PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out.
- PEN America announced that Iranian writers Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee and Ali Asadollahi will receive the 2026 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award at the organization’s Literary Gala on May 14. The two writers “represent both the recent, escalating crackdown on dissent in Iran, and the long-standing persecution of writers and civil society that has been a hallmark of the country’s repressive regime for decades,” said co-CEO Summer Lopez. Learn more.
- PEN America sent a letter with more than 1,000 signatures to the Texas A&M Board of Regents, urging the university to rescind policy changes that have led to the censorship of course content, including readings from Plato, as well as the cancellation of entire classes. Read more.
- PEN America criticized FBI Director Kash Patel’s defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic and writer Sarah Fitzpatrick for her reporting on Patel’s alleged episodes of intoxication and dereliction of duty. “Public officials, particularly those at the level of FBI director, should be able to withstand scrutiny rather than resort to attacks on the press,” said Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director. Read the full statement.
- PEN America expressed alarm over the Department of Defense’s firing of Jacqueline Smith, who served as the ombudsman for Stars and Stripes, a role specifically designed to protect the publication’s editorial independence. Smith’s dismissal is the latest in a series of moves the Pentagon has taken to limit credible, independent reporting. Read more.
- It may be difficult to imagine how changes at a liberal arts college with just 700 students could be a harbinger for authoritarian efforts to control and redirect higher education across the country — but the new documentary First They Came for My College makes clear that’s the way we should understand the 2023 takeover of the New College of Florida. Read our blog post about it.
- In light of an article published in The Ledger about the lack of clarity over book removals in Florida’s Polk County Public Schools, PEN America urged the state’s school districts to follow consistent and transparent procedures for book challenges. “Without clear answers about how schools make decisions regarding book removals, officials risk blurring the line between routine library management and censorship,” said Florida Director William Johnson. Read more.
- PEN America mourned the death of Harry Keyishian, one of the most important champions of academic freedom in the twentieth century. “We owe it to Harry Keyishian’s legacy to continue to fight for that transcendent value,” said Staff Attorney Elly Brinkley. Read more.
- At our 62nd annual Literary Awards Ceremony, we asked Julia Cho, winner of the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award, about what AI can’t take away from creators and where she turns for support when, in moments like these, writing grows tough. Here’s what she told us.
- For this week’s PEN Ten interview, we talked to Pardeep Toor about his debut short story collection, Hands, which provides glimpses into an immigrant’s relationship with work, love, selfhood, and cultural identity. Read it here.
- University World News quoted Amy Reid, program director for Freedom to Learn, in an article about a memo from the Texas Tech University system which bans teaching and research on sexual orientation and gender identity. “This memo tries to conceal blatant censorship behind a veneer of legal compliance,” Reid said. Check out the article.
