PEN America Cites “Egregious Violation” of Academic Freedom by Hamline University
“If these reports are accurate, Hamline University has committed one of the most egregious violations of academic freedom in recent memory,” said Jeremy Young, senior manager of free expression… More
PEN America Condemns “Alarming Spread” of Violence and Harassment Against Drag Story Hours
"These violent responses to drag performers and members of the LGBTQ+ community strike at the heart of the freedom to gather, read, perform, and share community safely, all bedrocks… More
Good News that Wentzville School District Returns 200 Temporarily Banned Books to Shelves But PEN America Raises Concern that 17 Removed Books Are Still Inaccessible
“When legislation and threats of criminalization are enacted without guidelines, what we see are librarians and school officials operating out of fear and excess caution,” said Kasey Meehan, program… More
PEN America Raises Concern Over “a Cloak of Inscrutability” for Judges in Judicial Security and Privacy Provision of Defense Bill
“The Judicial Security and Privacy Act will enshroud the federal judiciary with a cloak of inscrutability, curtailing the ability of journalists and civil society to fairly investigate and uncover… More
PEN America Calls on Elon Musk to Reverse Twitter Suspensions of Journalists
”It’s alarming but unfortunately not so surprising to see Musk silencing journalists or creating new content regulation rules on a whim, based purely on what he finds inconvenient for… More
Sweeping Ban on Certain Topics for Library Books in League City, TX has “Harmful Implications”
Jonathan Friedman, director of Free Expression and Education programs at PEN America, issued the following comments: "Restricting the purchase and circulation of library materials by government edict is anathema to… More
PEN America Urges Attorney General to Drop Charges Against Assange
PEN America joined with partner organizations to send a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, calling for charges against Julian Assange to be dropped. More
These 176 Books Were Banned in Duval County, Florida
PEN America presented a joint letter with We Need Diverse Books and authors and illustrators of 176 books removed from classrooms in Duval County, Florida, in January 2022 for… More
Letter to Duval County, FL Schools from PEN America and We Need Diverse Books— Signed by 70 Authors—Calls for Return of 176 Book Titles Pulled from Classroom Libraries
(NEW YORK)—In a letter sent to Duval County Public Schools in Florida, PEN America and We Need Diverse Books, along with 70 authors, questioned the removal of 176 book… More
PEN America Town Hall Dec. 13 in NYC: How Can the Publishing Industry be Challenged and Transformed to Represent More Diverse Authors, Readers and Books?
PEN America President Ayad Akhtar will give opening remarks. Writer, editor, and publisher Roxane Gay, author Min Jin Lee, publishing veteran Erroll McDonald, and writer and editor Chris Beha… More