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Advocacy

  • A large group of people gather outdoors holding Palestinian flags, with a historic building and leafless trees in the background under a cloudy sky.

    PEN America Urges University of Minnesota Regents to Reconsider Restrictions on Departmental Speech

    Friday November 7
    Kristen Shahverdian, Jonathan Friedman

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  • A smiling man with curly hair and a beard, wearing a black jacket, is surrounded by people clapping and celebrating. A person in the background is holding a camera and filming the scene.

    2025 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award Honoree: Galal El-Behairy

    Tuesday May 13

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  • Joint Congressional Letter on Journalists Endangered by Shutdown of U.S. Agency for Global Media

    Tuesday April 1

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Banned Books

  • Three people sit at a conference panel table with microphones and water bottles. The woman in the center is speaking, flanked by a woman on the left and a man on the right. All three wear name tags and business attire.

    ‘Free People Read Books’: Writers Warn of Rising Censorship on Texas Campus

    Tuesday February 10

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  • Book Bans Are Leaving Authors Frustrated, Fatigued, and Frightened 

    Monday February 2
    Julia Goldberg

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  • Authors and Illustrators Are Paying a Steep Price for Book Bans

    Monday January 26
    Julia Goldberg

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Campus Free Speech


  • PEN America, 36 Organizational Partners, Call on Texas A&M to Rescind Censorship Policies

    Tuesday February 10

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  • ‘Listen to Students’: How Advocates in Kentucky are Linking Free Expression Rights to Access to Education

    Monday February 2
    Clare Carter

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  • When Social Media Posts Become a Fireable Offense

    Thursday January 8
    Kristen Shahverdian

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Disinformation


  • Arrests, Disinformation and Local Journalism: Six Lessons from Minneapolis

    Friday February 6
    Timothy Richardson, Viktorya Vilk

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  • Immigration Status is Being Used as a Weapon of Censorship by the Trump Administration

    Friday January 9
    Amanda Wells, Timothy Richardson

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  • A person chops wood with an axe; logos for NPR, CPB, and PBS are edited onto chopped wood pieces. White text above reads, “PUBLIC MEDIA IS ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK. DONT CENSOR AMERICA.” PEN America’s logo is in the bottom right corner.

    Congress might rescind funding for public media. Here’s where PEN America stands.

    Friday June 13

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Educational Censorship


  • Academic Freedom Bows To Political Ideology At Texas Public Campuses

    Tuesday February 10
    Eileen AJ Connelly

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  • PEN America, 36 Organizational Partners, Call on Texas A&M to Rescind Censorship Policies

    Tuesday February 10

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  • ‘Listen to Students’: How Advocates in Kentucky are Linking Free Expression Rights to Access to Education

    Monday February 2
    Clare Carter

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Emerging Voices

  • A promotional graphic for PEN Americas 2025 Emerging Voices Final Reading, featuring headshots of ten diverse individuals above and below the event title in bold red and black text.

    2025 Emerging Voices Fellows Close Out ‘Transformative’ Experience 

    Monday November 3
    Julia Goldberg

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  • A collage of eight people with diverse backgrounds, genders, and hairstyles, smiling or looking thoughtfully at the camera, set against varied indoor and outdoor backgrounds.

    2025 Emerging Voices Fellows | The PEN Ten Interview 

    Friday October 17

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  • A group of people sit around a large, U-shaped table in a bright room, actively listening to a woman standing and speaking at the front, with laptops, papers, and drinks on the table.

    PEN America’s Emerging Voices Workshop gives CA writers a chance to go deep, connect, and grow

    Monday June 30
    Lane Michael Stanley

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Emerging Voices LA

  • A small group attends a panel discussion with four speakers seated in front of a PEN America banner in a bright room. The audience listens attentively, sitting on couches and chairs facing the speakers.

    Emerging Voices Workshop Builds Community, Deepens Craft, and Demystifies Publishing for New Voices 

    Tuesday December 16
    Lane Michael Stanley

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Florida


  • Florida Is Doubling Down on Book Bans. Help Us Fight Back.

    Wednesday January 21
    Sophia Brown

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  • A blueprint-style map of Florida is labeled with terms like “Book Bans,” “Parental Rights,” “Educational Censorship,” and legislative terms such as “STOP W.O.K.E. Act,” suggesting restricted education policies.

