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Sweeping Ban on Certain Topics for Library Books in League City, TX has “Harmful Implications”

Press ReleaseDecember 9, 2022

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

Letter to Duval County, FL Schools from PEN America and We Need Diverse Books— Signed by 70 Authors—Calls for Return of 176 Book Titles Pulled from Classroom Libraries

Press ReleaseDecember 6, 2022

(NEW YORK)—In a letter sent to Duval County Public Schools in Florida, PEN America and We Need Diverse Books, along with 70 authors, questioned the removal of 176 book… More

MO book ban list - book covers

PEN America Finds Missouri Schools Banned Nearly 300 Books Since August, in Response to New Law Criminalizing “Explicit Sexual Material”

Press ReleaseNovember 16, 2022

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

PEN America Urges NO Vote By Greenville, S.C. County Council on Vaguely-Worded Resolution to Censor Childrens’ Books in Libraries

Press ReleaseNovember 1, 2022

Jonathan Friedman, director of PEN America’s Free Expression and Education program, made the following comments: “If passed, this resolution would be an exercise in censorship--ordering the Greenville County Library System… More

PEN America Applauds Congressional Resolutions Condemning Book Bans and Affirming the Right to Free Expression in Schools

Press ReleaseSeptember 22, 2022

"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

New Report: 2,500+ Book Bans Across 32 States During 2021-22 School Year

Press ReleaseSeptember 19, 2022

“While we think of book bans as the work of individual concerned citizens, our report demonstrates that today's wave of bans represents a coordinated campaign to banish books being… More

Virginia State Judge Affirms First Amendment Rights in Ruling on Obscenity Lawsuit Targeting Books

Press ReleaseAugust 31, 2022

“This decision is a victory for our Constitution and the vast majority of Americans who believe in preserving a free society and unfettered access to literature. The open exchange… More

Removal of 327 Books with LGBTQ+ Themes by TN School District Is “Heartbreaking” Censorship

Press ReleaseAugust 25, 2022

Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education programs at PEN America, said in response to the news: “This is a heartbreaking case of administrative censorship and… More

Florida School District Slaps Stigmatizing and Alarming Warning Labels on Books Deemed “Unsuitable” for Children

Press ReleaseAugust 5, 2022

Jonathan Friedman, director of free expression and education programs at PEN America, said in response: “This alarming development is just the latest in an onslaught of attacks against students’… More

Ban on 52 Books in Largest Utah School District is a Worrisome Escalation of Censorship

Press ReleaseAugust 1, 2022

“This is a concerning escalation of the book banning we saw last school year. Elected officials and attorneys general are now easing and encouraging banning, facilitating the fulfillment of… More

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  • What's New
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Isabel Waidner
Prison Arts Collective and PEN America Collaboration on New Season of Outside:Inside Radio
College Board’s Revision of AP African-American Studies Curriculum Dilutes the Course Content in Apparent Capitulation to Censors
Salman Rushdie’s New Novel Turns a Spotlight On the Enduring Power of Stories

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rebekahcummings Rebekah Cummings @rebekahcummings ·
1h

Too many academic librarians are leaving the censorship fight to school and public librarians who have less job security and academic freedom. Just because they aren't taking our books doesn't mean this isn't our fight. #censorship @acluutah @PENamerica @LetUtahRead

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dabeard David Beard @dabeard ·
2h

“The Taj Mahal must be seen … to remind us that the world is real, that the sound is truer than the echo, the original more forceful than its image in a mirror.” - @SalmanRushdie https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/taj-mahal-salman-rushdie-overtourism-india-agra?loggedin=true&rnd=1675344122771 @NatGeo

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penamerica PEN America @penamerica ·
49m

Burmese artists are "risking their lives on a daily basis... In the absence of a coordinated international response to the situation in #Myanmar, the need for protection programs for artists has become more urgent than ever before." #WhatsHappeningInMyanmar

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