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The Legacy of Martin Sostre (1923-2015)

Blog
By: Moira Marquis | April 19, 2023

Moira Marquis pays homage to Martin Sostre, a self-taught jailhouse lawyer who won several lawsuits against censorship to secure the rights of incarcerated people. More

An Interview with Chicago Books to Women in Prison

Blog
By: Moira Marquis | April 19, 2023

PEN America’s Moira Marquis interviews Chicago Books to Women in Prison to learn more about why they choose to work exclusively with women’s prisons. More

Unsealed: The Blood and Ink of the Prison Pen

Blog
By: Leo Cardez, Jess Abolafia | March 16, 2023

Leo Cardez reflects on the limited resources available to incarcerated writers by explaining what it's like to use a "prison pen." More

On Bridgeworks Oregon’s “Prisons Have a Long Memory: Life Inside Oregon’s Oldest Prison”

Blog
By: Moira Marquis | March 16, 2023

Moira Marquis reviews Tracy D. Schlapp and Danny Wilson's "Prisons Have a Long Memory: Life Inside Oregon's Oldest Prison" (Bridgeworks Oregon, 2022). More

Where It Hurts: How Book Bans Restrict Access to Healthcare

Blog
By: Kwaneta Harris | March 16, 2023

Kwaneta Harris explains how book bans restrict people who are incarcerated from learning about their reproductive health and other areas of healthcare. More

The Speaking Archive: Words from the House of the Dead

Blog
By: Valentina Flores | February 16, 2023

Valentina Flores finds a 1971 anthology by incarcerated writers at Interference Archive, a community-based organization in Brooklyn, New York City. More

What’s Mildred Taylor Got to Do With It?: Race, Prison Book Bans, and the Power in Storytelling

Blog
By: Moira Marquis | February 16, 2023

In this essay on prison book bans, Moira Marquis uses "The 1619 Project" to explain how limiting access to Black history and culture is deleterious to people who are… More

Introducing “Unsealed:” Inside the Letters of PEN America’s Prison and Justice Writing Program

Blog
By: Jess Abolafia | February 16, 2023

Jess Abolafia on the challenges of communication through prison walls via physical, handwritten mail. More

Bell Gale Chevigny (1936-2021): Critical Thinking and Grace

Obituary
By: Susan Rosenberg | January 18, 2023

Throughout her life, Bell Gale Chevigny taught in prisons and advocated for educational opportunities for incarcerated communities. More

Black and white photograph of Celes Tisdale next to a cover his book "When the Smoke Cleared" on a yellow backdrop

Remember This: On Celes Tisdale’s “When the Smoke Cleared: Attica Prison Poems and Journal”

Blog
By: Malcolm Tariq | November 17, 2022

Malcolm Tariq reviews Celes Tisdale's "When the Smoke Cleared: Attica Prison Poems and Journal" (Duke University Press, 2022). More

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Amid Crisis of School Book Bans, Banned Books Week Arrives Oct. 1 with Urgency to Defend the Freedom to Read
Support for Congressional Resolutions Condemning Book Bans and Educational Censorship
Banned book list
PEN America Proudly Supports Introduction of Congressional Resolutions Condemning Book Bans and Educational Censorship
PEN America Celebrates Agreement Between Writers and Film-TV Industry

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