PEN America Responds to Florida School District’s Offer to Remove LGBTQ Pages from Yearbook
"The campaign to erase LGBTQ+ identities in schools continues to reach new lows. What kind of message does it send to LGBTQ+ students and families that a superintendent would… More
PEN America Decries Continued Imprisonment of Poet Galal El-Behairy, Who is Prepared to Escalate his Hunger Strike by Refusing Water
“Five years of arbitrary detention for nothing other than writing poetry and song lyrics has brought Galal El-Behairy to a point where his life is potentially in critical danger,… More
PEN America Defends as Protected Speech a City University of New York Law Student’s Commencement Criticism of Israel and New York Police
In response, Kristen Shahverdian, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, released the following statement: “Lawmakers have absolutely no right to threaten University funding based on speech… More
PEN America: Sweeping Ban on Drag Performances in Montana In Effect Criminalizes a Wide Range of Artistic Choices
Jonathan Friedman, director of PEN America’s Free Expression and Education Programs, said: “In their effort to censor drag and LGBTQ+ expression, Montana legislators have enacted a law that is… More
Statement Signed by 57 PEN Centers Worldwide Calls for Release of Chinese Writer and Journalist Dong Yuyu
“We believe that Dong Yuyu is being unjustly detained in reprisal for his writing and interacting with foreign nationals to help inform his global views, in violation of his… More
Florida School District Pulls Amanda Gorman’s Widely-Praised “The Hill We Climb” from Library
“The Hill We Climb was widely praised after Amanda Gorman read it at President Biden’s inauguration. Today, access to the book has been limited for elementary students at a… More
PEN American Mourns the Passing of Author Martin Amis, a Devoted Member and Supporter
Nested in a community of fellow luminaries who were his peers and longtime friends, he helped animate the best of writerly New York and its atmosphere of candor, debate… More
PEN America Applauds Supreme Court Rulings to Protect Free Expression Online
Liz Woolery, PEN America’s digital policy lead, said: “The Supreme Court got it right today, issuing twin decisions that protect the right to free expression on the internet. As… More
PEN America Honors Salman Rushdie with Centenary Courage Award at Literary Gala; Author’s First Public Appearance Since Being Wounded in Knife Attack Nine Months Ago
It was an emotional return to the stage for Salman Rushdie, who for decades has been a tireless defender of persecuted writers and the freedom to write while himself… More
PEN America Responds to Defunding of Kinsey Institute as Another “Alarming Step” in Effort to Exert Political Control over Higher Education
Jeremy C. Young, Freedom to Learn program director, said: “This decision should alarm anyone who cares about the integrity of higher education. It is horrifying that the Indiana legislature… More
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