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PEN America Joins with Other Groups in Condemning Cancellation of Play at Santa Monica College
PEN America is joined by the Dramatists Guild, the Dramatists Legal Defense Fund, and the National Coalition Against Censorship in condemning the cancelation of a play at Santa Monica… More
PEN America Endorses Appeal for New UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy
The statement, led by Democracy without Borders, warned on Monday that “democracy is threatened and authoritarianism is on the rise.” It stresses the urgency for the UN to actively… More
PEN America Welcomes Release of Iranian Dissident Rapper Toomaj Salehi
Salehi was arrested in October 2022 for his music in support of Iran's “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests following the custodial death of Mahsa Amini. More
The Topics Teachers Are Too Afraid to Teach
Frederick Douglass, women’s suffrage, jazz and the blues, Batman, reproductive biology, philosophy. In states with restrictive educational policies, teachers and professors have questioned if they are allowed to teach… More
PEN America Files Amicus Brief in Case Against Texas Law Requiring Ratings for Sexual Content on Books Sold to Public Schools
(NEW YORK)—PEN America has filed an amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit in the case of Book People v. Wong, challenging Texas’s HB 900, which requires booksellers to “rate”… More
Guatemalan Artists Among Those Targeted During Political Turmoil
ARC calls for the liberation of all artists, writers, activists, and others arrested for publicly opposing attempts to invalidate August’s presidential election results. More
Cancelled Film on Israel Deprives a NY Campus of Important Conversation Amid Crisis
“The decision to cancel this film is totally antithetical to the principles of free expression and academic freedom to which Hunter College must adhere. At this moment of heightened… More
PEN America Speaks: How We Defended and Celebrated Free Expression The Week of November 13
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
Native American Heritage Month – Reading List by Oscar Hokeah
The last two years have seen unmitigated attacks on LGBTQ+ content in public school libraries, with 26% of banned books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and themes. For Pride month, PEN… More
Decision by University of Southern California to Bar Professor from Teaching This Semester for Anti-Hamas Remarks is a “Shocking Overreaction,” Says PEN America
“Totally barring a professor from campus because of a passing comment like this is a shocking overreaction. Regardless of Professor Strauss’s intent, he is entitled to his views and… More