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The PEN Pod: On Authoritarianism, Abortion Restrictions, and Protecting the Freedom to Learn
“They are people who deserve our support, who’ve been working as human rights defenders inside their countries, who now are faced with the loss of their livelihood.” More
Russia Effectively Blackmailed Apple, Google Into Removing Voting App
Google and Apple have removed from their stores a tactical voting app from imprisoned activist Alexei Navalny and his allies after coming under pressure from the Russian government for… More
Book Ban in Pennsylvania School District Sets Troubling Precedent for Access to Diverse Literature
Students, teachers, and parents in York, PA have staged protests this month over an ongoing ban in the district of a set of books and other materials related to… More
2021 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award: Baktash Abtin, Keyvan Bajan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi
PEN America bestows its 2021 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award on Iranian writers Baktash Abtin, Keyvan Bajan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi. More
PEN America to Honor Imprisoned Iranian Writers and Free Expression Advocates Baktash Abtin, Keyvan Bajan, and Reza Khandan Mahabadi at 2021 Gala
PEN America today announces three imprisoned Iranian writers and free expression advocates—celebrated poet, screenwriter, and filmmaker Baktash Abtin; novelist and journalist Keyvan Bajan; and author, literary critic, and popular… More
Cuba: Writers and artists remain threatened and imprisoned two months after protests
In the two months since historic mass demonstrations swept through Cuba on July 11, there have been at least 39 documented arrests of artists related to the protests, four… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Steven Reigns
“I identify as a gay man. The experience of growing up as an outsider positioned me to be an observer. I think everything I do is informed by my… More
Artists at Risk Connection Releases New Podcast, ‘Creating Artistic Resilience: Voices of Asia’
In a limited-run podcast Creating Artistic Resilience: Voices of Asia from PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection, five artists and cultural rights defenders from Myanmar, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the… More
Wole Soyinka, Hillary Clinton, Sandra Cisneros, Louise Penny, and Pamela Paul to Headline PEN America’s Trademark Fall Literary Event Series PEN Out Loud
PEN America today unveiled its fall season of PEN Out Loud, a literary conversation series bringing together some of the world’s top writers to engage in vital conversations. More
Threats to Participants in Hindu Nationalism Conference Risk Silencing Academic Freedom
PEN America condemns this campaign of intimidation and retaliation against writers and public intellectuals, and supports their rights to free expression and freedom of academic thought and inquiry. More