PEN America Blogs: Free Expression
Banned Books
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More Books, Less Fear: Utah Stands Up for the Right to Read
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Ibram X. Kendi Has Received a Lot of Hate. His New Book on Authoritarianism Helped Him Realize It Was Never Personal.
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Obamas, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush Among 1,500 Books Banned in Texas School District
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‘Essential for My Career’: Six Authors Explain Why They Need Their Books on Library Shelves
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‘We Couldn’t Say the Title’: Darcie Little Badger on the Words Banned at a Utah University
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Author Darcie Little Badger Shows That One Person Standing Up To Censorship Can Make a Difference
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Book Bans ‘Kill Creativity,’ Sow Self-Doubt in Authors
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Banned Books List 2026
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‘Free People Read Books’: Writers Warn of Rising Censorship on Texas Campus
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Book Bans Are Leaving Authors Frustrated, Fatigued, and Frightened
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Authors and Illustrators Are Paying a Steep Price for Book Bans
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Katherine Applegate’s Book Was Labeled ‘Deliberate Indoctrination.’ It’s About the Power of Kindness.
Campus Free Speech
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‘Holding that Ember Alive’: Student Advocacy Against The Tide in Texas
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‘You Have to Teach the Thing They Tell You Not to’: Defending Academic Freedom at the University of Texas
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Inside the Fight to Keep Academic Freedom Alive at Texas A&M
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Students Could Face Harsh Penalties for Protests as Campuses, States Tighten Restrictions
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PEN America, 36 Organizational Partners, Call on Texas A&M to Rescind Censorship Policies
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‘Listen to Students’: How Advocates in Kentucky are Linking Free Expression Rights to Access to Education
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When Social Media Posts Become a Fireable Offense
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Is Hate Speech Free Speech?
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What is a Heckler’s Veto?
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Are ‘Free Speech Zones’ Constitutional?
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How Do I Plan A Protest on Campus?
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What Should Student Leaders Do During a Free Speech Controversy?
Educational Censorship
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‘You Have to Teach the Thing They Tell You Not to’: Defending Academic Freedom at the University of Texas
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Inside the Fight to Keep Academic Freedom Alive at Texas A&M
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Snapshots of Censorship: Taking an Ethical Stand
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Academic Freedom Bows To Political Ideology At Texas Public Campuses
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PEN America, 36 Organizational Partners, Call on Texas A&M to Rescind Censorship Policies
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‘Listen to Students’: How Advocates in Kentucky are Linking Free Expression Rights to Access to Education
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Snapshots of Censorship: Viewpoint diversity? No, this is censorship
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Snapshots of Censorship: Where we are and what we know
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Snapshots of Censorship: ‘It’s Only 3 or 4 Words’
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Snapshots of Censorship: When Grants are Cancelled, Students Pay the Price
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Snapshots of Censorship: Censoring Ethics at West Point
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Snapshots of Censorship: The Cost of Criticizing the President
Disinformation
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Arrests, Disinformation and Local Journalism: Six Lessons from Minneapolis
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Immigration Status is Being Used as a Weapon of Censorship by the Trump Administration
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Congress might rescind funding for public media. Here’s where PEN America stands.
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Guide to Combating Los Angeles Immigration Protest Mis/Disinformation
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AI-Generated Fake Book List Seems Funny, but Reflects the Technology’s Danger to Journalism
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Fighting a Global Problem Through a Local Lens
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How one newsroom battled political violence and opened spaces for dialogue
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Curiosity is key for overcoming conflict and disinformation, author says
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Is fear around AI overblown? Here’s what worries experts, according to a Wall Street Journal reporter.
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In 2024, Texas Tribune reporters shared printed information about voting to engage the public. Here’s what they learned.
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For the Truth in Journalism Project, facts are necessary – but not sufficient – in the fight against disinformation
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Disinformation is often about power and fear of losing it, expert says
Facts Forward
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Curiosity is key for overcoming conflict and disinformation, author says
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Is fear around AI overblown? Here’s what worries experts, according to a Wall Street Journal reporter.
