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These books are banned in Martin County, Florida
Last week, Martin County, Florida, released a list of dozens of books it had removed from school libraries, including 20 books by Jodi Picoult, nine books from James Patterson's… More
Florida Book Bans Are No Hoax: Here Are The Facts
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis set out to "expose the book ban hoax" about Florida classrooms. His claims are false. More
Author Morgan Talty Welcomes New Son and PEN America Literary Award
Author Morgan Talty won the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for a debut short story collection days after his wife gave birth to their first child. More
Egyptian Poet Galal El-Behairy—Jailed for Five Years for Writing a Song—Joins Hunger Strike Over Inhumane Conditions
“Galal El-Behairy’s continuing imprisonment and the revolving door of charges he faces--for writing a song--are an outrage, especially given that he has already completed a sentence on spurious charges.… More
Sharp Criticism of Decision Designating Journalists Group in Belarus “Extremist”
The designation underscores the Belarusian authorities’ escalating attacks on independent journalism and free expression since Aleksander Lukashenka’s 2020 reelection, internationally regarded as “fraudulent.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Monica Youn
The poem doesn’t live for me until it reaches the mind of the reader, as if the poem is a musical composition and the reader is both the musician… More
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel Responds to Remarks by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that Book Bans Are a ‘Hoax’
If we take Gov. Ron DeSantis at his word that he is simply aiming to protect students from porn and sexualized texts, then the approaches and methods being legislated… More
From Movie Star to Book Translator, Molly Ringwald Makes a Splash (In Pink) at the PEN America Literary Awards
(NEW YORK)— Books aside, some of the chatter among the literary and publishing crowd at PEN America’s Literary Awards ceremony last Thursday night zeroed in on a surprise guest… More
Chinese Authorities Must Release “Blank Paper” Protesters and Allow Free Expression on COVID-19 Pandemic
We call on the Chinese government to release Cao Zhixin (曹芷馨), Li Siqi (李思琪), Li Yuanjing (李元婧), and Zhai Dengrui (翟登蕊). More
Removal of Art About Abortion at Idaho College is a “Slap in the Face” to Academic and Artistic Freedom, Says PEN America
“Lewis-Clark State College’s decision to pull artworks from an exhibit on urgent challenges in healthcare today is a slap in the face to academic and artistic freedom; it undermines… More