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The PEN Ten: An Interview with Mosab Abu Toha
Do not allow the present moment to control your writing; rather, write to control the seemingly uncontrollable reality. More
Necessary Unlearning: On Derecka Purnell’s ‘Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom’
Prison and Justice Writing Postgraduate Sophia Ramirez Fellow reviews Derecka Purnell’s "Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom." More
$2 Million Gift from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Supports Emergency and Resilience Funds for Persecuted Artists Worldwide and Immediate Support to Artists in Crisis from the Ukraine War
Julie Trebault, Director of the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) at PEN America, said: “Over the past two months, we have witnessed devastating attacks on the people of Ukraine… More
Imprisoned Ukraine Journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko To be Honored with 2022 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award May 23
"As the world stands in awe of the courage and determination of the Ukrainian people, we are proud to honor Vladyslav Yesypenko, whose career has stood for fearless truthtelling… More
Statement: Florida Rejection of Math Textbooks Raises Question Over Whether Politics Guided Decision
"The Florida Department of Education's rejection of 41 percent of math textbooks submitted to the state--including 71 percent of textbooks for grades K-5-- on the grounds that they include… More
NYC Earth Day Celebration April 22: Bookstores Host Poets for On the Spot Composition in Response to Climate, Environment and the Natural World
Alejandro Heredia, community outreach manager at PEN America, the literary and free expression organization, said: “New York is grounded in a legacy of writers, poets and other creative communities… More
Conservatives Oppose Educational Gag Orders, Too
Casual observers of the recent wave of educational gag orders could be forgiven for thinking that views on this issue are perfectly polarized along ideological lines. Conservatives support these… More
Outdoor Evening Poetry Reading April 21 Celebrates Cuban Artist Raul Cordero’s Art Installation “THE POEM” in NYC
The evening will feature short readings from poets Jaime Manrique, Eloisa Amezcua, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, and Maya Pope, and a vigil in solidarity with artists targeted by the Cuban government… More
Statement: Publisher’s Decision to Pull “Bad and Boujee” Book is “Misguided and Regrettable”
"When debates over books and authors have a racial dimension, they can get heated quickly because they tap into long histories of exclusion and marginalization of people of color… More
PEN America Demands Release of Russian Artist Alexandra Skochilenko, Arrested for Replacing Supermarket Price Labels with Anti-War Messages
“While the Russian authorities have been cracking down on artistic expression for years, the outbreak of the war has resulted in an exponentially more perilous environment for artists. They… More