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PEN Pals: Eliot Schrefer and Padma Venkatraman on When Others Take Up the Torch
“I knew I couldn’t contribute to the cultural life of an institution that actively discriminates against its students—that didn’t want people like me to exist.” More
PEN America Condemns Internet Shutdown in Kazakhstan
“This blackout is a blatant attack on freedom of expression by the government of Kazakhstan,'' said Polina Sadovskaya, PEN America’s Eurasia director. More
PEN America Demands Release of Baktash Abtin
After contracting COVID-19 in prison for a second time, 2021 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write honoree Baktash Abtin is now in a medically-induced coma. More
ARC Condemns Arrest of Singer Denise Ho by Hong Kong National Police
Earlier today, Hong Kong’s National Police arrested singer and pro-democracy activist Denise Ho at her home on suspicion of violating the colonial-era Crimes Ordinance by allegedly conspiring to release… More
PEN America Mourns Passing of E. O. Wilson
"As a scientist, E.O. Wilson inspired generations with his curiosity, rigorous research, and passion for discovery," said Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf, senior director of Literary Programs at PEN America. More
PEN America Condemns Sentencing of Historian Yury Dmitriev
Today, a court in Russia sentenced the historian and leader of a regional branch of the human rights organization Memorial Yury Dmitriev to 15 years in a penal colony. More
The PEN Pod: A Reflection on Free Speech in 2021 with Suzanne Nossel
“Perhaps never before in our public discourse. . . has there been a moment where issues of free expression. . . have been more salient to our politics.” More
PEN America—Led Coalition Urges White House to Sanction Criminals in Ukraine
"These sanctions would finally bring a measure of accountability to these perpetrators—and stop them from inflicting further pain,” said Stanislav Aseyev, a journalist and former Izolatsiya inmate who endured… More
Letter: President Biden Must Sanction Individuals Responsible for Human Rights Violations in Eastern Ukraine
We write to urge the immediate imposition of targeted sanctions against the individuals responsible for grave human rights violations in the areas of eastern Ukraine. More
PEN America Reacts to Joan Didion Passing
"The loss of Joan Didion carves an enormous hole in American literature and culture," said President of PEN America Ayad Akhtar. More