Chinese Authorities Poised to Put Activists Xu Zhiyong and Ding Jiaxi On Trial, PEN America and China Human Rights Defenders Warn
Chinese authorities may use the lull around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays to subject prominent human rights defenders to unfair trials while much of the international community is… More
PEN America Condemns Ihar Losik’s Politically Motivated Sentencing
“Ihar Losik is guilty of nothing more than exercising his fundamental right to freedom of expression,” said PEN America’s Eurasia Director Polina Sadovskaya. More
Photojournalist Shahidul Alam’s Ongoing Police Investigation Must End
After the High Court of Bangladesh rejected a petition from renowned photojournalist Shahidul Alam challenging the legality of criminal charges against him, PEN America again called for charges against… More
As Myanmar Creative Artists Resist Violent Military Crackdown, PEN America Spotlights their Voices in New Report
PEN America’s new report "Stolen Freedoms" details the devastation to the creative sector as well as the courage and determination of Myanmar’s literary and creative community, and offers recommendations… More
PEN America Mourns bell hooks Passing
"PEN America mourns the death of bell hooks, an inspirational author, professor, and activist. We are beyond grateful for her work on race, gender, and class, as well as… More
PEN America Announces 2022 Literary Awards Longlists
“This year’s Longlists speak to the extraordinary diversity of the global literary canon, and showcases an incredible wealth of stories and voices from a true cross-section of writers and… More
PEN America Reacts to Pham Doan Trang Conviction
"This sentence represents a heinous violation of Trang’s fundamental rights and of Vietnamese authorities’ commitments under international law,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, director of Free Expression at Risk Programs… More
A Story of Two Brains
“That’s what artists do: We imagine possibilities. . . . But the thing is, sometimes we get it wrong.” More
Attention and Affinities
“As writers, many of us are caught in the middle. Our creative imaginations are not discursive, but organic. We are pulled where the muses and where the fertile blindspots… More
Scope and Speed of Educational Gag Orders Worsening Across the Country
In the month since the release of our report, educational gag orders have grown more sweeping in scope and become law with increasing speed. More