Banning of Non-English Dictionaries in Michigan Prisons Tramples on Fundamental Rights
"To punish a broad segment of the prison population is short-sighted, in addition to trampling on prisoners’ fundamental rights.” More
In a Moment of Dire Threat to Free Expression, PEN America Literary Gala Celebrates Writers, Visionaries, and Truth-Tellers
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said: “In unimaginable times, we need the imagination, and specifically authors’ imaginations as manifest in the written word, to force us to reckon with… More
Statement: Publisher’s Decision to Pull “Bad and Boujee” Book is “Misguided and Regrettable”
"When debates over books and authors have a racial dimension, they can get heated quickly because they tap into long histories of exclusion and marginalization of people of color… More
Suspending Access to Library App Epic! Disregards Students First Amendment Rights, Says PEN America
Suspending access to 40,000 books without adherence to appropriate process, and with utter disregard for the First Amendment rights of the tens of thousands of students impacted, is a… More
Report: 1,586 School Book Bans and Restrictions in 86 School Districts Across 26 States
Book bans have targeted 1,145 unique book titles by 874 different authors, 198 illustrators, and 9 translators, impacting the literary, scholarly, and creative work of 1,081 people altogether. Texas… More
Florida Bill Would Let Parents and Citizens Challenge Any Book Used in Schools
"HB 1467 has been touted as a measure to increase school transparency," said Jonathan Friedman, director of PEN America's Free Expression and Education program, "but the real aim is… More
Dohle Book Defense Fund Established to Combat Rising Threats to Free Speech and Open Discourse
The Dohle Book Defense Fund will boost PEN America’s initiatives to educate the public, partner with local community groups to advocate against censorship, track and expose the egregious assaults on… More
Fatima Shaik: ”Books Like These Are Meant to be Troubling”
On Tuesday, December 6, the Accomack County Public Schools Board, in eastern Virginia, voted to return the books To Kill a Mockingbird and Huckleberry Finn to county classrooms. The… More
Toni Morrison: On Censorship, Literacy, and Literature
"I come from a race of people for whom, at one time in this country it was illegal to be taught to read, it was illegal and punishable by… More