James Joshua Coleman (Josh) is an Assistant Professor of English Education in Arizona State University’s Department of English. His research interests include English education and censorship, critical literacy studies, and diverse youth literature. Josh was a 2023 Spencer / National Academy of Education Postdoctoral Fellow and can be reached at josh.coleman@asu.edu.

In this presentation, Josh shares findings from a National Academy of Education supported study of Senate File 496's first year of implementation in Iowa schools. Focused on the 2023-2024 school year, he spotlights inroads for collaboration between librarians and classroom-teachers to challenge book bans. Josh also shares findings from his forthcoming monograph Ban Censorship, Not Books, including a local resistance framework to support educators in locating community agency.