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Strong Condemnation of Russia’s Detention of Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva
(NEW YORK) - PEN America strongly condemns the detention by the Russian government of Alsu Kurmasheva, a Prague-based journalist with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), for failing to register… More
PEN America: What’s at Stake in Book Banning Movement Is ‘Traditions of Freedom and Democracy for Us All’
PEN America's Jonathan Friedman testified that what's at stake in book ban movement is "Whether we can live in a diverse society that upholds our traditions of freedom and… More
These 450 Books Were Banned in Iowa
Schools across Iowa pulled at least 450 books – including the Holocaust memoirs Maus by Art Spiegelman and Night by Elie Wiesel, dozens of classics, and books written for… More
Kimberly Nguyen | Emerging Voices Fellow
I was really interested in the idea that pain and trauma can actually be embedded in the language itself. More
Amid Campus Protests Over Israel-Hamas War, Students Should Not Face Punishment for Speaking Out
PEN America’s senior manager of free expression, Kristen Shahverdian, made the following comments: "Universities have an obligation to protect the free speech rights of their students. It would be… More
Palestinian People and Culture Under Threat from Israel’s Retaliatory Attacks
Also: See Our Oct. 10 Statement (PEN America Deplores 'Vicious Attack' Against Israeli Citizens) (NEW YORK - Published at 3:48 pm ET)— PEN America mourns the devastating loss of civilian… More
Nathan Go | Emerging Voices Fellow
I feel like we are back to square one. We are back to talking about voices that need to be heard because of all the backlash around diversity. More
Scholastic Urged to Explore Other Options Instead of Limiting or Partitioning Diverse Book Titles At School Book Fairs
Despite the challenges of this climate, we call on Scholastic to explore other solutions so they can reject any role in accommodating these nefarious laws and local pressures, or… More
PEN America Calls on LitProm to Reconsider Postponement of Shibli Award
PEN America condemns a decision by the Frankfurt Book Fair to cancel planned award ceremony in honor of Palestinian writer Adania Shibli. More
PEN America Criticizes U.S. Human Rights Record (Update Oct 16, 2023)
PEN America submitted a report to the United Nations Committee on Civil and Political Rights, criticizing the human rights record of the United States on free expression, discrimination, and… More