New Report: 2,500+ Book Bans Across 32 States During 2021-22 School Year
“While we think of book bans as the work of individual concerned citizens, our report demonstrates that today's wave of bans represents a coordinated campaign to banish books being… More
Florida ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill: Vindictive and Brazen Move to Halt Progress Toward Inclusion
PEN America calls Florida "Don't Say Gay" bill a brazen and vindictive effort to halt progress toward a more inclusive society. More
PEN America Reacts to Julian Assange Extradition Decision
“The relentless pursuit of charges against Julian Assange by the Department of Justice continues to pose a significant threat to press freedom globally.” More
PEN America Finds Surge in Anti-Protest Bills as State Legislators Escalate First Amendment Crackdown
State lawmakers across the country have accelerated their crackdown on constitutionally-protected protests, proposing a wave of legislation over the past year that would heap fines, fees, and criminal penalties… More
Student Activist Arrested After Reading Poem Wins Key First Amendment Victory
"The victory for Mr. Bello is a victory for anyone who may hope to use their words to propel social change.” More
Kenosha Authorities Must Commit to Protecting Protesters
PEN America is calling for public authorities in Kenosha, WI to ensure protesters are safe and protected in the wake of Tuesday night's fatal shooting and the arrest of… More
PEN America Signs Letter Condemning Federal Law Enforcement Targeting Protesters
"The peaceful exercise of one's First Amendment rights, on any side of the political spectrum should never be met with the government targeting them." More
PEN America Chapters Call on City Leaders to Protect First Amendment
"Mayors and police chiefs have a responsibility to their communities to ensure that the First Amendment rights of protesters and journalists are guaranteed." More
PEN America Files Legal Brief Calling for Release of Student Detained for Reading Poem
“No one should go to jail for reading a poem." More
President Trump Offers Pretext for Visa Social Media Policy
Ferreting out the pretext those in power use to mask their motivations is not an exercise of idle speculation but crucial to defending free expression. More
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Social media co’s are NOT enforcing their policies to limit disinfo, violence, other violative content. It’s not abt free speech, it’s abt companies doing what they’ve promised consumers. I @freepress wrote a report on tech failures in policy & practice:https://www.freepress.net/policy-library/empty-promises-inside-big-techs-weak-effort-fight-hate-and-lies-2022
"There was this history professor called Arthur Hibbert... he said, 'You should never write history until you can hear the people speak'... and I thought what a great piece of advice for a novelist," @SalmanRushdie tells David Remnick.
Listen free: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/tnyradiohour/episodes/salman-rushdie-surviving-fatwa
We've got a stacked lineup tonight, with @PENamerica joining us to welcome to the stage @_joseolivarez & @IsaacFitzgerald for a celebration of José's revolutionary new poetry collection PROMISES OF GOLD ( @HenryHolt)!
RSVP & preorder a signed book here: https://buff.ly/3wUUFjv