PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out.
- PEN America brought an international delegation of writers to Minneapolis, where they held panel discussions and craft workshops that examined the role of literature in times of political upheaval. “Our visit to your community, to Minnesota, to the Twin Cities, affirms this idea that writers are witnesses, storytellers, and connectors,” Co-Ceo Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf said. “They are essential in these moments when human rights and democratic values are under pressure.” Read more.
- On the eighth anniversary of award-winning poet Galal El-Behairy’s imprisonment in Egypt for satirical songwriting, PEN America called for his immediate release. Learn more about El-Behairy’s poetry and the years he has endured behind bars.
- PEN America and six other press freedom groups wrote a letter urging Congress to protect the editorial independence of Stars and Stripes, a daily U.S. military newspaper. “Recent developments, including the decision to change the rule-making process for Stars and Stripes, opens the door to undermining the integrity of the news organization,” they cautioned. See the full letter.
- PEN America and PEN Sydney expressed concern over the safety of writers and other dissident voices held in Iranian prisons amid ongoing military strikes and escalating conflict. “The safety and well-being of prisoners of conscience is an urgent matter of concern,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, director of Writers at Risk. “All parties to the conflict must prioritize civilian lives and ensure that family members know where their loved ones are being held.” Read the full statement.
- Student protestors across the country are facing hosts of new restrictions, ranging from school policies to state laws. “UT went from a campus where protests were a regular thing, to now students wondering what might happen,” one University of Texas-Dallas student told us. Read more in our blog post.
- In a new interview, Indigenous author Darcie Little Badger describes how she felt when Weber State University invited her to give a talk and then promptly handed over a list of words she couldn’t say in it. “I will not censor myself. That’s not who I am as a storyteller and editor,” she said. Read the interview here, and learn more about her story here.
- An article in the Houston Chronicle covers PEN America’s trip to Texas A&M University, where academic censorship is on the rise, specifically focusing on author Sandra Cisnernos’ presence. “If one student would read my book and think differently about censorship, that would have been worth the trip. Just one person, and I would have done my job,” she said. Take a look at the article here, and read more about PEN America’s writers’ delegation and the panel they hosted here.
- In a story about escalating efforts to censor college professors, The Progressive quoted PEN America’s “America’s Censored Campuses” report as well as Jon Friedman, Sy Syms managing director of U.S. free expression programs. Read the piece and check out the report.
- NPR station WFYI covered author Leah Johnson’s neworganization, Project Loudmouth, which seeks to bring more banned books in Indianapolis-area public schools. Check out the article, which cites PEN America’s banned books documentation.
