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 criticized Texas school districts for overcomplying with SB 13 and SB 12, two laws enacted earlier this year. Districts indefinitely closed entire school libraries and removed large swaths of books from others after using an AI program to assess them for “DEI content.” “These laws shouldn’t exist but now that they do, school districts should interpret them as conservatively as possible to minimize undermining students’ education,” said Madison Markham, Freedom to Read program coordinator. Read SB 13 here, SB 12 here, and PEN America’s full statement here.
- PEN America celebrated a federal judge’s order that the Department of Defense restore all of the books banned from five schools at U.S. military installations. “This ruling is a solid first step in a long road to restoring and protecting students’ freedom to read in schools run for military families,” said Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read program director. Read the preliminary injunction here, and read PEN America’s full statement here.
- PEN America applauded a federal district court’s preliminary injunction of key parts of a Texas law restricting campus speech. The law, passed in response to student protests against the war in Gaza, imposed restrictions on campus speech — including an alarming ban on “expressive activities” between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. “The idea that the First Amendment right to free speech could be circumscribed within waking hours is absurd,” said Elly Brinkley, staff attorney. “States cannot pick and choose when they respect constitutional rights.” Read the preliminary injunction here, and read PEN America’s full statement here.
- Ironically, organizers at Utah’s Weber State University canceled a two-day conference on censorship after the administration claimed that they risked violating state law unless the event itself was censored. Read the full story here.
- At PEN America’s European Literature Night 2025, 11 award-winning authors, each from a different country, celebrated the English translations of their newest books with readings and discussions.
- PEN America board member Jodi Picoult stood up for her play “Between the Lines” after a production of it was canceled in Gas City, Indiana. Read the AP story here.
- PEN America’s Emerging Voices Fellows, early-career writers from underrepresented communities, and students from DREAMing Out Loud, PEN America’s series of tuition-free writing workshops, celebrated the end of their programs with special readings and discussions. Stay tuned for coverage of the events!
- In this week’s PEN Tens, PEN America spoke with author Wen-yi Lee about found families and genre blending, and with author Cynthia Miller-Idriss about the recent explosion of misogyny in the West and the surge of violence it has generated.
