PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out.

• PEN America announced the cancellation of its annual Literary Awards ceremony, and released the names of its 2024 award finalists and winners. After nine of the 10 authors recognized as nominees for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award withdrew their work from consideration, the Estate of Jean Stein directed PEN America to donate the $75,000 PEN/Jean Stein award to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

• PEN America announced the cancellation of its 2024 World Voices Festival. The decision to cancel was not taken lightly, particularly given the very mission of PEN America to elevate writers and foster dialogue across differences. We are committed to hosting a Town Hall in the near future to wrestle with the issues gripping the literary community and our own organization, and will share details on that soon.

• Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), PEN America, and Index on Censorship strongly condemned the death sentence imposed on Iranian rapper and human rights defender Toomaj Salehi for “spreading corruption on Earth” issued by a revolutionary court in Tehran. 

• In response to student protest at Columbia University and elsewhere, PEN America called on campus leaders to adhere to the following key principles: safeguarding free speech and students’ right to engage in peaceful protest; addressing alarming incidents of antisemitism and standing firm against hate; and ensuring a campus environment that is safe and open to all.  

•  Artists at Risk Connection (ARC), PEN America, Cartooning for Peace, Cartoonists Rights, and the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation condemned the violent arrest of Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani and call for her immediate release from Evin prison. 

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PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out.

• In our new report, Banned in the USA: Narrating the Crisis, PEN America documented more than 4,300 book bans in the first half of the 2023-2024 school year — a number that surpassed the entire previous academic year. The report highlights the stories behind those numbers, with case studies showing continued hostility toward LGBTQ+ narratives, the silencing of speech about race, and more targeting of books that contain sexual violence. Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms managing director of U.S. free expression and education programs, and Kasey Meehan, director of the freedom to read program, spoke about the report in media including The New York Times, CNN, and NPR.

• PEN America President Jennifer Finney Boylan responded to letters received by PEN America and announced the formation of a working committee to review PEN America’s work.
• PEN America filed an amicus brief in the federal Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals urging the court to continue to enjoin an Iowa state law that bans books with any depictions of sexual activity from school libraries (K-12).
• In response to Columbia University’s mass arrests of pro-Palestinian students, Kristen Shahverdian, program director, Campus Free Speech, said: “It is disturbing to see a campus move so quickly to arrest students for peacefully expressing their political views within the free speech zone, and it is even more alarming that this action came amidst political pressure to crack down on pro-Palestinian expression on campus after yesterday’s hearing in the House.”

• In response to an article in Prism Reports raising concern around Prison and Justice Writing contest winners not receiving award money, PEN America said it remains committed to the writers we serve and reached out directly to six writers who came to our attention as not having received checks in the 2020 to 2022 period, and in all but one case, reconciled payment of the contest prize money to them.

• PEN America criticized the decision by the University of Southern California to cancel the valedictorian’s speech at this year’s commencement. “This amounts to a heckler’s veto – this student should have been given the opportunity to give the speech that valedictorians before her had the opportunity to give,” said Kristen Shahverdian, program director for campus free speech.

• Random House Publishing Group and PEN America presented Salman Rushdie in conversation with Suleika Jaouad to share details of his recovery and his new memoir, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder.

• Our recent report, The Power of Peer Support, was featured in Journalist’s Resource: Report explores and recommends peer support networks for U.S. journalists facing online abuse.

• Florida Director Katie Blankenship and Raegan Miller of the Florida Freedom to Read Project write that once again, Florida leaders side with book banners. 

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PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out.

• PEN America announced that its Literary Awards on April 29 will honor legendary playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner as this year’s recipient of the PEN/Mike Nichols Writing for Performance Award. The Academy Award-nominated writer and comedian Jena Friedman will host as we recognize the late novelist and critic Maryse Condé with the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature, playwright Guadalís Del Carmen with the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award, and poet and translator Suzanne Jill Levine with the PEN/Ralph Manheim Award for Translation. Our full longlist of award nominees can be viewed here. 

• PEN America announced that its World Voices Festival, now in its 20th year since its founding by Salman Rushdie and others in the wake of 9/11, will feature 35 events with more than 100 writers, among them our current president Jennifer Finney Boylan with her co-author Jodi Picoult, Roxane Gay, Min Jin Lee, Patrick Radden Keefe, Rita Dove, Carmen Boullosa, James McBride, and Leigh S Bardugo.

