Abolitionist Organizing: Brick by Brick, Book by Book
Struggles against prison censorship remind us that information is power and that prisons maintain their power, in part, by preventing the spread of dangerous ideas. More
Jeanie Austin and Patricia Prewitt: An Interview
She described her day, emphasized the importance incarcerated people place on books, and emphatically asked that ALA not forget about incarcerated people. More
Forbidden Knowledge
History warns us of the dangers of banning books, but the effects of information control on imprisoned women are intimate and profound. More
Prison Book Bans, Protect Mass Incarceration
I resist the dehumanization that prisons create, which is further maintained by unjust censorship. More
Now This Is Man
Joseph Grosso was awarded 2nd Place in Nonfiction Essay in the 2022 Prison Writing Contest. Every year, hundreds of imprisoned people from around the country submit poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and… More
Prison and Justice Writing
PEN America’s Prison and Justice Writing program amplifies the work of thousands of writers who are creating while incarcerated in the United States. More
The Sentences That Create Us
A road map for incarcerated people and their allies to have a thriving writing life behind bars—and shared beyond the walls—that draws on the unique insights of more than… More
PEN America Announces 2021-2022 Writing for Justice Fellows
The literary and free expression group PEN America today announced the recipients of its 2021-2022 Writing for Justice Fellowship. More
PEN America Releases Third Annual Prison Writing Anthology
PEN America today announced the release of its third annual PEN America Prison Writing Awards Anthology, this year entitled Breathe into the Ground. More
PEN America Announces Inaugural Recipients of L’Engle-Rahman Prize for Mentorship
"What’s most exciting to me about Madeleine L’Engle’s early and foundational participation in our mentor program is that her approach speaks to the mutually transformational relationships available to those… More