Good News that Wentzville School District Returns 200 Temporarily Banned Books to Shelves But PEN America Raises Concern that 17 Removed Books Are Still Inaccessible
“When legislation and threats of criminalization are enacted without guidelines, what we see are librarians and school officials operating out of fear and excess caution,” said Kasey Meehan, program… More
Sweeping Ban on Certain Topics for Library Books in League City, TX has “Harmful Implications”
Jonathan Friedman, director of Free Expression and Education programs at PEN America, issued the following comments: "Restricting the purchase and circulation of library materials by government edict is anathema to… More
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
Spiegelman, Atwood Among Signers of PEN America Letter Against Missouri Book Bans
Art Spiegelman, Margaret Atwood, Neil Gaiman, Lois Lowry, Roxane Gay, Rupi Kaur, and Alison Bechdel are among the authors and illustrators who signed a PEN America open letter protesting… More
Florida Adopts Even More Punitive Provisions Against Teachers and Students To Implement New Controversial Education Laws
(NEW YORK)-- A new set of rules passed by the Florida Board of Education to implement controversial laws like the “Don’t Say Gay” and “Stop W.O.K.E” acts are “alarming”… More
PEN America Responds to Questions Raised about Book Bans in the Central York, PA Schools
(NEW YORK)-- In response to questions raised about the banning of books in the Central York, PA school district, PEN America issued the following statement: In fall 2021, a list… More
Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie’s “Half of A Yellow Sun:” The danger of a single untold story
"Denying students age-appropriate opportunities to read Half of a Yellow Sun in classrooms because the truth is too violent is denying them the opportunity to understand the truth of… More
PEN America Applauds Congressional Resolutions Condemning Book Bans and Affirming the Right to Free Expression in Schools
"Book bans are a blatant affront to free expression, the lifeblood of our democracy,” said Nadine Farid Johnson, managing director of PEN America Washington and Free Expression Programs. “Encroachments… More
Banned in the USA Q&A: Varian Johnson asks if book bans are meant to ‘keep a certain population of our country down’
For Banned Book Week, PEN America interviews Varian Johnson, author of The Parker Inheritance, which has been banned twice in the 2021-2022 school year. More