    Why the Florida Department of Education’s Book Ban Numbers Are a Vast Undercount

    Thursday December 4
    William Johnson

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  • A woman stands in front of a PEN America banner and a screen with blueprints, speaking to an audience. She is gesturing with one hand and holding papers in the other. A window shows a street sign for Pine St outside.

    Inside Florida’s Book Ban Fight: How Communities Push Back

    Tuesday November 18
    William Johnson

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Gala

  • A man in a black suit smiles while speaking at a podium with a PEN America sign. The background features multiple PEN America logos on a dark backdrop.

    Taye Diggs Remarks Presenting PEN America Business Visionary Award to Macmillan Publishers CEO Jon Yaged

    Thursday May 22
    Taye Diggs

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  • Three people dressed in formal evening wear sit at a red-covered table at an event, smiling at the camera, with glasses of wine and an award visible on the table in front of them.

    Patrick Radden Keefe Remarks Presenting the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award to Sarah Jessica Parker

    Thursday May 22
    Patrick Radden Keefe

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  • A man in a tuxedo speaks at a clear podium with a “PEN America” sign, while a woman stands nearby holding papers. The backdrop displays multiple “PEN America” logos.

    Wesleyan University President Michael Roth’s Remarks Accepting the PEN/Benenson Courage Award

    Monday May 19

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Global Free Expression


  • A Mongolian Writer and Bookseller, Snatched from His Hospital Bed

    Friday February 6
    Erika Nguyen

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  • What is happening to Mongolian language and culture online in China?

    Tuesday January 20

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  • Five people sit on a stage in a panel discussion at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. Four listen while one person speaks into a microphone; water bottles are on the tables in front of them.

    ‘We’ve Seen This Before’: Lessons for the Press on Authoritarianism 

    Tuesday December 16
    Julia Goldberg

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Literary Awards

  • Image shows a white background with gold lines radiating from the edges. In the center, bold text reads: “PEN America Literary Awards Finalists.”.

    Announcing the 2026 PEN America Literary Awards Finalists

    Thursday January 29

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  • Event graphic for Reading from Best Debut Short Stories 2025 featuring the book cover, nine author headshots, host Lydi Conklin’s name, event partners’ logos, and colorful circles as design elements.

    ‘A Dream Come True’: 12 Debut Writers Celebrate Winning the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize

    Monday January 5
    Julia Goldberg

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  • A graphic with the text PEN America Literary Awards Longlists in gold and black, surrounded by gold lines radiating from the corners on a white background.

    Announcing the 2026 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists

    Thursday December 18

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Literary Community


  • Book Community Supports Minneapolis Amid ICE Raids

    Wednesday January 28

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  • Event graphic for Reading from Best Debut Short Stories 2025 featuring the book cover, nine author headshots, host Lydi Conklin’s name, event partners’ logos, and colorful circles as design elements.

    ‘A Dream Come True’: 12 Debut Writers Celebrate Winning the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize

    Monday January 5
    Julia Goldberg

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  • Two people sit on stage in conversation at a 92NY event, facing an audience. Behind them are black banners with 92NY in white letters. The atmosphere appears to be that of a live discussion or interview.

    Sam Sussman Celebrates ‘High-Wire Literary Act’

    Friday October 17
    Julia Goldberg

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Literary Programs

  • A small group attends a panel discussion with four speakers seated in front of a PEN America banner in a bright room. The audience listens attentively, sitting on couches and chairs facing the speakers.

    Emerging Voices Workshop Builds Community, Deepens Craft, and Demystifies Publishing for New Voices 

    Tuesday December 16
    Lane Michael Stanley

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  • A promotional graphic for PEN Americas 2025 Emerging Voices Final Reading, featuring headshots of ten diverse individuals above and below the event title in bold red and black text.

    2025 Emerging Voices Fellows Close Out ‘Transformative’ Experience 

    Monday November 3
    Julia Goldberg

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  • Four people sit on a stage panel discussion with plants around them. Behind them is a large screen displaying the event title Borderless Voices along with portraits and names of the panelists.

