Secret Military Executions of Four Pro-Democracy Myanmar Activists a “Devastating Act of Brutality”
Liesl Gerntholz, director of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center, said: “This is an unspeakable act of brutality, an abhorrent act. We join their families and the people of… More
Vow to Execute Cultural Figures and Activists Shows Myanmar Junta’s Disdain for Human Rights and Rule of Law
“These excessive sentences and rapid execution schedule, following a farcical closed-door trial by a military tribunal, fly in the face of international legal norms and should be reversed immediately,”… More
Joint Call Condemning the Belarusian Regime’s Raids on Journalists and Human Rights Activists and Demanding the Release of those Detained
We condemn the government of Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s relentless crackdown on journalists and human rights activists, and demand that Belarusian authorities cease their raids. More
The PEN Pod: On Speaking Up and Questioning Authority with Lora Burnett
“It’s a little bit chilling to say the least—and I think deliberately chilling—as in a deliberate attempt to chill free speech, for the college to single out three women… More
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel Testifies in the House on Human Rights and Saudi Arabia
“The regime’s determination to hunt down dissenters wherever they are instills a sense of fear from which there is no escape, even far beyond Saudi borders.” More
The PEN Pod: On Using Storytelling to Push Back Against Systems with Imbolo Mbue
“This story came from [my] childhood fascination: this idea of people pushing back against systems that are way more powerful than them.” More
The PEN Pod: Truth Telling with Sanderia Faye
“We are the truth-tellers—even in fiction, we are the truth-tellers. We have to continue to write, and even beyond our pain, we have to continue to write.” More
The PEN Pod: Recovering Lost Stories and How They Can Inspire the Present with Fatima Shaik
“In the Economy Society, their motto was ‘to help one another and teach one another, and put out a hand to suffering humanity.’ Now, I think that resonates with… More
Alert Us
Are you an artist at risk or know someone who is?
PEN America On 
"When local Nebraska police came knocking in June, before Roe v Wade was officially overturned... private messages between (a 17-yo & her mother) discussing how to obtain abortion pills were given to police... The teenager is now being tried as an adult." https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/aug/10/facebook-user-data-abortion-nebraska-police
"Like most Americans, you might believe books have a settled status in our culture—that even if they contain sexual material, they’re protected by the #FirstAmendment," writes @dankois.
Now, Republicans in VA are asking a judge to change US obscenity law. https://slate.com/culture/2022/08/book-banning-republicans-gender-queer-obscenity-supreme-court.html
“When we read these books... everyone is in agreement that (they) are very educational and should be allowed in our classrooms,” says Vandegrift High School Banned Book Club co-founder Alyssa Hoy. "They start very tough conversations that need to be had.” https://nextcity.org/urbanist-news/how-teens-are-pushing-back-on-book-bans