• Rushdie and his fellow past presidents of PEN America Ayad Akhtar, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Louis Begley, Joel Conarroe, Jennifer Egan, Frances Fitzgerald, Peter Godwin, and Andrew Solomon reminded our community of the essential need for the festival in our times of greatest discord, writing that “as vitriolic and violence has surged, the visionary purpose  behind the festival has only grown more urgent.”

• PEN America announced that Vietnamese author-blogger-journalist Pham Doan Trang will receive the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, an honor given last year to Narges Mohammadi, who went on to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Trang has been persecuted and jailed Trang in an effort to still her voice on democracy, human rights, environmental degradation, and women’s empowerment.

• PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection in collaboration with UNESCO and co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Norway to the United Nations hosted the event Defending Creative Voices: Protection of Artists in Times of Emergencies at the United Nations Headquarters. Bringing together renowned experts and artists, the event raised awareness among UN Member States and civil society actors about the impact of emergency situations on writers and artists, as well as to call for enhanced coordination and comprehensive efforts to defend artistic freedom during crises. A reception followed the event, featuring a performance by DJ Switch and a visit to the exhibition “Culture under Attack: Safeguarding Heritage in Emergency.” The live stream is available here. 

• Freedom to Read Program Director Kasey Meehan spoke to NPR about  librarians in Prattville, Alabama, who lost their jobs over book challenges.

• Interim Washington Director Hadar Harris spoke at the Conference on World Affairs at University of Colorado, Boulder. Among the panels on which she spoke was, “Freedom of Expression: Don’t Tell Me What to Say, Read, or Think”

• Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms managing director of U.S. free expression and education programs writes: A Mississippi Teacher was Terminated for Reading a Book. Time to Reverse that Decision about Toby Price, an educator who was dismissed for reading a book called “I Need a New Butt!” to second graders. 

• Samantha LaFrance and Madison Markham wrote that state legislative tactics meant to intimidate librarians are a growing cause for alarm. The blog focuses on Louisiana’s HB 777, a bill that would criminalize and fine Louisiana librarians if they attended a conference cosponsored by the ALA. The sweeping bill would disrupt librarianship by prohibiting individuals and groups from participating with the country’s main professional association for librarians, diminishing the quality of public libraries.

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PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out.

• PEN America released a new white paper, Cracks in the Facade, which shows how a groundswell of activism has helped the fight against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ aggressive push to upend basic rights — the freedom to read, learn, and speak, among others.

• Our new report, The Power of Peer Support, calls on the journalism industry to invest in spaces where journalists under attack online can find the support they need, especially from peers who share their background and lived experience.

•  PEN American announced 12 debut writers chosen for originality, craft, and pushing the boundaries of the genre as winners of the $2000 PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. Their exceptional short stories will be published by Catapult in the annual anthology Best Debut Short Stories: The PEN America Dau Prize.
• The U.S. cyber-defence agency launched an initiative this week to support communities at heightened risk of digital security threats because of their work, which features PEN America’s resources.
• Freedom to Learn Program Director Jeremy C. Young and researcher Jeffrey Sachs wrote that government-mandated campus neutrality laws inevitably create not neutrality, but government censorship. 
• Following the Georgian Dream party’s reintroduction of the draft law on foreign agents, Liesl Gerntholtz, director of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center, warned that the move would “undermine the essential and independent work of writers, cultural figures, and journalists.”
• PEN America Fellow Katrina Sommer interviewed disinformation expert Yaël Eisenstat about her biggest concerns ahead of the 2024 election.
• In response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing he would shut down Al Jazeera in Israel after the Israeli Knesset passed a bill authorizing him to do so, PEN America said banning Al Jazeera is a clear violation of free expression and press freedom.
• Deputy CEO  Eileen Hershenov gave a keynote address on building resilience in the age of disinformation at Connecticut State Community College in Norwalk.
• Freedom to Read Program Director Kasey Meehan likened the ongoing fight against legislation intended to restrict what teachers can teach to a game of whack-a-mole.

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PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out.

