$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
"As the world stands in awe of the courage and determination of the Ukrainian people, we are proud to honor Vladyslav Yesypenko, whose career has stood for fearless truthtelling… 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
PEN America 2021 Freedom to Write Index: Myanmar Joins China and Saudi Arabia as World’s Top Jailers of Writers
During 2021, Myanmar accounted for the single-largest increase of writers and public intellectuals newly jailed for exercising free expression, due to the military junta’s crackdown on influential voices. More
Freedom to Write Index 2021
During 2021, at least 277 writers and public intellectuals in 36 countries were unjustly imprisoned or detained in connection with their writing, their work, or related activism. More
PEN America Statement on the Death of Reza Baraheni: A Legacy of “Courage and Defiance”
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said: "The international writing community has lost a giant of free expression and human rights with the death of former PEN Canada president, author,… More
Suspending Access to Library App Epic! Disregards Students First Amendment Rights, Says PEN America
Suspending access to 40,000 books without adherence to appropriate process, and with utter disregard for the First Amendment rights of the tens of thousands of students impacted, is a… More
Educational Gag Orders Seek to Enforce Compulsory Patriotism
Three New Bills Become Law in Florida, Mississippi, and South Dakota Monthly Roundup, March This post is part of a series from PEN America tracking the progress of educational gag orders… More
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