Report: 1,586 School Book Bans and Restrictions in 86 School Districts Across 26 States
Book bans have targeted 1,145 unique book titles by 874 different authors, 198 illustrators, and 9 translators, impacting the literary, scholarly, and creative work of 1,081 people altogether. Texas… More
PEN Pals: Fatima Shaik Interviews Cheryl Willis Hudson
"We have unique histories, songs, stories, and languages but far too many people refer to us in biased and inaccurate ways." 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
SIGN NOW: Hinds County Schools, Reading Is Not a Crime
We object to the idea that reading a children's book shouldn't be the cause for a teacher's firing in Mississippi. More
Dohle Book Defense Fund Established to Combat Rising Threats to Free Speech and Open Discourse
The Dohle Book Defense Fund will boost PEN America’s initiatives to educate the public, partner with local community groups to advocate against censorship, track and expose the egregious assaults on… More
PEN Pals: Margarita Engle Interviews Debbie Reese
"We have unique histories, songs, stories, and languages but far too many people refer to us in biased and inaccurate ways." More
PEN Pals: Margarita Engle and Padma Venkatraman Use Words as Bridges
“I knew that poetry could help me feel empathy and compassion as well as joy. I hoped that would be true for young readers and writers too.” More
PEN Pals: Eliot Schrefer and Padma Venkatraman on When Others Take Up the Torch
“I knew I couldn’t contribute to the cultural life of an institution that actively discriminates against its students—that didn’t want people like me to exist.” More
PEN Pals: Stacey Lee and Padma Venkatraman Discuss Books Breaking Stereotypes
“The more books representing our diverse cultures we have on our shelves, the more we can break stereotypes, and the more we can learn about our similarities as humans.” More
PEN America Calls Restriction of 400 Books in Texas Predictable, Unfortunate
Today, PEN America denounced North East ISD, one of the largest school districts in Texas, for removing more than 400 books for review while responding to a request from… More