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Artist-Activist Ai Weiwei in Conversation with Author and Cultural Critic Mira Jacob on 1/23 in New York City
From personal experience as an artist who has been persecuted for criticizing the state, Ai Weiwei has a deep understanding of why creative and free expression matters so deeply. More
More than 1,600 books banned in Escambia County, Florida
Five dictionaries are on Escambia County's list of more than 1,600 books banned pending investigation in December 2023, along with eight different encyclopedias, The Guinness Book of World Records,… More
PEN America Speaks: How We Defended and Celebrated Free Expression The Week of Jan. 1
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. More
PEN America Condemns New Conviction of Iranian Dissident Rapper Toomaj Salehi
The re-arrest of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi and his severe sentence is part of a calculated effort to suppress dissenting voices, illustrating a broader and alarming crackdown on the… More
U of Wisconsin Should Not Punish Former Chancellor on Faculty for Private Speech
Kristen Shahverdian, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, said: “Professors are allowed to have private lives – and private speech. While a Board of Regents… More
Nearly 700 books, including celebrity bestsellers, banned in Orange County, Florida
Nearly 700 books, including recent bestsellers by Jon Stewart and Amy Poehler and classics by Maya Angelou, Ovid, and Marcel Proust, were removed from classrooms in Orange County, Florida,… More
Vietnamese Journalist Le Huu Minh Tuan Must be Released Immediately and Receive Urgent Medical Attention
PEN America expresses profound concern for Le Huu Minh Tuan, an editor, and member of the Independent Journalists Association of Vietnam. More
PEN America Speaks: How We Defended and Celebrated Free Expression The Week of December 18
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. More
10 Writers on Writing: PEN America Interviews
PEN America has been in conversation with authors, poets, and other artists from its inception. This holiday season, we are sharing 12 pieces of writing advice. More
PEN America Submits Comment to Florida Board of Governors on Policy that “Will Chill Speech of Faculty and Students”
SB 266 is “contrary to our core First Amendment liberties and values of academic freedom.” More