5 Myths about Educational Gag Orders
The legislators behind these gag orders are not interested in a productive back-and-forth with educators; what they want is simply to dictate the terms of teachers’ surrender. More
Margaret Atwood Unveils Fireproof Copy of Bestseller The Handmaid’s Tale To Be Auctioned by Sotheby’s in Support of PEN America
‘Powerful Words Can Never Be Extinguished’ (NEW YORK)--Nearly 700 supporters of PEN America's work to defend free expression reacted with cheers and applause at the organization's annual gala tonight after… More
Can the Written Word Make a Difference, as Global Threats Mount?
Writers Reflect on Peril at PEN America’s Emergency Congress of Writers By Suzanne Trimel Can the power of the written word meaningfully bring about change in a world threatened by… More
Displacement and the Life of a Writer: Nobel Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah Opens PEN World Voices Festival with Personal Remembrance and History
[caption id="attachment_220638" align="alignright" width="300"] An Evening with Nobel Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah, PEN World Voices Festival 2022[/caption] “I believe that writing also has to show what can be otherwise, what it… More
Book Banning In Walton County Based On Misleading “Porn In Schools Report” Illustrates Alarming Influence Of Fringe Groups On Educational Censorship
School districts like Walton are letting bigoted, unfounded claims dictate access to literature for all Last week, reports circulated that Walton County School District in Florida decided to remove a… More
Letter to Hinds County School District Regarding Termination of Assistant Principal Toby Price
PEN America today sent a follow up letter to the officials of the Hinds County School District, concerning the ongoing adjudication of the decision to terminate former Gary Road… More
For Educational Gag Orders, The Vagueness Is The Point
We find that instead of clarifying the laws, guidance documents have muddied the waters, further eroding academic freedom and students’ right to learn. More
PEN America & FIRE Object to New Restrictions of Free Expression for Mississippi Professors
Today, PEN America and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) sent a joint letter to the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Education Board of Trustees (IHL) opposing recent changes to… More
Joint Statement Condemning Charges in Cuba Against Maykel “El Osorbo” Castillo Perez and Luis Manuel Otero Alcantara
JOINT STATEMENT CONDEMNING THE CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST MAYKEL “El OSORBO” CASTILLO PÉREZ AND LUIS MANUEL OTERO ALCÁNTARA IN CUBA [caption id="attachment_219919" align="alignright" width="300"] Maykel “El Osorbo” Castillo Perez, R,… More
New PEN America Report Shows Journalists are Alarmed, Overwhelmed, and Changing their Approaches, Amid the Disinformation Surge
“Readers trust journalists to stand as a bulwark against falsehoods. PEN America’s survey findings show that their ability to deliver the accurate news citizens need to make informed decisions… More
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Entertainment Weekly (@EW) asked LGBTQ authors to pick books by other queer authors that bring them joy. https://ew.com/books/lgbtq-books-queer-joy-celebrating-art/
What are the 25 most influential New York novels published between 1921 and 2021? @nytimes judges share their top picks, including PEN America president @ayadakhtar’s HOMELAND ELEGIES! https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/t-magazine/new-york-city-novels-books.html
Is it true that since K-12 teachers don’t have free speech rights in the classroom, educational gag orders don’t raise any Constitutional concerns? Here are 5 popular myths about educational gag orders debunked by PEN America: https://bit.ly/3n9QviZ.