• PEN America condemned the reported assault and unjust arrest of Ismail Alghoul and called on the Israeli military to immediately and diligently investigate the circumstances of the case and make the findings public.
• Karin Deutsch Karlekar, director of PEN’s Writers at Risk program traveled with two recently exiled Iranian dissidents to Geneva, joining a coalition of Iranian and international human rights organizations calling on the UN’s Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to extend the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran.
• Los Angeles Director Allison Lee was invited to debate the mayor of Huntington Beach, California, live in the CBS studio over a new library ordinance that creates a community committee to make kids’ book selections.

• PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) released a statement expressing deep concern for the safety and well-being of artists and others across Russia, whose right to free expression is relentlessly being suppressed. This statement was made in response to over thirty artists’ homes and studios searched by state police ahead of the presidential election.

• PEN America today criticized a decision by the Millburn School District in Illinois to pull out of the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award, a statewide program celebrating children’s literature, as “placing ideology over pedagogy or children’s needs.”

• ARC participated in the event “What’s Next for Cuba?” reflecting on the outcomes of the UPR and future challenges. The event included remarks from the activist Kirenia Yalit, an artistic intervention from ARC and PEN International’s Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellow, Nonardo Perea, and the showing of the documentary “Dos Patrias,” engaging the audience on the state of artistic freedom and human rights on the island. 

• PEN America initiated a petition urging New York state prison authorities to grant P.M. Dunne’s request for protective custody or transfer to another facility, highlighting the imminent danger he faces due to threats on his life while incarcerated.

• ARC, PEN International, and the PEN Club of Cuban Writers in Exile led a joint oral statement, along with other civil society organizations, following the outcome of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Cuban State. The statement highlighted cases of imprisoned artists such as Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, Maykel Castillo Pérez, and Maria Cristina Garrido Rodriguez and urged member states to demand the immediate release of creatives imprisoned in Cuba, an end to forced exile, and that the Cuban State implement measures for the full exercise of human rights.

• ARC also joined eight other organizations and civil society in a statement calling on the Cuban State to comply with the recommendations received during the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process. The statement denounces the Cuban State’s rejection of 28 recommendations, which included requests for the release of political prisoners, the cessation of repression and harassment against dissident voices, the access of independent observers to trials and prisons, and the development of free and fair elections. 

See previous PEN America updates

PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out.

• PEN America published an open letter to the community regarding the war in Gaza, reaffirming its commitment to diverse viewpoints and outlining steps to move forward, including dialogue and expanded support for Palestinian writers with a substantial financial contribution to the Netherlands-based PEN Emergency Fund for distribution to Palestinian writers in need.
• PEN America strongly condemned the reported assault and arrest of Al Jazeera correspondent Ismail Alghoul by Israeli forces in Gaza, calling for an immediate investigation into the incident and emphasizing the importance of press freedom. 
• Madison Markham, program assistant for the Freedom to Read team, wrote about the new legislation that would increase censorship K-12 schools encompasses a wide array of measures, from “Don’t Display Gay” bills targeting LGBTQ+ expression to attempts to introduce anti-communism education reminiscent of McCarthyism, all posing significant threats to free expression and academic freedom.
• James Tager, Research Director at PEN, wrote about the China scandal over the Hugo Awards. Leaked emails expose how Hugo Award administrators compiled political dossiers on authors to avoid Chinese censorship, sacrificing the integrity of the award and revealing the insidious impact of self-censorship in the face of political pressure.
• Jonathan Friedman appeared in a special, Read or Restrict, about the controversy in Indiana over book bans. 
• The Artists at Risk Connection at PEN America expressed deep concern over the recent raids on artists’ homes and studios by Russia’s Federal Security Service.
• PEN America sent a letter to members of the Dorchester School District 2 School Board in South Carolina regarding its response to a book-banning activist’s demand that 572 titles be removed from the district.
• EveryLibrary and PEN America opposed a proposed ordinance in Huntington Beach, California, establishing a community review board for children’s library materials, denouncing it as censorship that infringes on First Amendment rights and undermines the expertise of librarians. 
   
