Blog
Filter By:
Advocacy • Analysis • Blog • Commentary • Drama • Essay • Event • Feature • Fiction • Graphic Narrative • Interview • Memoir • News • Obituary • Open Letter • Poetry • Press Release • Profile
Browse By Series:
PEN Poetry Series • Prison Writing • The PEN Ten Interviews • Illustrated PEN • Pen Pals • The PEN World
Browse By Email Subscription:
PEN America News • Educational Censorship News • Works of Justice
Sentencing of Poet Wang Zang and His Wife to Prison in China Shows “Repressive Environment” for Free Expression, as PEN America Calls For Their Release
“We condemn the sentencing of Wang Zang for exercising his freedom to write, and of his wife Wang Liqin whose only apparent ‘crime’ was advocating for her husband’s rights,”… More
PEN America Condemns Execution of Iranian Activist Mohsen Shekari After Conviction for Participation in Protests
“We are horrified by the shocking execution of Mohsen Shekari and the terrifying precedent this sets for artists and protestors currently held in Iranian prisons. The Iranian government clearly… More
Sweeping Ban on Certain Topics for Library Books in League City, TX has “Harmful Implications”
Jonathan Friedman, director of Free Expression and Education programs at PEN America, issued the following comments: "Restricting the purchase and circulation of library materials by government edict is anathema to… More
PEN America Urges Attorney General to Drop Charges Against Assange
PEN America joined with partner organizations to send a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, calling for charges against Julian Assange to be dropped. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Kimberly Nguyen
I believe that fiction is a mask, and the truth lurks somewhere underneath. More
PEN America delegation to Ukraine bears witness to bravery of writers and citizens
A delegation from PEN America that included prominent writers Barbara Demick, Dave Eggers, and Peter Godwin visited Kyiv and witnessed the resilience of Ukrainian artists and writers. More
These 176 Books Were Banned in Duval County, Florida
PEN America presented a joint letter with We Need Diverse Books and authors and illustrators of 176 books removed from classrooms in Duval County, Florida, in January 2022 for… More
PEN America and PEN Sydney Condemn Arrests of 3 More Iranian Writers, as Iran Continues Crackdown on Free Expression Targeting Writers and Artists
“The violent and targeted arrests of the IWA’s board members are designed to intimidate and silence one of the leading independent civil society voices inside Iran that steadfastly speaks… More
Letter to Duval County, FL Schools from PEN America and We Need Diverse Books— Signed by 70 Authors—Calls for Return of 176 Book Titles Pulled from Classroom Libraries
(NEW YORK)—In a letter sent to Duval County Public Schools in Florida, PEN America and We Need Diverse Books, along with 70 authors, questioned the removal of 176 book… More
PEN America Town Hall Dec. 13 in NYC: How Can the Publishing Industry be Challenged and Transformed to Represent More Diverse Authors, Readers and Books?
PEN America President Ayad Akhtar will give opening remarks. Writer, editor, and publisher Roxane Gay, author Min Jin Lee, publishing veteran Erroll McDonald, and writer and editor Chris Beha… More