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.
- After Bari Weiss, the editor-in-chief of CBS News, pulled a 60 Minutes investigation about deportations, PEN America urged the news organization to run the segment and warned that journalism can’t depend on government approval. “Pulling it back at the last minute because the government chose not to respond is an insult not only to the integrity of the journalists but to core principles of independent news gathering,” said Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director. “Journalism can’t function if those under scrutiny are allowed to avoid accountability simply by refusing to engage.” Read the full statement here.
- In conversation with PEN America, Ben Folds discussed his decision to step down from his role as artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump was elected as chairman. “I couldn’t put my stamp of approval on it,” he said. “There has never been a breach like that into our arts, where the executive branch, with the president, overthrew the board, installed himself into the arts.” Read the full interview here.
- Administrators of Head Start, a highly respected program that serves disadvantaged preschool children, are in an “impossible situation” following orders from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that they avoid using certain words, including “inequalities” and “socioeconomic,” in their grant applications. In a new blog post, PEN America explains how the federal government’s crackdown on free speech is putting some of the country’s most vulnerable populations at risk. Read the full blog post here.
- At PEN America’s Annual General Meeting, the organization’s professional members elected critically acclaimed novelist Dinaw Mengestu as its new president. Kasey Meehan, program director for the Freedom to Read, also moderated a conversation with authors Rex Ogle, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, and Padma Venkatraman about their dual role as artists and activists during times that demand both. Read more about the meeting here.
- PEN America published a list of books that our staff just couldn’t put down this year. Browse the recommendations here, and check out our earlier list of titles featured across multiple “best of 2025” lists here.
- Before the holiday travel season, we asked 10 authors to tell us what habits they maintain and what items they carry with them when traveling to support their writing practice. From biting into ginger root to playing pick-up basketball games, learn what rituals writers rely on no matter where they are.
