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Manuscripts Don’t Burn: a Timeline of Literary Censorship, Destruction, and Liberation

Timeline
By: Dan Sheehan, Lisa Tolin | July 13, 2023

As we reach a new turning point in the history of book banning, PEN America has compiled a timeline of the most notorious acts of censorship and how we've… More

Readings by Noted Authors Headline 6/6 Florida Event Celebrating Books Challenged in Miami-Dade County Schools, including The Hill We Climb by Poet Amanda Gorman

Press ReleaseJune 5, 2023

Jonathan Friedman, director of PEN America’s Free Expression and Education program, said: "The fact that a bogus challenge from a single individual can get books banned goes to the… More

Amanda Gorman's The Hill We Climb was restricted in a school in Miami-Dade County

Florida School District Pulls Amanda Gorman’s Widely-Praised “The Hill We Climb” from Library

Press ReleaseMay 24, 2023

“The Hill We Climb was widely praised after Amanda Gorman read it at President Biden’s inauguration. Today, access to the book has been limited for elementary students at a… More

“Alarming” Proposed Florida Law Heightens Oversight of Classroom Libraries, Expands Mechanism to Challenge a Book

Press ReleaseFebruary 27, 2023

“This is an alarming piece of legislation that would make it possible for a single parent in a district to enact a ban on any book simply by challenging… More

“Let Utah Read” Event Jan. 25 Celebrates the Freedom to Read, As it Falls Under Attack from Book Bans

Press ReleaseJanuary 23, 2023

Books are under profound attack in the United States and in Utah. Since the passage of HB 374 in 2022, book banning and book challenges have increased dramatically across… More

Banned books in Duval County, Florida

These 176 Books Were Banned in Duval County, Florida

Advocacy
By: Lisa Tolin | December 6, 2022

PEN America presented a joint letter with We Need Diverse Books and authors and illustrators of 176 books removed from classrooms in Duval County, Florida, in January 2022 for… More

MO book ban list - book covers

PEN America Finds Missouri Schools Banned Nearly 300 Books Since August, in Response to New Law Criminalizing “Explicit Sexual Material”

Press ReleaseNovember 16, 2022

The letter reminds school district officials that, “Book bans limit opportunities for students to see themselves in literature and to build empathy for experiences different from their own. They… More

PEN America Urges NO Vote By Greenville, S.C. County Council on Vaguely-Worded Resolution to Censor Childrens’ Books in Libraries

Press ReleaseNovember 1, 2022

Jonathan Friedman, director of PEN America’s Free Expression and Education program, made the following comments: “If passed, this resolution would be an exercise in censorship--ordering the Greenville County Library System… More

shelves of books in a library

A Tip Sheet for Librarians Facing Harassment

AdvocacySeptember 19, 2022

This guide will help librarians mobilize and respond when there are campaigns to remove their books from their shelves that devolve into harassment. More

Margaret Atwood Unveils Fireproof Copy of Bestseller The Handmaid’s Tale To Be Auctioned by Sotheby’s in Support of PEN America

analysis
By: Suzanne Trimel | May 23, 2022

‘Powerful Words Can Never Be Extinguished’ (NEW YORK)--Nearly 700 supporters of PEN America's work to defend free expression reacted with cheers and applause at the organization's annual gala tonight after… More

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  • What's New
Sample Script About Book Bans for School Board Meetings
What to Say About Book Bans at School Board and Library Meetings
PEN America condemns Polish government attacks on prize-winning Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland
Dailihana Alfonseca
Dailihana Alfonseca | 2023 PEN/Robert J. Dau Prize Winner

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