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Break Out: PEN America Celebrates Prison Writing Awards and New Anthology

EventDecember 15, 2022

PEN America celebrated the winners of its 2022 Prison Writing Awards as it launched the new anthology, Variations on an Undisclosed Location, with an event at the Brooklyn Public… More

Character Development: A National Novel Writing Month Pep Talk

BlogOctober 19, 2022

Writer William Myrl Smitherman writes a pep talk for incarcerated writers for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). More

On Pressing the Bounds of What’s Possible: A Conversation with Emile DeWeaver

Blog
By: Charley Burlock | October 19, 2022

PEN America Prison and Justice Writing intern Charley Burlock interviews writer Emile DeWeaver. More

Record Label Die Jim Crow Gives Incarcerated Artists the Spotlight

Blog
By: Tomás Miriti Pacheco | September 16, 2022

PEN America intern Tomás Miriti Pacheco features Die Jim Crow Records, the first record label dedicated to incarcerated artists in the United States. More

Variations on an Undisclosed Location: 2022 Prison Writing Awards Anthology

Drama

This anthology represents the indispensable archive of the creativity and intellect of incarcerated writers. It also exists simultaneously as a vehicle of connection with the world and other incarcerated… More

Jazmyn Lawrence's The Creation of Me, a collage featuring an image of the artist on a background of yellow, red, and magenta

Multiplicity and Narratives of Confinement in “Faces of Resilience,” Presented by the Barnes Foundation and Mural Arts Philadelphia

Blog
By: Alexandra Fiorentino-Swinton | August 16, 2022

PEN America intern Alexandra Fiorentino-Swinton reviews "Faces of Resilience," a show featuring artists who are justice-involved, presented by the Barnes Foundation and Mural Arts Philadelphia. More

Introducing I am climbing the stairs that I create with these words all the way to the top: A NaPoWriMo Zine

Blog
By: Sophia Ramirez | July 21, 2022

PEN America's Sophia Ramirez introduces our newest Prison Writing poetry zine, "I am climbing the stairs that I create with these words all the way to the top," for… More

Online Conversation March 16 on Access to Books in Prisons and the Use of E-Readers

Press ReleaseMarch 14, 2022

With 2 million people in prisons and jails across the country, restricting reading could have profound ramifications for the men and women cycled through the criminal legal system and… More

Introducing ‘Love Lay Dormant’: A 2021 Prison Writing NaNoWriMo Zine

Blog
By: Sophia Ramirez | February 15, 2022

Our Greater Constellations zine springs from the inspired poetic work created by members of our PEN America Prison Writing community during National Poetry Writing Month. More

New Guidance: E-Readers in Prisons Must Expand Access to Reading, Not Supplant Books Altogether

Press ReleaseFebruary 8, 2022

New guidance on e-readers use in prisons seeks to expand reading, not supplant books altogether. More

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PEN America Speaks: How We Defended and Celebrated Free Expression This Week
Scholar-Author Imani Perry on Listening Deeply, Turning 50, Writing About Historical Atrocities and Being a Mother
PEN America Calls on Cooper Union to Reopen an Exhibit on the Legacy of Vkhutemas, a Design School Shuttered by Joseph Stalin
Suspension of Virtual Library App by CA’s Orange Unified School District Is An Overreaction and Sets a Worrisome Precedent

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penamerica PEN America @penamerica ·
2h

"Amid efforts to restrict books that include race-related themes, several new book clubs have launched around the country to keep literature by Black authors in the spotlight." #BlackHistoryMonth https://www.moultrieobserver.com/news/local_news/black-history-month-black-authors-keep-history-alive-amid-efforts-to-suppress-blackness/article_ff445067-f6a1-5ad9-892b-360850922553.html via @themobserver

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_richardhall Richard Hall @_richardhall ·
7h

Read our story on the DeSantis book bans ⬇️ https://twitter.com/penamerica/status/1621508379586985985

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msboismier_ela Ms. Boismier, M.Ed. @msboismier_ela ·
4 Feb

🧵4/8: This week @BKLYNlibrary & @PENamerica @jonfreadom launched the 1st session in our 4-week Freedom to Read Advocacy Institute. What struck me most in that workshop session was the craving our teen participants had for community, for connection. https://tinyurl.com/yy5ek3s5

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