• PEN America and multiple human rights organizations urged support for renewing the mandates of the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran’s human rights situation and the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, emphasizing their critical roles in addressing ongoing human rights violations and systemic impunity in the country.
• PEN America and human rights organizations urged the UNHRC to extend the mandate of the FFMI, highlighting its crucial role in documenting human rights violations in Iran, alongside the renewal of the Special Rapporteur’s mandate, as outlined in a joint letter sent to Member states.
•  For World Poetry Day, James Tager was quoted in an article highlighting the threats and censorship that Asian poets face. “Tibetan writers and poets who persist in sharing the contents of their heart, despite heavy-handed government censorship and retaliation, show tremendous courage and resilience. They also play a critical role in society by preserving and elevating Tibetan culture.”
• Arizona chapter leader Michelle Beaver wrote in the Arizona Mirror about the threat of disinformation and how to protect yourself. 

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PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out.

• PEN America Florida director Katie Blankenship wrote that in the recent legislative session in Florida, PEN America’s advocacy led to several wins, including successfully opposing a bill that aimed to make it easier for public figures to sue journalists, a measure that sought to ban gay pride flags and other protected speech, and a bill that would penalize students for “promoting” foreign terrorist organizations.
• Laura Schroeder, the Congressional Affairs lead for PEN America, criticized the House’s passage of a bill to ban TikTok, stating it sets a troubling precedent and urging the Senate to reject it or for President Biden to veto it. PEN America signed a letter with other advocacy organizations expressing deep concern over the bill’s violation of free speech rights and its potential to empower authoritarian practices internationally.
• As civic discourse and social cohesion continue to face considerable headwinds amid worsening political polarization in the United States, PEN America endorsed the reintroduction of the Building Civic Bridges Act, which seeks to address political polarization and fragmentation.
• Moira Marquis, Senior Manager at the PEN America Free Write project, celebrated the publication of Books Through Bars: Stories from the Prison Books Movement, a collection of inspiring stories from the prison book movement and a guide for people who want to swell its ranks. Read more about her book in a Q and A here!
• Blankenship welcomed the settlement in Equality Florida v. Florida State Board of Education regarding HB 1557, known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, saying it would protect classrooms from some of the bill’s most dangerous implications. But she said PEN America would continue to fight against the law’s chilling effect on protected expression.
• Jonathan Friedman and Elly Brinkley wrote about the rights of free speech for professors outside classrooms, focusing on the case of Professor Jairo Fúnez-Flores at Texas Tech University, whose social media posts led to allegations of antisemitism and discriminatory harassment.
• PEN America warned that Florida’s passage of House Bill 3, requiring parental consent for minors to use social media, likely violates the First Amendment and imposes unnecessary restrictions on free speech, urging Governor Ron DeSantis to veto the bill to prevent further censorship and potential costly litigation.
• Jeremy C Young and Jacqueline Allain wrote for University News about why Americans must speak up to defend university autonomy. 

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PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out.

• PEN America will honor songwriting legend Paul Simon with the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award at the 2024 PEN America Literary Gala to celebrate his indelible lyrics, boundless contributions to our canon and elevation of essential cultures over nearly six decades. Almar Latour, CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Journal, will receive the Business Visionary award, reflecting his company’s commitment to the free press and persistence in demanding the release of Evan Gershkovich, the Journal reporter jailed in Russia. 
• PEN America CEO made an appearance on PBS, interviewed by Amanpour and Company, talking about the “The Real Culture Wars” Between Democracy and Autocracy. 

• PEN America strongly criticized the recent passage of House Bill 1291 by the Florida Senate, expressing concern that the legislation would stifle professors, curriculum, and classroom discussions on critical issues like race and gender in college-level teacher preparation programs. Katie Blankenship, Director of PEN America Florida, emphasized that the legislation restricts education on crucial issues, lacks clarity in defining terms, and ultimately weakens the public education system.
• PEN America welcomed the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to uphold a preliminary injunction against Florida’s Stop WOKE Act, condemning its “blatant viewpoint discrimination.” In the ruling of Honeyfund.com Inc. vs. DeSantis, the court asserts the Act’s infringement on employer training’s constitutionality, marking a victory for free expression and speech.
• PEN America, alongside seven other non-partisan organizations, submitted a letter to the Florida Legislature denouncing the newly amended House Bill 3 (HB 3). The coalition, including the ACLU of Florida, the Trevor Project, and NetChoice, argues that the bill, seeking to restrict minors’ access to social media with parental consent for users aged 14 or 15, is overly vague and violates Floridians’ right to privacy. 
• Kasey Meehan and Sam LaFrance from Freedom to Read wrote about the threat that the book-banning movement brings to topics related to sexual violence in books. “A quarter of over 3,000 book bans that PEN America recorded were books with scenes of rape or sexual assault. Of the 12 most frequently banned titles, five contained scenes of rape or sexual assault: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Sold by Patricia McCormick, and Identical by Ellen Hopkins. The erasure of books on sexual abuse is striking amid an epidemic of sexual violence.”
• Katie Blankenship, Director of PEN America Florida also wrote about the recent tide of censorship bills in the Florida Legislature this session and the evident crack in this latest wave. 

