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.

  • In a new report, PEN America, along with the Association of Art Museum Directors, and Artists at Risk Connection, surveyed art museum directors and found that they not only worry about the threat of censorship increasing in the horizon but they also don’t have written mandates to combat it. 
  • PEN America received one of eight $1 million grants from Jeff Atwood, a software developer and co-founder of Stack Overflow, and a staunch advocate for democracy, literature, LGBTQ rights, income equality, and more.
  • PEN America Florida office hosted the first “United Voices for Democracy” (UV4D) community conversation at the Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ in Miami, welcoming more than 50 attendees into an interfaith discussion about White Christian Nationalism and the threat it poses to education and democracy. The discussion was led by several South Florida faith leaders and interfaith organizers, and included a Trusted Messenger Training with Henry Hicks and a Digital Safety presentation by beck haberstroh.
  • PEN America expressed concerns over Iowa lawmakers’ push to combine academic divisions, eliminating programs in the process, at the University of Iowa.
  • PEN America, along with Interlink Publishing, the National Coalition Against Censorship, Authors Against Book Bans, New York Civil Liberties Union, and 25 authors, signed an open letter calling for the reversal of a ban on Young Palestinians Speak. The book was banned in the Chappaqua Central School District in April 2024.
  • In a new Facts Forward interview, PEN America’s journalism and disinformation program consultant, Mina Haq, spoke to media lawyers Laura Handman and Rob Balin, partners at Davis Wright Tremaine. They discussed rising trends in legal threats and advice to journalists covering disinformation in anticipation of what might follow. 
  • In a new PEN Ten interview, PEN America’s Director, World Voices Festival & Literary Programs, Sabir Sultan, spoke to Edward Underhill about his debut adult novel The In-Between Bookstore (Avon Books, 2025). They discuss his love for bookstores, growing up queer and trans in the Midwest, and threats to free expression.
  • PEN America rang in 2025 with the annual, members-exclusive New Year New Books party at The Library at The Public Theatre on Jan. 16.

See previous PEN America updates