Best-selling Author James Patterson Donates $2 Million to Help PEN America Raise its Reach, Voice, and Influence
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said: “We are incredibly grateful to James Patterson for this catalytic gift which will help us increase our reach, voice and influence at a… More
“Heckler’s Veto” Has No Place in Interrupting Speakers on College Campuses
(NEW YORK) -- Protestors at the University of New Mexico last week interrupted a speech by conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, who appeared at the invitation of conservative student group… More
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
Q&A with Burbank Unified School District Students
To make Black literature only accessible to students taking advanced courses narrows the amount of students that are able to have the in-classroom reading experience with the guidance of… More
Words on Fire: Authors Sound Alarm to Defend Free Speech
PEN America Symposium Celebrates 100 Years of Defending Free Expression and the Power of the Written Word By Suzanne Trimel (NEW YORK) -- As leading literary luminaries gathered to celebrate PEN… More
PEN America Calls for the Immediate Acquittal and Release of Mongolian Activist Munkhbayar Chuluundorj Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Protesting China-Mongolia Relations
“The harsh and unjust verdict in Munkhbayar Chuluundorj’s trial is a grave violation of the fundamental right to free expression,” says Liesl Gerntholtz, director of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to… More
Jenny Holzer Art Installation to Light Up Rockefeller Center Buildings with Prose in Celebration of PEN America’s 100th Birthday, Starting Wed., 9/14
The outdoor installation, titled SPEECH ITSELF, will include quotes from more than 60 authors in a visual tribute to the right to express ourselves freely. Among the authors whose… More
Celebrated Authors Gather Mon., Sept. 12 for “Words on Fire: Writing, Freedom, and the Future”
MEDIA ADVISORY (NEW YORK) — PEN America presents Words on Fire: Writing, Freedom, and the Future, an afternoon of urgent public conversation on the issues that drive the world’s leading… More
Allison Lee Joins PEN America as Los Angeles Director to Drive Engagement with Writers to Defend Free Expression
Allison Lee said: “I’ve spent my career with human rights as my north star. My goal is to work closely with LA’s vibrant community of writers, screenwriters, directors, and… More
PEN America Convenes Celebrated Authors Sept. 12 in NYC for “Words on Fire: Writing, Freedom, and the Future” Symposium
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel says, “The murderous attack on Salman Rushdie marks a watershed moment for our organization. Coming in the middle of our 100th anniversary year, it… More
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"There need to be spaces for Americans to learn about Blackness outside of an American context," writes @KeishelNOTKesha in reaction to @ChimamandaReal's novel Half of a Yellow Sun being challenged and banned from a classroom in Michigan. #BannedBooks https://pen.org/chimamanda-ngozie-adichies-half-of-a-yellow-sun-the-danger-of-a-single-untold-story/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-pug
PEN America Calls for Spurious Charges to be Dropped Against Writer, Playwright, and Filmmaker Tsitsi Dangarembga (@EfieZethu) in Zimbabwe. #TsitsiDangarembga https://pen.org/press-release/pen-america-calls-for-spurious-charges-to-be-dropped-against-writer-playwright-and-filmmaker-tsitsi-dangarembgaon-in-zimbabwe/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-pug
PEN America Calls for Release of Imprisoned Iranian Writers and Artists as Anti-Government Protests Land Dissident Voices in Jail. #Iran #RezaKhandanMahabadi https://pen.org/press-release/pen-america-calls-for-release-of-imprisoned-iranian-writers-and-artists-as-anti-government-protests-land-dissident-voices-in-jail/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-pug