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 announced that comedian, author, producer, and actor Murray Hill, known for HBO’s Somebody Somewhere, will host the 62nd annual Literary Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, March 31 at 7:30pm at The Town Hall. The ceremony will award $350,000 in prizes across ten book categories and feature career-achievement honors for novelist Edwidge Danticat and playwright Julia Cho. “Hosting the PEN America Awards feels like the best kind of showbiz where the spotlight shines on the people brave enough to tell the truth,” Hill said. Get your tickets here, and read more about the ceremony here.
- PEN America reported that Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush are among the authors of 1,500 books that a Texas school district has removed, restricted, or aged-up in a sweeping review. “What does it mean for a high school student living in the Texas Hill Country that they are being barred from accessing the story of a U.S. president who grew up in their own state, reflecting on his father — another Texan who also became president?” asks Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms managing director of U.S. free expression programs. Learn more about the bans.
- In interviews with PEN America’s PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center, four Palestinian writers reflected on the need to protect culture in Gaza. “We do not write for embellishment or documentation alone,” playwright and award-winning novelist Nahil Mohana said, “but to prevent the erasure of the human being behind the maps and political plans.” Read more of the writers’ reflections here.
- PEN America urged Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to veto HB 204, which would make the state the first to mandate that college students be allowed to refuse coursework based on “sincerely held religious” or “conscience” beliefs. “By giving [students] the power to opt out of assignments, the Utah legislature is cheapening their education — allowing them to pick and choose what they want to learn rather than adhering to the standards of a discipline or a profession,” said Laura Benitez, state policy manager. See the full statement.
- PEN America condemned Belarusian authorities’ designation of PEN Belarus as an “extremist organization,” labeling the move a dangerous escalation in the government’s ongoing assault on free expression. “Branding them extremists is not only an attack on one organization — it is an attempt to criminalize literature, silence dissent, and erase independent cultural life in Belarus,” said Co-CEOs Summer Lopez and Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf. Read the full statement.
- Following Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, PEN Ukraine reoriented its work to meet the country’s changing needs. Read about how the organization has preserved the memory of cultural figures who were killed, tracked crimes against Ukrainian media outlets, and supported destroyed and damaged libraries.
- Just in time for the nation’s 250th birthday, its history is being erased. In a new blog post, PEN America examines the purging of educational information from national parks.
- PEN America applauded U.S. District Court Judge Royce C. Lamberth’s decision to strike down the unlawful appointment of Kari Lake to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media and called for the return of hundreds of journalists to Voice of America whom Lake laid off in 2025. Read more.
- PEN America condemned the decision by the Department of Defense to shut out news photojournalists from briefings on the war with Iran after staff for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth apparently deemed press photos of him “unflattering.” “The decision…is a petty act of retaliation, even for an institution that had already forced the press corps out of the building because it couldn’t tolerate scrutiny of its decisions,” said Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director. Read the full statement.
- Under revised policies at Texas A&M, the women’s and gender studies program is scheduled to shutter, hundreds of courses have been altered, and even Plato has been banned. Catch up on PEN America’s recent trip to the university, where we brought attention to the dire state of the freedom to read and learn.
- As part of its work challenging bans, PEN America asked authors how much hinges on whether public libraries carry their books. Many gave us the same answer: everything. “If my books aren’t in public libraries, they may as well not be published at all,” said Kyle Lukoff, the author of five banned picture and middle-grade books. Read more about how removing books from libraries harms authors and readers alike.
- In a story about how small newsrooms can protect themselves against digital harassment, the American Press Institute cites a new blog by PEN America. Check out the Institute’s story here and the blog here.
- The Oscars are just around the corner, on March 15! If you’re a bibliophile, here are the movies you’ll want to keep an eye out for.
