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Ban on 52 Books in Largest Utah School District is a Worrisome Escalation of Censorship
“This is a concerning escalation of the book banning we saw last school year. Elected officials and attorneys general are now easing and encouraging banning, facilitating the fulfillment of… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Tuhin Das
People assume that things get lost in translation, but translations give me literary freedom. Translations prove that words are not bound by any border or ideology or tyrant. More
Annual Prison Writing Contest – Guidelines
PEN America sponsors an annual writing contest for prisoners. Anyone incarcerated in a federal, state, or county prison is eligible to enter. More
In Its Centenary Year, PEN America Launches Tenth U.S. Regional Chapter in Denver on August 5
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said: “We are grateful to add two exceptional regional advocates for free expression and open discourse in Colorado who will join the writer-to-writer solidarity… More
Secret Military Executions of Four Pro-Democracy Myanmar Activists a “Devastating Act of Brutality”
Liesl Gerntholz, director of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center, said: “This is an unspeakable act of brutality, an abhorrent act. We join their families and the people of… More
Ban on Sexual Health Textbooks Continues Torrent of Censorship in Florida
"This ban on sexual health textbooks in Miami-Dade is yet another alarming victory in a political crusade to place politically motivated constraints on what students can learn. It comes… More
An Interview with 2022 DREAMing Out Loud Contributors, Aria Gallo and Luz Aguirre
We spoke with 2022 DREAMing Out Loud cohorts Aria Gallo and Luz Guirre about their submissions to the PEN America DREAMing Out Loud anthology. More
Introducing I am climbing the stairs that I create with these words all the way to the top: A NaPoWriMo Zine
PEN America's Sophia Ramirez introduces our newest Prison Writing poetry zine, "I am climbing the stairs that I create with these words all the way to the top," for… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Chinelo Okparanta
It’s a wonderful thing to learn the rules, and to learn them well. Only by learning them can you learn the clever ways to break them. More
“Do you really want to know why the caged bird sings?”: On Marlon Peterson’s Abolitionist Memoir
Emma Stamen reviews Marlon Peterson’s Abolitionist Memoir Bird Uncaged (Bold Type Books, 2021) More