PEN America: Calls for Genocide Have No Place in Reasoned Campus DIscourse
“Calls for genocide have no place in reasoned discourse. But, abhorrent as such a hypothetical may be, the First Amendment’s protections for speech extend even to deeply hateful speech,… More
PEN America: Former Trump Administration Official’s Threats Against Media are “Anathema”
"By informing the public on matters of local and national concern, journalists provide an essential check on government power. PEN America was not afraid to sue the president in… More
PEN America: “Gravely Alarmed” by Destruction and Damage to Hundreds of Culture and Educational Sites in Gaza
“Schools, libraries, mosques, churches, and cultural centers are not just buildings; they are sanctuaries of knowledge, bastions of cultural identity, and beacons of intellectual and artistic freedom. Libraries in… More
PEN America Endorses “Fight Book Bans Act” Introduced in Congress To Help School Districts with Financial Burden of Book Bans
Laura Schroeder, Congressional affairs lead for PEN America, said: “Banning books in schools is not only unpopular; it’s expensive. As school districts around the country divert resources to address… More
Artists and Authors to Join PEN America on 12/6 in Brooklyn to Celebrate its 2023 Anthology of Stories, Poems, Plays and Non-Fiction by Incarcerated Writers
Break Out is an annual community-centered staging of compelling cross-genre literary works by currently incarcerated writers. The selection of readings will be performed by a dynamic cadre of presenters.… More
PEN America Remains Concerned Over Academic Freedom at University of Arizona, Related to Suspension of Two Instructors, Despite Their Reinstatement
“We are relieved to see that the instructors have been reinstated, but we remain concerned that they will be unable to finish teaching their course this semester. It is… More
PEN America Joins Seven Other Groups to Support Lawsuit to Overturn Texas Book Ban Law as Unconstitutional
Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read program director at PEN America, said: “We stand with Texas students in rejecting HB 900. This law, which forces private companies and public school… More
Purge of LGBTQ+ Children’s Books from a Kansas Public Library is “Deeply Disturbing”
“This blatantly discriminatory action has deprived the residents of St. Marys of ready access to a wide range of literature, and it forced the library director into an impossible… More
High-Profile Supporters Join PEN America to Call for the Release of Narges Mohammadi Ahead of Nobel Prize Ceremony
Hundreds of the world’s most prominent writers, artists, human rights activists, allies, and civil society organizations have signed on to an open letter created by PEN America calling for… More
New Reports: California and Florida Push the Nation in Opposing Directions on Free Expression
Katie Blankenship, a former ACLU of Florida litigator who this month became PEN America’s inaugural director in the state, said: “Gov. DeSantis and the legislature have launched a legislative… More
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