PEN America: U.S. Is Experiencing the Biggest Attack on First Amendment Rights ‘in Generations’
PEN America testified that the United States is experiencing "the broadest attack on First Amendment rights in schools and universities this country has seen in generations." More
PEN America, With Other Free Speech Organizations, Sends Letter to Congress Opposing Proposed National TikTok Ban
The letter reads in part: “We recognize the grave concerns that TikTok and other social media platforms pose for the privacy of individual users. We are also aware and… More
Letter to Congress Opposing Federal Law to Impose a Ban on TikTok
If passed by Congress and enacted into law, a nationwide ban on TikTok would have serious ramifications for free expression in the digital sphere, infringing on Americans’ First Amendment… More
Cancellation of Drag Benefit Show on Texas Campus Goes Against Norms of Free Expression
“This cancellation is an abhorrent trampling of students’ free expression rights," said Kristen Shahverdian, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America. “It goes against university policy… More
Revised Florida Textbooks Left Race Out of Rosa Parks History
In an effort to pass muster in Florida, a history textbook publisher omitted references to race, even when it came to Rosa Parks. A revised text said only that… More
Student Disruption of a Judge’s Speech at Stanford U Deserved a Forceful Defense of Free Speech by the Administration, Says PEN America
“When a speaker has been invited to campus, they deserve the ability to speak and be heard, said Kristen Shahverdian, senior manager in free expression and education. “Students have… More
Oscar Hokeah Binds Together the Threads of Native American Experience in His Debut Novel Calling for a Blanket Dance
Hokeah Was One of Two Writers of Native Heritage to Receive Book Prizes at the 2023 PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony By Suzanne Trimel (NEW YORK)— Oscar Hokeah writes fiction grounded… More
Proposed New Laws Targeting TX Public Colleges Would Create a “Climate of Fear and Self-Censorship”
“Taken together, SB 16, 17, and 18 would make Texas public higher education inhospitable for free expression,” said Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at… More
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel Responds to Remarks by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that Book Bans Are a ‘Hoax’
If we take Gov. Ron DeSantis at his word that he is simply aiming to protect students from porn and sexualized texts, then the approaches and methods being legislated… More
From Movie Star to Book Translator, Molly Ringwald Makes a Splash (In Pink) at the PEN America Literary Awards
(NEW YORK)— Books aside, some of the chatter among the literary and publishing crowd at PEN America’s Literary Awards ceremony last Thursday night zeroed in on a surprise guest… More