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 50 finalists for its 2026 Literary Awards, showcasing excellence from literary superstars and new voices alike. It also announced that two writers — Haitian-American novelist and short story writer Edwidge Danticat and playwright and screenwriter Julia Cho — will be honored for career achievement at the awards ceremony on March 31. Read the press release here, and see the full list of finalists here.
- For Just Security, Interim Co-CEO Summer Lopez wrote about the absence of writers’ voices in the Iran protests. “In the weeks leading to the protests that started on Dec. 28, the regime had done what it so often does when it is feeling vulnerable — targeted writers for arrest and harassment as part of a broader crackdown on free expression,” she wrote. Read the piece here.
- PEN America said the Trump administration “trampled the First Amendment” by arresting independent journalist Don Lemon on charges that he violated federal law while covering a Minneapolis protest. The incident represents the “continued misuse of government power to deflect accountability and intimidate a free press,” said Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director. Read the full statement.
- PEN America condemned the violent arrest of Iranian writer, poet, and translator Ali Asadollahi on undisclosed charges and demanded his immediate and unconditional release. “This is a signal that the Iranian authorities’ familiar playbook of cracking down on writers to silence dissenting voices and crush cultural and intellectual resistance and resilience has begun,” said Karin Karlekar, director of Writers at Risk. Read more.
- As ICE officers descended on Minneapolis, the literary community came together to support those who were afraid of leaving their homes. Check out our new blog post to learn how you can further support Minnesota’s book community from afar.
- Lopez spoke to the podcast Books and More about PEN America’s work fighting back against book bans and defending free expression. Give it a listen.
- PEN America welcomed a court order reinstating Toby Price, an assistant principal in Mississippi who was fired four years ago for reading the silly children’s book I Need a New Butt! to kids. “This decision corrects a serious injustice,” said Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms managing director for U.S. Free Expression Programs. Read the full statement, and take a look at the New York Times story that quotes Friedman.
- PEN America condemned the cancellations of performances by the Israeli comedian Guy Hochman in New York City and Los Angeles over his dehumanizing comments about Palestinians. “Regardless of the accusations against him, Hochman has a right to perform without facing threats or litmus tests,” Friedman said. “People have every right to protest his events, but those who wished to hear from Hochman also have a right to do so.” Read the full statement.
- In response to Texas A&M’s announcement that it was ending its Women’s & Gender Studies Program, cancelling a handful of classes, and forcing professors to revise hundreds of other syllabi, PEN America said the university was “running roughshod over academic freedom.” “TAMU is staking out turf as the epicenter of higher education censorship nationwide,” said Amy Reid, program director for Freedom to Learn. “There seems to be no limit to how far they are willing to go.” Read more.
- PEN America raised alarm about Texas Tech University’s cancellation of a planned lecture about third-trimester abortion by Dr. Shelley Sella, whose Beyond Limits: Stories of Third-Trimester Abortion Care was longlisted for a 2026 PEN America Literary Award, following pressure from pro-life advocates. “This cancellation is yet another example of the dangerous pattern of censorship spreading across Texas universities,” Reid said. Read the full statement here, and read the Inside Higher Ed piece that quotes Reid here.
- As part of its legal work challenging book bans, PEN America surveyed authors about the financial toll of literary censorship. Check out our new blog post, in which authors tell us that although they can’t put a number on the harm bans cause, they know they’ve lost out on crucial sales and speaking engagements because of them.
- Reid spoke to the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom about PEN America’s report, America’s Censored Campuses: Expanding the Web of Control, which highlights the unprecedented heights of government censorship of colleges and universities. Read the Q&A, and take a look at the full report.
