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 called for a reversal of the 90-day suspension of assistance programs carried out by the federal government which abruptly disrupted billions of dollars in aid. From HIV treatments to child nutrition programs, including important work being done to advance democracy, human rights, and good governance will be impacted by this “pause” to “reassess,” suspension. Read our full statement here.
  • PEN America criticized a new White House Executive Order that seeks recommendations on new forms of surveillance to monitor international students and staff on college campuses. Though the stated goal is to combat antisemitism, the order fosters an environment of fear and mistrust, even becoming a tool to penalize free expression. “This order will do little to further dialogue and understanding on campus, or combat bigotry,” said Kristen Shahverdian, program director of campus free speech at PEN America. Read why this executive order is concerning here
  • PEN America criticized another Executive Order titled, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling.” “This order claims to undo indoctrination, but in fact enforces its own ideological conformity on public schools,” said Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms managing director of US Free Expression Programs at PEN America. Read why we are concerned here
  • PEN America put out a list of 23 most banned picture books counted during the 2023-24 school year. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell, Justin Richardson, and Henry Cole, topped the list with 7 bans. These books were among the 10000+ instances of book bans counted last year and the 16000+ since 2021, with books about race and racism, LGBTQ+ and people of color being the predominant targets. The Washington Post and People magazine were among those covering the story. Read the full list here.
  • In a new interpretation of the state law, Utah, which is maintaining a No-Read List since 2024, is prohibiting banned books on school property, essentially placing them in the same as weapons and vaping devices. “This is a clear continuation of efforts in Utah to stoke fear and distrust in students having access to knowledge,” said Sabrina Baêta, senior program manager with Freedom to Read at PEN America. Read our full story here
  • PEN America filed an amicus brief with the First Circuit Court of Appeals, urging the court to stop enforcement of a New Hampshire “banned concepts” law that censors public school classroom lessons on racism, sexism, sexual orientation and other related topics. “This is dangerous censorship and antithetical to the core principles of the First Amendment,” said Katie Blankenship, counsel and senior director of PEN America Florida. “Not only is it a frontal assault on free speech but it also seriously undermines the freedom to learn.” Read our press release here.  
  • PEN International, English PEN, and PEN America contributed a joint submission on Egypt as part of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process in advance of its upcoming review on 28 January 2025 in Geneva. “Despite supporting more than half of the recommendations related to freedom of expression in its last UPR review, Egypt has instead intensified its crackdown on public dissent, imposing severe restrictions on free expression and access to information,” said PEN America Research Manager Asma Laouira. Read the full statement here
  • PEN America expressed concern over Myanmar junta’s ban on 10 books,  particularly ones exploring LGBTQ+ themes. “By banning these works, the authorities suppress meaningful representation of LGBTQ+ stories and identities, perpetuating harmful stigmas,” said Karin Karlekar, Director of Writers at Risk at PEN America. Read our full statement here.
  • PEN America condemned the passing of a law criminalizing minimization, denial, or celebration of Hamas’ attack on October 7th, 2023 by the Israeli Knesset. Saying, “the fight against violence should not come at the cost of silencing essential dialogue,” PEN America urged Israeli lawmakers who care about freedom of expression to challenge this decision and protect citizens’ free expression. Read our full statement here
  • PEN America was at Sundance! The documentary feature film, The Librarians, which premiered at the film festival last week, spotlights librarians who face severe opposition and threats. Executive produced by Sarah Jessica Parker, it partnered with PEN America for its impact campaign. In a panel discussion at Sundance, Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms managing director of U.S. Free Expression and education programs at PEN America, spoke with its award–winning director Kim A. Snyder, retired librarian Carolyn Foote, and George M. Johnson, author of All Boys Aren’t Blue, about the film and the impact of the war on books. Read more here.
  • PEN America denounced two recently introduced bills in Indiana as an “extreme effort to silence voices on college campuses” in the state. The first new bill explicitly bans DEI offices and programming on public college campuses among other restrictions while the second bill, which applies both to public higher ed and K-12 institutions, is an educational gag order that prohibits any employee from promoting stereotypes which could restrict instruction, assignments or presentations on campus. Read what we have to say here
  • In response to the US Supreme Court’s agreement to hear a case about a Maryland school district where parents are asking to be allowed to opt their children out from lessons involving LGBTQ+ books on religious grounds, Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms managing director, U.S. Free Expression programs at PEN America, said, “We must resist policies that risk erasing the representation of diverse families, which would put in jeopardy all students’ freedom to read and learn “. Read our full statement here
  • PEN America expressed alarm over the investigations into the practice of NPR and PBS stations airing sponsorships. “If they weren’t ringing already, alarm bells should be going off loudly,” said Tim Richardson, program director for Journalism and Disinformation at PEN America, and called on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to dispense such politically motivated investigations. Read our full statement here.
  • María Méndez, a service and engagement reporter for The Texas Tribune shared with PEN America their newsroom’s election initiative of sharing printed resources with eligible voters to spread reliable information. In a blog post, she shared the guides they created, their process, and what they learnt from it all. Read about their initiative and findings here.
  • Aryo Wicaksono, Senior Manager, Membership, National Outreach and Engagement at PEN America was named one of Musical America’s ‘Top 30 Professionals of the Year: The Movers & Shapers of the Performing Arts’ list. “Credit goes to Aryo Wicaksono, whose work for PEN fuses his experience as a longtime arts administrator, internationally touring concert pianist, journalist, and translator. Leveraging his deep connections in the performing arts, he’s developed institutional partnerships between PEN and entities like Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera, Public Theater, the Theatre Development Fund (TDF), Austin Film Festival, Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC), and others,” their statement read. Read more here
  • In the latest PEN Ten interview, Pulitzer Prize nominee Adam Haslett discussed his latest novel, Mothers and Sons, with PEN America’s Aileen Lambert. From what fiction means to him to teaching creative writing, Haslett offers us a glimpse into his world and how he sees himself as a “method writer.” Read the full interview here
  • In the latest Facts Forward interview, Allison Baker and Viviane Fairbank introduce us to their Truth in Journalism Project, a comprehensive guide for journalists that combines the science of fact-checking with journalistic ethics. With PEN America’s Kurt Sampsel, Baker and Fairbank discuss how when they first met at journalism school, they kept running into the same fact-checking hurdles which ultimately led to them building their own solution. Read the full interview here.

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