangirling for now, so until next time,

-Claire BEAUchamp