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, as a part of the Free Narges Coalition Steering Committee, welcomed the temporary, 21-day suspension of sentence of Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi from prison in Iran to recover from surgery. “We’re hugely relieved by her release, and see this temporary reprieve from prison as an important and necessary first step in her recovery,” the Committee said in a statement. “We also continue to call for her full and unconditional release on the grounds that journalism and human rights activism should never be considered a crime punishable by prison time.”
- Paata Shamugia, a Georgian poet and former president of PEN Georgia, wrote an essay for PEN America on how writers are at the forefront of the unrest in Georgia following the country’s democratic backsliding. “Writers have always been on the front lines of these battles. I can hardly recall a protest where the voice of a writer wasn’t prominent,” he writes.
- Kasey Meehan, program director, Freedom to Read at PEN America, moderated a panel hosted by The Eleanor Roosevelt Foundation and SEAT. Titled, “The Hidden Cost of Defending Books,” the webinar featured writer Ocean Vuong and activists Cameron Samuels and Becky Calzada. Read out roundup here.
- PEN America joined advocacy groups, authors, teachers, librarians, and students in South Carolina in a press conference against the state’s mandated book bans of 7 books in all public schools irrespective of grade level. “Just as advocates, librarians, and educators warned, Regulation 43-170 is now being used to ban books,” said Madison Markham, Freedom to Read program assistant at PEN America.
- In late October, PEN America, in collaboration with the Czech Center New York, EUNIC, and the Ukrainian Institute of America, hosted the sixth annual European Literature Night. Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf, Chief Program Officer, Literary Programming and Interim-CEO at PEN America, and Sabir Sultan, Director of Literary Programs and World Voices Festival led the two panel discussions. Read our blog about the evening of culture and music here.
- PEN America condemned the arrest of novelist Boualem Sansal by Algerian authorities on November 16 and called for immediate and unconditional release. “By arresting writers like Sansal, Algerian authorities not only stifle creativity but also deny citizens access to diverse perspectives, perpetuating a climate of fear and repression,” said Karin Karlekar, director, Writers at Risk.
- Maame Blue, discussed her latest novel, The Rest of You (Amistad, 2024), in a PEN Ten interview with Sarah Dillard, World Voices Festival and Literary Programs Coordinator. She explained the complex timeline, and how place is central to the Black British cultural narrative.
- PEN America’s Government Affairs Liaison, Christian Omoruyi, was in conversation with Rita Omokha about her debut book, Resist: How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America (St. Martin’s Press, 2024). A collection of inspiring stories from days of the civil war to present day, Omokha traces the history of young Black activism in America in the past century, reflecting on how it shaped her own identity.
- In another PEN Ten interview, PEN/Bellwether Prizewinner Fabienne Josaphat spoke to Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read Program Director, about her latest novel, Kingdom of No Tomorrow (Algonquin Books, 2024). Talking about why writing is revolutionary, Josaphat said, “I think of novels and their power to change the world, and I see writing as a tool to pass along legacy.”
