PEN America Calls Out Texas School District for Banning Eleven Books
A Texas school district announced this week that it would remove or suspend nine books from its secondary school book club readings lists. More
PEN Pals: Ashley Hope Pérez and Padma Venkatraman on What Book Bans Are Really About
"I think books like Out of Darkness offer a historical perspective on our current moment, which is still very much affected by racism." More
The PEN Pod: On Book Bans with George M. Johnson
“I’m proud that they’re trying to stop my truth in many ways. I can’t be intimidated. I mean, I put my story out there for the world to see,… More
PEN Pals: Fatima Shaik Interviews Susan Kuklin About LGBTQ+ Books and How They Save Lives
“The library is supposed to be an inclusive institution, conceived for all, not some or a few.” More
The PEN Pod: On Educational Gag Orders and the January 6 Insurrection Subpoena
“We should be encouraging young people to look at our history through a variety of lenses—through the lens of race, through the lens of socioeconomics, gender.” More
Texas Governor Invokes ‘Pornography’ to Ban Books, Threaten Criminal Action Against Librarians and Teachers
PEN America condemns the governor’s actions as a politically-motivated exercise in censorship and intimidation that threatens to ban books and criminalize teachers and librarians doing their job. More
PEN Pals: Nikki Grimes and Padma Venkatraman Discuss Challenged Books
“I created my [Dyamonde Daniel book] series so that emerging Black readers would see themselves represented in that genre.” More
PEN America Denounces Texas House Committee’s Investigation into School Districts’ Books on Race, Sexuality, and Gender
The investigation comes at a time when books addressing these issues are being challenged in schools across Texas. More
Potential Criminal Charges Against Wyoming Librarians “Astounding Overreach”
PEN America today decries mere suggestion of prosecuting librarians for books stocked in a Wyoming community library. More
Protecting the Freedom to Learn: A Banned Books Week Reading List
In this reading list, we’ve chosen to spotlight 10 of the 19 books slated for removal or suspension in the Leander Independent School District in Texas. More
Alert Us
Are you an artist at risk or know someone who is?