Letter to the Burbank Unified School District
PEN America urges the Burbank Unified School District to rescind its policy which prohibits any instructional materials with the "N-word'' from being used as mandatory reading. 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
Educational Censorship
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
Book Banning In Walton County Based On Misleading “Porn In Schools Report” Illustrates Alarming Influence Of Fringe Groups On Educational Censorship
School districts like Walton are letting bigoted, unfounded claims dictate access to literature for all Last week, reports circulated that Walton County School District in Florida decided to remove a… More
Banned in the USA: Rising School Book Bans Threaten Free Expression and Students’ First Amendment Rights (April 2022)
PEN America has collated an Index of School Book Bans, offering a snapshot of the trend of decisions to ban books in school libraries and classrooms in the United… More
Educational Gag Orders In Your Community: A Tip Sheet for Changing the Conversation
Here are a few steps you can take to help change the conversation about educational gag orders in your community. More
Florida Bill Would Let Parents and Citizens Challenge Any Book Used in Schools
"HB 1467 has been touted as a measure to increase school transparency," said Jonathan Friedman, director of PEN America's Free Expression and Education program, "but the real aim is… More
Mississippi Principal Fired for Reading a Book to Second Graders Should be Reinstated
The letter to the Hinds County School District said the firing of Assistant Principal Toby Price from Gary Road Elementary School on March 4 was “an extreme disciplinary action,… More
SIGN NOW: Hinds County Schools, Reading Is Not a Crime
We object to the idea that reading a children's book shouldn't be the cause for a teacher's firing in Mississippi. More
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PEN America On 
Four years ago, #JamalKhashoggi was murdered on orders of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Today, Saudi writers and critics are jailed for decades, as Mohammed bin Salman’s power expands. We continue to demand #JusticeForJamal and the #FreedomToWrite: https://pen.org/advocacy-case/jamal-khashoggi/
Festival Day is still on for today! All of our programs have moved INDOORS!
💔Unfortunately, we've had to cancel our Literary Marketplace due to the wind. You can still support them all online! And we look forward to having them next year!
Here at PEN America, we have long documented the threat #disinformation poses to public discourse and empowerment. To counter that threat, we launched our media literacy program, Knowing the News in 2020. https://pen.org/knowing-the-news/ (1/3)