PEN America Names Katie Blankenship to New Position as Florida Director
“Katie is the proven leader and advocate we need to expand our effort to protect the freedoms to read and learn in Florida,” said PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel.… More
PEN America Urges Texas School to Reverse Decision to Kick Trans Student Out of Lead Role in Musical Oklahoma!
“This is a cruel decision guided by a ‘criteria’ that the district admits is applied unevenly. It is yet another example of threats to free expression for LGBTQ+ students,… More
Rising Anti-Muslim and Anti-Arab Hate on Campus
A wave of anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian incidents have occurred on college campuses in conjunction with the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, including violent attacks, threats, and targeted, hateful and menacing… More
New Report: Legislatures Introduce 110 Educational Gag Orders in 2023
“Censorship advocates have spent years trying to sabotage the teaching of ideas they don't like, and imposing their own views on our nation's students,” said PEN America’s Jeremy C.… More
Brandeis U Revokes Recognition of Student Palestine Group Without Citing Any Violations of Policies
“Private universities ought to uphold robust protections for students’ free expression and association. Even if they are not subject to the First Amendment, private universities like Brandeis have rightfully… More
More Than 300 Book Titles Banned by Collier County, FL, Including Literary Classics by Aldous Huxley, Ralph Ellison and Joseph Heller
“We are saddened for the students of Collier County Public Schools that so many titles, including renowned literary classics and contemporary young adult works are banned from student access,”… More
More Than 300 Titles, Including Numerous Literary Classics, Banned In Collier County, Florida
Collier County Public Schools in Florida is making news for removing over 300 books from its school libraries from all grade levels. More
PEN America Welcomes New Effort by Goodreads to Combat “Review Bombing”
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said: "We are gratified that Goodreads has taken steps to implement one of the crucial recommendations in our recent Booklash report, aimed at preventing… More
Citing Grave Free Speech Concerns, PEN America Rejects Florida Campus Ban on Students for Justice in Palestine
Jonathan Friedman, director of Free Expression and Education Programs, issued the following statement: "This policy is part of a pattern from the Florida government, ready to cast aside free speech… More
New PEN America Report: U.S. Prisons Ban Staggering Numbers of Books
“The extent of prison book banning is alarming and an attack on the written word itself.” said Moira Marquis, senior manager of PEN America’s Freewrite Project and lead author… More