Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie’s “Half of A Yellow Sun:” The danger of a single untold story
"Denying students age-appropriate opportunities to read Half of a Yellow Sun in classrooms because the truth is too violent is denying them the opportunity to understand the truth of… More
Washington’s Ban on the Booty
These policies are not only controversial; they also have harmful impacts on prisoners, their relationships, and female staff working in the institutions. More
Refused: 15 years as a Books to Prison Program Volunteer
While many states have banned book lists that limit the books which can be mailed into prisons and jails, the unofficial censorship of the mailroom staff is even more… More
Abolitionist Organizing: Brick by Brick, Book by Book
Struggles against prison censorship remind us that information is power and that prisons maintain their power, in part, by preventing the spread of dangerous ideas. More
Forbidden Knowledge
History warns us of the dangers of banning books, but the effects of information control on imprisoned women are intimate and profound. More
Prison Book Bans, Protect Mass Incarceration
I resist the dehumanization that prisons create, which is further maintained by unjust censorship. More
Now This Man
Joseph Grosso was awarded 2nd Place in Nonfiction Essay in the 2022 Prison Writing Contest. Every year, hundreds of imprisoned people from around the country submit poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and… More
The Unintended Consequences of Retributive Justice
Daniel Pirkel was awarded an Honorable Mention in Nonfiction Essay in the 2022 Prison Writing Contest. Every year, hundreds of imprisoned people from around the country submit poetry, fiction, nonfiction,… More
I Work as a Lead Man
Paul Wach was awarded an Honorable Mention in Nonfiction Essay in the 2022 Prison Writing Contest. Every year, hundreds of imprisoned people from around the country submit poetry, fiction, nonfiction,… More
From the Sidelines
Reginald Stephens was awarded an Honorable Mention in Nonfiction Essay in the 2022 Prison Writing Contest. Every year, hundreds of imprisoned people from around the country submit poetry, fiction, nonfiction,… More
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PEN America On 
Professors at public universities have no right to #FreedomOfSpeech when they teach, say lawyers for the State of Florida.
Many academics describe Florida’s stance as a direct, troubling attack on #academicfreedom. Some have even called it fascist. https://www.chronicle.com/article/its-not-clear-whether-public-college-professors-have-first-amendment-rights-when-theyre-teaching
Some people hate Banned books week so much they're not only banning it in schools but calling police on it in libraries. https://www.foxcarolina.com/2022/09/27/police-called-library-investigate-obscene-material/
Notice that there is at least an entire generation of high school students who can't even have these books considered as part of their educational opportunities. Not at all. 5 years. And that's if school administration doesn't feel silenced to even ask. https://twitter.com/jonfreadom/status/1575111942586667008