PEN America Files Amicus Brief in Case Against Texas Law Requiring Ratings for Sexual Content on Books Sold to Public Schools
(NEW YORK)—PEN America has filed an amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit in the case of Book People v. Wong, challenging Texas’s HB 900, which requires booksellers to “rate”… More
Scholastic Urged to Explore Other Options Instead of Limiting or Partitioning Diverse Book Titles At School Book Fairs
Despite the challenges of this climate, we call on Scholastic to explore other solutions so they can reject any role in accommodating these nefarious laws and local pressures, or… More
Band of Bestselling Authors Stand Against Book Bans in Florida and Nationwide
“What PEN America is doing in Florida is very important to us and our neighbors,” said Michael Connelly. “We have been astonished to see books ripped off the shelves and… More
Fear that New Texas Policy Will Limit Books Allowed in Prisons
(NEW YORK)— Without notification, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) has apparently implemented an “approved vendor” policy for its prisons, a type of censorship that PEN America opposes… More
Amid Crisis of School Book Bans, Banned Books Week Arrives Oct. 1 with Urgency to Defend the Freedom to Read
LINK to the PEN America Banned Books Week actions and events (NEW YORK)— With school book bans surging 33 percent over the past school year, this year’s Banned Books Week Oct.… More
Sample Script About Book Bans for School Board Meetings
Here is a sample script for anyone who wants to speak at a school board meeting against book bans and challenges to books. If you can't make it in… More
What to Say About Book Bans at School Board and Library Meetings
If you want to speak out, but aren’t sure how to talk about book bans at school board meetings or public library meetings, here are some simple suggestions. More
Review of Over 20,000 Books in Georgia School District is “Outrageous”
Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read program director at PEN America, said: “This outrageous policy decision is sure to lead to censorship. Schools and school libraries must serve the information-needs… More
With Massive Book Banning in Prisons, PEN America Presents “Return to Sender: Prison as Censorship,” a NYC Exhibition Sept. 14-Oct. 28
Moira Marquis, an advocate in PEN America’s Prison and Justice Writing program, said: “More books are banned in prisons than anywhere else in the country and censorship is rising… More