Open Letter to the School Board of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
PEN America urges the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District not to pass the “Resolution Opposing the Teaching of Critical Race Theory.” More
The PEN Pod: A Reflection on Free Speech in 2021 with Suzanne Nossel
“Perhaps never before in our public discourse. . . has there been a moment where issues of free expression. . . have been more salient to our politics.” 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
The PEN Pod: On Protesting Book Bans with the Students of York, PA
“We saw. . . what was happening at our school and we wanted to take immediate action. . . . Because we knew we had to do it.” More
The PEN Pod: On Writer-to-Writer Solidarity and the Rise of Book Bans with Suzanne Nossel
“For us, at PEN, doing a lot of work on press freedom issues. . . it’s a reminder of what we’re fighting for.” More
A Texas Book Ban is an Attack on the Freedom to Learn
Months after the Leander Independent School District banned books and graphic novels from its secondary school curriculum, the district released decisions on an additional set of titles. More
Open Letter to Utah’s Murray City School District Officials
We urge the Murray City School District to rescind the review and suspension of “equity book bundles,” featuring diverse authors and inclusive literature. More
Alert Us
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The 2022 Emerging Voices Fellowship application period is now open through January 31. Apply today!
https://pen.org/emerging-voices-fellowship/
Lawmakers in at least 12 states have introduced legislation to require schools to post lists of all of their teaching materials online, including books, articles and videos. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/critical-race-theory-curriculum-transparency-rcna12809
In this week's #PENTen interview, we speak with Quiara Alegría Hudes about the power of language and the nuances of identity and difference in her memoir MY BROKEN LANGUAGE. Read the full interview here: https://bit.ly/3Afh0Jq.