    DREAMing Out Loud Amplifies Migrant Voices Amid Climate of Fear

    Thursday October 30
    Julia Goldberg

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Membership


  • Ban This: Writers Create Art From Banned Words

    Wednesday February 4

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  • Five smiling people are shown in individual portrait photos above the text: “2025 Annual General Meeting, Writing Our Way Forward: Authors, Activism, and Artistry. Professional Membership Exclusive.” PEN America logo at bottom right.

    2025 Annual General Meeting: Looking to Challenges Past, Present, and Future

    Tuesday December 23
    Andrew White

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  • Split image: On the left, an older man in glasses and a hat holds a teacup and smiles; on the right, the cover of a memoir titled Of Time and Punishment, showing a tattooed, muscular person from behind.

    ‘I’ve Always Been Fighting’: JD Mathes on How Writers Form an Army

    Wednesday August 20

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Online Abuse & Digital Safety


  • How Can Bystanders and Allies Support Targets of Online Abuse? 

    Tuesday February 10
    Amanda Wells

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  • Immigration Status is Being Used as a Weapon of Censorship by the Trump Administration

    Friday January 9
    Amanda Wells, Timothy Richardson

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  • Five people stand in front of a screen displaying the title Holistic Safety Clinic: How to protect yourself in an increasingly hostile environment and logos for IWMF, PEN America, and AEGIS Safety Alliance.

    We spoke about safety at a dozen journalism conferences in 2025. Here’s what we learned.

    Tuesday December 9

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PEN America


  • PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of February 2

    Friday February 6

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  • PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of January 26

    Friday January 30

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  • PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of January 19

    Sunday January 25

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PEN/ESPN

  • 2015 PEN/ ESPN Award for Literary Sports Writing

    Monday February 2

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  • 2012 PEN/ESPN Lifetime Achievement Award for Literary Sports Writing

    Wednesday November 14

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Press Freedom


  • Safety Resources for Journalists Covering Protests

    Wednesday February 11

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  • Arrests, Disinformation and Local Journalism: Six Lessons from Minneapolis

    Friday February 6
    Timothy Richardson, Viktorya Vilk

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  • Five people sit on a stage in a panel discussion at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism. Four listen while one person speaks into a microphone; water bottles are on the tables in front of them.

    ‘We’ve Seen This Before’: Lessons for the Press on Authoritarianism 

    Tuesday December 16
    Julia Goldberg

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Prison and Justice Writing

  • A smiling man with short curly hair and a beard is in the center. The background is a colorful collage with abstract shapes, butterflies, a red pen, and paper textures.

    Derek Trumbo Sr. Left Prison an Accomplished Author, a Pathway Opened By PEN America’s Prison and Justice Writing Program

    Tuesday November 25
    Julia Goldberg

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  • The red and blue graphic for the 2023 Pen America Prison Writing Awards showcases categories like Poetry, Fiction, Essay, Memoir, and Drama. It features imaginative elements such as a butterfly, ticket stubs, a pen, and a city skyline silhouette.

    PEN America Prison Writing Award Winners: 2025

    Wednesday November 5

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  • Split image: On the left, an older man in glasses and a hat holds a teacup and smiles; on the right, the cover of a memoir titled Of Time and Punishment, showing a tattooed, muscular person from behind.

    ‘I’ve Always Been Fighting’: JD Mathes on How Writers Form an Army

    Wednesday August 20

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Resource


  • #FactChallenge: Media Literacy Course on WhatsApp Leading up to the 2024 Elections

    Friday June 7

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  • A repeating pattern of five different book covers arranged diagonally, including “Swim Home to the Vanished,” “The Lesser Blessed,” “Where the Dead Sit Talking,” “A Calm and Normal Heart,” and “The Removed.”.

    Morgan Talty recommends what you should read for Native American Heritage Month

    Tuesday November 21

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  • A diagonal pattern featuring the covers of five different books, including “There There,” “Homegoing,” “A Council of Dolls,” and others, arranged in a repeating grid on a white background.

    Native American Heritage Month – Reading List by Oscar Hokeah

    Friday November 17

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Translation


  • PEN America Mourns the Death of Priscilla Heim, Who With Her Husband Michael Established the PEN/Heim Translation Fund

    Thursday January 15

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  • A smiling woman with short curly hair stands beside a brick wall. Next to her is text featuring the book Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq, an excerpt, and mentions of awards and translator Deepa Bhasti.

