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Best-selling Author James Patterson Donates $2 Million to Help PEN America Raise its Reach, Voice, and Influence
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said: “We are incredibly grateful to James Patterson for this catalytic gift which will help us increase our reach, voice and influence at a… More
Conservatives have turned against academic freedom again. Here’s why.
As conservatives return to the rhetoric of their repressive roots denouncing academic freedom, the big question may be whether they will even face opposition. More
Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie’s “Half of A Yellow Sun:” The danger of a single untold story
"Denying students age-appropriate opportunities to read Half of a Yellow Sun in classrooms because the truth is too violent is denying them the opportunity to understand the truth of… More
Sentencing of Chair of The Freedom Theatre in Jenin, Palestine is a Serious Human Rights Violation
“The arrest and imprisonment without trial of Bilal Al-Saadi represents a serious violation of his human rights, while the growing crackdown on Palestian civil society raises grave concerns about… More
PEN America Applauds Congressional Resolutions Condemning Book Bans and Affirming the Right to Free Expression in Schools
"Book bans are a blatant affront to free expression, the lifeblood of our democracy,” said Nadine Farid Johnson, managing director of PEN America Washington and Free Expression Programs. “Encroachments… More
Banned in the USA Q&A: Varian Johnson asks if book bans are meant to ‘keep a certain population of our country down’
For Banned Book Week, PEN America interviews Varian Johnson, author of The Parker Inheritance, which has been banned twice in the 2021-2022 school year. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Chen Chen
Art matters because it nourishes the heart. Like plums do. Like sunflowers. Like a good, long kiss in this brief, brief life. More
Interview with Stevie Wilson, an incarcerated writer in Pennsylvania
Before incarceration, I was an avid reader and understood the power of language and reading. Upon incarceration, I quickly figured out that the DOC wasn't going to provide the… More
Florida Conversation 9/24 on Building Resistance to Mis- and Disinformation Ahead of the Midterms
MEDIA ADVISORY (NEW YORK)--This Sat., Sept. 24, PEN America, the Venezuelan American Caucus, and Cubanos Pa'lante will host an in-person panel discussion and community talkback to promote informed civic engagement,… More
“Heckler’s Veto” Has No Place in Interrupting Speakers on College Campuses
(NEW YORK) -- Protestors at the University of New Mexico last week interrupted a speech by conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, who appeared at the invitation of conservative student group… More