Margaret Atwood Unveils Fireproof Copy of Bestseller The Handmaid’s Tale To Be Auctioned by Sotheby’s in Support of PEN America
‘Powerful Words Can Never Be Extinguished’ (NEW YORK)--Nearly 700 supporters of PEN America's work to defend free expression reacted with cheers and applause at the organization's annual gala tonight after… More
Ayad Akhtar’s Remarks at the 2022 PEN America Literary Gala
“Reading, of course, is an individual act, but a culture that fosters reading and one that supports writers, invariably compels us to presence, to protest, to celebration.” More
Can the Written Word Make a Difference, as Global Threats Mount?
Writers Reflect on Peril at PEN America’s Emergency Congress of Writers By Suzanne Trimel Can the power of the written word meaningfully bring about change in a world threatened by… More
For Educational Gag Orders, The Vagueness Is The Point
We find that instead of clarifying the laws, guidance documents have muddied the waters, further eroding academic freedom and students’ right to learn. More
PEN America to Honor Florida High School Activist Jack Petocz for Organizing Book Ban and ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Protests Statewide
PEN America Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Nossel said, “The state of Florida has declared war on free speech through a series of measures aimed squarely to suppress expression. Jack… More
Alarm Over Reported Deportation of Nicaraguan Musician Leonardo Canales
“Canales’ arrest and deportation is yet another attack on the Nicaraguan creative community by the increasingly authoritarian regime of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo,” said Julie Trébault, Director of… More
$2 Million Gift from the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation Supports Emergency and Resilience Funds for Persecuted Artists Worldwide and Immediate Support to Artists in Crisis from the Ukraine War
Julie Trebault, Director of the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) at PEN America, said: “Over the past two months, we have witnessed devastating attacks on the people of Ukraine… More
Imprisoned Ukraine Journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko To be Honored with 2022 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award May 23
PEN America Chief Executive Officer Suzanne Nossel said, “Since February, the horrors of Russia's war on Ukraine have been laid bare for all the world to see. But Russia’s… More
Conservatives Oppose Educational Gag Orders, Too
Casual observers of the recent wave of educational gag orders could be forgiven for thinking that views on this issue are perfectly polarized along ideological lines. Conservatives support these… More
Human Rights Advocate Liesl Gerntholtz Joins PEN America as Inaugural Director of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said: "We are delighted to have Liesl Gerntholtz join PEN America to spearhead our global work to defend writers and confront mounting threats to… More
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ICYMI, @AKurkov of @PenUkraine spoke at the #PENWorldVoices festival earlier this month; @TIME has reprinted his moving remarks, including: "Reality is now scarier, more dramatic than any fictional prose. In this context novels lose their meaning."
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Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali is a scholar of disaster medicine who is at imminent risk of execution in #Iran. #SaveAhmadreza #FreeDjalali before it is too late.
