World Voices Festival: Ottessa Moshfegh
Ottessa Moshfegh will discuss the challenge of keeping up with online discourse at her opening night panel at PEN America’s World Voices Festival, “Ottessa Moshfegh Presents: Why Write?" More
PEN America Mourns Passing of Philanthropist Laura Pels
For the past 25 years, the award has recognized playwrights of all career stages including Tony Kushner, Suzan-Lori Parks, David Henry Hwang, Lynn Nottage, and Larissa FastHorse. These and… More
Ta-Nehisi Coates at the World Voices Festival
Ta-Nehisi Coates hopes to contextualize the flurry of censorship across the United States in his Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture on May 11 at PEN America’s World Voices… More
PEN America Condemns “Egregious” Sentences Against Blogger and Journalists in Belarus
Since the 2020 presidential election in Belarus, internationally regarded as neither free nor fair, Lukashenka’s government has jailed journalists, writers, and other cultural figures on politically-motivated charges for expressing… More
PEN America Highlights World Press Freedom Day Underscoring Writers and Journalists Jailed Worldwide
Nadine Farid Johnson, managing director of PEN America Washington and Free Expression programs said, “Across the world, the bravery of journalists is on full display. Resolute in their commitment… More
Outdoor Art Installation 5/11 and 5/13 in NYC Draws Attention to Crisis of Book Bans in Public Schools
Across the United States, local and state initiatives are regulating what can and cannot be taught to students. School boards are limiting students' access to books, and elected leaders… More
U of Arkansas Refuses Payment to Doctor for Speaking to Medical Students After He Fails to Agree Not to Boycott Israel
Kate Ruane, director of U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America, said: “It is ridiculous and offensive that Dr. Feldman is being denied payment for his services because he refuses… More
PEN Tulsa Celebrates Free Expression and Queer Identity with Events May 20 and 21
"[...] the title alone is like waving a red cape in front of a right-wing bull. Let alone that it centers the story of an urban Black trans woman.… More
Now the Most Challenged and Banned Book, Gender Queer Was Written to Give Teenagers the Guidance that Author Maia Kobabe Never Had
“If I’d had a book to read like this, specifically, when I was like a freshman in high school, it would have saved me years of questioning and confusion… More
Firing of Tenured Professor at Bakersfield College “Blurred Lines” Between Protected Speech and Conduct that May Merit Investigation, Says PEN America
Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, issued the following statement: “Universities should never throw the kitchen sink at faculty in an attempt to… More
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