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Acclaimed Author Zadie Smith Will Receive the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award May 23
Smith’s fiction meticulously charts characters’ social surroundings and entangled if disparate existences, offering deep insight into their circumstances. She questions and pushes against imposed boundaries of race and class,… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Elena Medel, Translated by Lizzie Davis
"Creo que la escritura nos permite comunicarnos de otra forma, con otro tempo y con otras actitudes; incluso con otro gesto casi físico." More
2021 Freedom to Write Honoree Keyvan Bajan Is Released from Prison in Iran After Nearly One And a Half Years
Iran is among the world’s most restrictive countries for freedom of expression. In 2020, PEN America found that Iran imprisoned the fourth-highest number of writers and public intellectuals in… More
Mississippi Principal Fired for Reading a Book to Second Graders Should be Reinstated
The letter to the Hinds County School District said the firing of Assistant Principal Toby Price from Gary Road Elementary School on March 4 was “an extreme disciplinary action,… More
Q and A with Assistant Principal Toby Price, Fired by MS School After Reading “I Need a New Butt” to 2nd Graders
Toby Price, an assistant principal in the Hinds County (MS) School District, was fired on March 4 after reading a book to a group of 2nd graders over Zoom.… More
PEN America Letter to Hinds County (MS) School District
To the Officials of the Hinds County School District, We write from PEN America, the literary and free expression human rights organization, to register alarm over your recent decision to… More
Journalists and Members of Congress Join 3/14 Conversation About Saving Local News
Nadine Farid Johnson, PEN America’s Washington director, said: “The importance of local journalism cannot be overstated. Local news outlets have historically functioned as vital governmental watchdogs. They hold elected… More
‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill Inserts “Heavy Hand” of Lawmakers Into Classroom Lessons
PEN America issued the following statement upon passage of Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' bill, from CEO Suzanne Nossel: "Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill amounts to a government diktat policing the… More
‘Alarming’ Suspension of Florida Student for Organizing Rally Against ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill
This comes as Florida moves to ban discussions of LGBTQ+ identities in schools, and books about LGBTQ+ lives are being removed from Florida's school library shelves. Petocz's efforts to… More
Shutdown of Independent Media Leaves Kremlin in Control of War Message at Home
“The years-long effort by the Kremlin to replace facts with propaganda, deny its citizens access to truthful information, and repress critiques and organized opposition is culminating with this sweeping,… More