PEN America’s Guide on COVID-19 and Disinformation
Building Media Literacy Skills During a Pandemic As the coronavirus pandemic heightens nerves, disinformation—defined as information being spread with the intention to mislead–has found fertile ground. In the United States,… More
A Letter from Our CEO: How We’re Reinventing PEN America
“At this exceptionally difficult time for all of us, I wanted to share how we at PEN America are responding to the COVID-19 crisis that has impacted every facet… More
The PEN Pod: Debunking Disinformation with Jane Lytvynenko
“Ultimately, it is all of us that are spreading this misinformation, and I think it’s really important to acknowledge that all of us are going to fall for it.” More
China Is Fighting the Coronavirus Propaganda War to Win
[caption id="attachment_183743" align="aligncenter" width="628"] Photo by AP / Ng Han Guan[/caption] This piece was originally published by Foreign Policy. Beijing isn’t interested in a tit-for-tat media feud with the United States—it’s… More
Egyptian Writer Detained for Protesting Prison Conditions That Could Worsen COVID-19 Spread
The arrest of Ahdaf Soueif and her family is an egregious attack on free expression. More egregiously, it shows the Egyptian government’s reflexive response to the coronavirus pandemic is… More
The PEN Pod: Four Questions with Suzanne Nossel
“There has been a politicization of the truth, a desire to whitewash and kind of varnish the truth to minimize the political impact of this pandemic.” More
China’s Smear of Mario Vargas Llosa an Attempt to Silence Criticism
The Chinese government’s attacks on Mario Vargas Llosa should be seen for what they are: an attempt to dismiss valid criticism of their handling of the coronavirus by smearing… More
Classifying Coronavirus Deliberations Withholds Critical Information from Americans
(Washington, DC) – The classification of coronavirus response meetings and information by the White House constitutes a severe blow to the public’s right to know and ability to have… More
Literature in the Time of Coronavirus: A Reading List
We hope these nine essential books will provide respite and illumination amid the anxiety of current developments. More
Alert Us
Are you an artist at risk or know someone who is?
PEN America On 
TOMORROW: Join PEN America, @HumanitiesGC, @CullmanNYPL, & @segalcenter for the 20th and final week of Translating the Future, with “A Flight of Tokarczuk Translators,” featuring 12 of Olga Tokarczuk's translators, and moderated by Susan Harris. https://bit.ly/3hKHAit
Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Yunnan have formally arrested a dissident poet, Wang Zang, who spoke out in support of the Hong Kong protest movement and his wife, Wang Li, on subversion charges. https://bit.ly/32TiKsF
Poet Claudia Rankine's latest book, JUST US, has been named by @oprahmagazine as a must-read this fall: https://bit.ly/3cwNT8E. Join Claudia Rankine in conversation with @proseb4bros for a #PENOutLoud event discussing her new book on 9/30! Tickets: https://bit.ly/2XXutn1.