Banning of Non-English Dictionaries in Michigan Prisons Tramples on Fundamental Rights
"To punish a broad segment of the prison population is short-sighted, in addition to trampling on prisoners’ fundamental rights.” More
New Bill Politicizing Libraries in Kentucky is a Massive Alarm Bell for the Freedom to Read
Summer Lopez, Senior Director of Free Expression programs at PEN America, stated: "Though often unheralded as such, public libraries are the beating heart of democracy, making access to the… More
These 4 Florida Bills Censor Classroom Subjects and Ideas
These bills have been the subject of much public commentary, including an unfortunate amount of misinformation. To cut through the confusion, PEN America explains below the salient features of… More
Mississippi Principal Fired for Reading a Book to Second Graders Should be Reinstated
The letter to the Hinds County School District said the firing of Assistant Principal Toby Price from Gary Road Elementary School on March 4 was “an extreme disciplinary action,… More
Educational Gag Orders: Legislative Restrictions on the Freedom to Read, Learn, and Teach
This report chronicles the alarming spread of legislative efforts in 2021 to constrict education on topics related to race, gender, and American history. More
PEN America Urges Illinois Prison Officials to Reverse ‘Troubling’ Decision to Remove 200+ Books in a Prison Library
"The fact that these removed books deal primarily with contemporary racial issues is, unfortunately, not a surprise to us,” said James Tager, Deputy Director of Free Expression Research and… More
House passes Freedom to Read Amendment
In a vote that sends a clear message to the Bush Administration that Section 215 of the USA PATRIOT Act needs to be amended to protect Americans' right to… More
Freedom to Read Protection Act Reintroduced in Washington
Organizations representing booksellers, librarians, publishers and writers gathered on Capitol Hill today to cheer the reintroduction of the Freedom to Read Protection Act, promising to mobilize readers and book… More
Bryant Park event reflects on the freedoms to write and read
PEN American Center, National Coalition Against Censorship and American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression sponsored this reading to reflect on the freedoms to write and read seventy years after… More
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Entertainment Weekly (@EW) asked LGBTQ authors to pick books by other queer authors that bring them joy. https://ew.com/books/lgbtq-books-queer-joy-celebrating-art/
What are the 25 most influential New York novels published between 1921 and 2021? @nytimes judges share their top picks, including PEN America president @ayadakhtar’s HOMELAND ELEGIES! https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/22/t-magazine/new-york-city-novels-books.html
Is it true that since K-12 teachers don’t have free speech rights in the classroom, educational gag orders don’t raise any Constitutional concerns? Here are 5 popular myths about educational gag orders debunked by PEN America: https://bit.ly/3n9QviZ.
