PEN America Finds Missouri Schools Banned Nearly 300 Books Since August, in Response to New Law Criminalizing “Explicit Sexual Material”
The letter reminds school district officials that, “Book bans limit opportunities for students to see themselves in literature and to build empathy for experiences different from their own. They… More
Book Bans: Frequently Asked Questions
Today, books in the US are under profound attack. They are disappearing from library shelves, being challenged in droves, being decreed off limits by school boards, legislators, and prison… More
Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools
“More” is the operative word for this report on school book bans, which offers the first comprehensive look at bans throughout the 2021–22 school year. More
Words on Fire: Authors Sound Alarm to Defend Free Speech
PEN America Symposium Celebrates 100 Years of Defending Free Expression and the Power of the Written Word By Suzanne Trimel (NEW YORK) -- As leading literary luminaries gathered to celebrate PEN… More
Prison Book Bans, Protect Mass Incarceration
I resist the dehumanization that prisons create, which is further maintained by unjust censorship. More
Take Action to #FreeTheBooks
PEN AMERICA NEEDS YOUR HELP TO #FREETHEBOOKS In classrooms, school districts, and libraries across the country, the freedom to read is under assault by restrictions and bans on books. Join… More
America’s Censored Classrooms
This year, proposed educational gag orders have increased 250 percent compared to 2021. More
Ban on Sexual Health Textbooks Continues Torrent of Censorship in Florida
"This ban on sexual health textbooks in Miami-Dade is yet another alarming victory in a political crusade to place politically motivated constraints on what students can learn. It comes… More
Banning of Non-English Dictionaries in Michigan Prisons Tramples on Fundamental Rights
"To punish a broad segment of the prison population is short-sighted, in addition to trampling on prisoners’ fundamental rights.” More
Alert Us
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PEN America On 
🧵4/8: This week @BKLYNlibrary & @PENamerica @jonfreadom launched the 1st session in our 4-week Freedom to Read Advocacy Institute. What struck me most in that workshop session was the craving our teen participants had for community, for connection. https://tinyurl.com/yy5ek3s5
I’m so grateful 🙏🏾💙 https://twitter.com/milescollege/status/1621903717502013442
How did we #celebrate & #defend free expression this week?
Launched a #FreedomToRead institute with @BKLYNlibrary.
Hosted @imaniperry at @MilesCollege in Alabama.
Filed an amicus brief in @Honeyfund v. DeSantis.
Partied with #writers in LA!
& more ➡️https://pen.org/pen-america-news/