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For the Truth in Journalism Project, facts are necessary – but not sufficient – in the fight against disinformation
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Disinformation is often about power and fear of losing it, expert says
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Media defense lawyers on their biggest fears during a Trump term, how journalists can defend themselves and why they still have hope
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A sociologist’s thoughts on how disinformation has emerged from the shadows
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Checking the rise of extremism is ‘easier said than done,’ University of Buffalo communications expert says
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A reporter’s take on the role of disinformation and male grievance in the election
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For the Texas Tribune, public events help to counteract disinformation
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How did disinformation affect the election? Here’s what a New York Times reporter thinks.
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Amid election conspiracy theories, a researcher narrows down the biggest threats
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This Arizona election official is worried about political violence. He believes community can be the solution.
Global Free Expression
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When Survival Is at Stake: Fighting for Language and Literature in Ukraine
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“Culture in Gaza Is Not a Luxury”: Interviews With Palestinian Writers
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Why We Must Remember Women Writers on International Women’s Day
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Prison for Poetry: Eight Years Behind Bars for Satire in Egypt
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Open Letter from Writers Urging Release of Iranian Poet
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Iran’s Journalists: The Muted Voices of a Movement
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The Chinese Writer Imprisoned for Dreaming of a Beautiful China
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A Mongolian Writer and Bookseller, Snatched from His Hospital Bed
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What is happening to Mongolian language and culture online in China?
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‘We’ve Seen This Before’: Lessons for the Press on Authoritarianism
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In Her Words: Women on Genocide and Rebuilding Gaza
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“Freedom Forbidden”: The Poets Behind Bars for Their Words
Member Spotlight
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‘I’ve Always Been Fighting’: JD Mathes on How Writers Form an Army
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Breaking Down Barriers and Taking Up Space With Immigration Narratives
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Sharing Stories of Persistence and Survival Across Time and Borders
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Finance for Artists: Uchechi Kalu on the Stories We Tell About Money
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Federico Erebia: Encouraging Underrepresented Voices in Children’s Literature
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Books, Roses, and Food: Sant Jordi Festival Celebrates Translation in New York
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Sarah Tomlinson: Ghostwriting, Los Angeles, and the Power of Rock & Roll
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A Year of Books By PEN America Members 2024
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Elana K. Arnold: The Role of the Writer for YA and Children’s Literature
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A Year of Books By PEN America Members
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Ali Velshi on Reading as an Act of Resistance
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Ann Patchett Invites Community In After School Shooting
PEN America Speaks
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PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of March 23
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PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of March 16
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PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of March 9
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PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of March 2
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PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of February 23
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PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of February 16
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PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of February 9
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PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of February 2
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PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of January 26
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PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of January 19
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PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of January 12
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PEN America Speaks: How We Defended And Celebrated Free Expression the Week Of January 5
The PEN Ten
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In Senaa Ahmad’s Debut Collection, Quirky What-Ifs About Historical Figures Come To Life
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Bo Hee Moon’s Adoptee Narrative Imagines What Might Have Been
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With ‘Every Exit Brings You Home,’ Naeem Murr Draws On His Palestinian Heritage to Ask Universal Questions
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Donna Everhart On Why She Prefers to Write ‘Looking Backward Instead of Forward’
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How Brad Meltzer’s Childhood Love of Comic Books Shaped His Latest Thriller
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What Do Authors Need When They Travel?
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How a Contemporary Plague Novel Drew on the Voice of a Community
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María Auxiliadora Álvarez’s Collection Honors Her Father’s Legacy
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With Her Third Novel, Kiran Desai Centers the In Between
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George Packer’s ‘The Emergency’ Wants Us To Rekindle Our Shared Sense of Humanity
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Using Science Fiction to Write About Grief, Marriage, and Memory
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Humor, Exhaustion, and Resilience in the Ups and Downs of a Delivery Worker in China