    Language as Culture, History, and Stories: Deepa Bhasthi on the Heart of Translation

    Tuesday August 26
    Amulya Hiremath

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  • Two authors are pictured in circular frames, one woman on the left with dreadlocks and an orange top, one man in a light shirt on the right. Beside them is the book cover for Solitaria by Eliana Alves Cruz.

    Eliana Alves Cruz’s Novel Illuminates Brazil’s ‘Deep Historical Wounds’

    Monday August 11
    Amy Reid

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U.S. Free Expression


  • Safety Resources for Journalists Covering Protests

    Wednesday February 11

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  • Three people sit at a conference panel table with microphones and water bottles. The woman in the center is speaking, flanked by a woman on the left and a man on the right. All three wear name tags and business attire.

    ‘Free People Read Books’: Writers Warn of Rising Censorship on Texas Campus

    Tuesday February 10

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  • Academic Freedom Bows To Political Ideology At Texas Public Campuses

    Tuesday February 10
    Eileen AJ Connelly

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World Voices Festival

  • Four panelists sit on stage in front of a PEN America World Voices Festival banner, engaging with an audience, with one person signing in American Sign Language.

    Propaganda, Isolation, Censorship, and Entertainment: What Overseas Press Know About the Authoritarian Playbook

    Friday September 12

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  • Three women sit on stage at the PEN America World Voices Festival, engaged in a panel discussion. Two listen while one, wearing glasses and patterned dress, gestures as she speaks. Colorful graphics are displayed in the background.

    Surviving the Impossible: Women Navigate Death and Grief in a Complex Healthcare System

    Monday August 18
    Amulya Hiremath

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  • Six people sit on stage in front of a screen that reads “PEN America World Voices Festival for the love of books,” participating in a panel discussion while an audience watches.

    World Voices Festival: On Autocracy and the Slow Death of Democracy

    Wednesday July 16
    Julia Goldberg

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Writer Opportunities

  • A collage of seven people smiling outdoors in different settings, some with greenery in the background. They each have unique hairstyles and are wearing casual clothing.

    ‘This Thing You’re Doing Is Worth It’: Rising Fiction Stars Celebrate PEN/Dau Prize

    Thursday January 23
    Amulya Hiremath

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  • A collage of various book covers displayed at different angles. The covers feature diverse designs, colors, and illustrations, with titles in bold typography.

    A Year of Books By PEN America Members 2024

    Thursday December 19

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  • 2024 Free Expression Essay Competition Winners

    Monday July 15

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Writers


  • Ban This: Writers Create Art From Banned Words

    Wednesday February 4

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  • Breaking Down Barriers and Taking Up Space With Immigration Narratives

    Tuesday August 5

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  • A woman with long dark hair and gold hoop earrings smiles warmly at the camera. She is indoors, with a blurred background featuring a leafy plant and a colorful picture on the wall.

    Sharing Stories of Persistence and Survival Across Time and Borders

    Wednesday July 9
    Aryo Wicaksono

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Writers at Risk


  • A Mongolian Writer and Bookseller, Snatched from His Hospital Bed

    Friday February 6
    Erika Nguyen

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  • “Freedom Forbidden”: The Poets Behind Bars for Their Words

    Monday November 17
    Karin Deutsch Karlekar

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  • Six people stand together in an office, smiling and holding signs that read: Welcome to New York, Vlad, Free them all, and Vlads Free. A wall sign says PEN America: The Freedom to Write.

    Freed Ukrainian Journalist’s Message: Your Solidarity Could Save Lives

    Friday November 7
    Veronica Tien

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Writing as Craft

  • A bald man with a slight smile is shown next to the book cover of Every Exit Brings You Home by Naeem Murr, which features a view from an airplane window with a person lying on the wing at sunset.

    With ‘Every Exit Brings You Home,’ Naeem Murr Draws On His Palestinian Heritage to Ask Universal Questions 

    Thursday February 12
    Mira Seyal

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  • Donna Everhart On Why She Prefers to Write ‘Looking Backward Instead of Forward’ 

    Thursday February 5
    Erica Galluscio

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  • How Brad Meltzer’s Childhood Love of Comic Books Shaped His Latest Thriller 

    Tuesday February 3
    William Johnson

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