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PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out.

• CEO Suzanne Nossel wrote in Foreign Affairs that culture is not a sideshow to geopolitics, but rather a central arena with sweeping implications for international relations.
• PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) released a statement mourning the death of Palestinian artist Fathi Ghaben whose request for medical care wasn’t responded to by Israel.
• PEN America condemned protests at the University of California-Berkeley that turned violent, included antisemitic slurs and gestures, and led to the cancellation of a planned lecture with Ran Bar-Yoshafat, deputy director of the Kohelet Policy Forum, an Israeli think tank. 
• PEN America Florida Director Katie Blankenship wrote about the threat of Florida’s SB 266 and Regulation 2.016 on university centers supporting diversity and inclusion, citing the closure of the Intercultural Center, LGBTQ Center, Women’s Center, and Interfaith Center at the University of North Florida. 
• On PEN America’s educational censorship blog, Samantha LaFrance, manager of editorial projects for Free Expression, and Education, wrote about the legislative attempt in Wyoming to defund gender studies departments at the University of Wyoming and Alabama bill SB 129, described as the most restrictive educational gag order since Florida’s Stop WOKE Act. LaFrance and Madison Markham, program assistant for the Freedom to Read program, wrote about the three bills fueling book bans and censorship in K-12 schools. 
• PEN America called on the Supreme Court to protect the First Amendment against government overreach, arguing that Florida and Texas laws that seek to restrict social media platforms’ content moderation practices infringe upon the First Amendment and represent a concerning trend of government interference in public discourse.
•  PEN America condemned the two-and-a-half-year sentencing of Oleg Orlov, a Russian human rights defender and co-founder of the human rights organization Memorial. “This is a shameful verdict that attempts to stifle calls for peace, truth, and justice in Russia,” said Polina Sadovskaya, PEN America Director for Advocacy and Eurasia.
• PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) convened an Experts Meeting on Cultural Rights and Development to address the ongoing situation in Gaza. The coalition emphasized the unique ability of the cultural argument to engage new audiences.
• On the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, PEN America’s Freedom to Writer Center (FTWC) and Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) expressed their firm commitment to supporting Ukrainian artists, writers, and other culture professionals. 
• PEN America, the National Coalition Against Censorship, Read Freely Alabama, and EveryLibrary called on the Autauga-Prattville Library Board in Alabama to reverse its new policy prohibiting all children’s and young adult books related to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and relevant issues. 
• PEN America called on the University of Houston to reschedule a postponed talk by the internationally acclaimed artist Shahzia Sikander and display her accompanying short film at a campus art installation that has been the focus of weeks of pushback from anti-abortion advocacy groups.
• PEN America’s Disinformation and Community Engagement program is addressing the escalating threats of false information during the election year by focusing on community-level resilience. 

See previous PEN America updates

PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out.

• PEN America strongly denounced the sentencing of Sepideh Rashno, a young Iranian writer, poet, and vocal critic of the country’s mandatory hijab law. Rashno was arrested in July 2022 after a video showing her riding a bus bareheaded and arguing with a woman who was trying to force her to wear a hijab went viral. Rashno announced yesterday that she will be serving a total sentence of three years and 11 months in Evin prison.
• In a letter to the editor of The Economist, Director of Artists at Risk Connection, Julie Trébault, highlights the enduring spirit of Ukrainian artists, nearly 500 of whom ARC has supported. Our ARC team is also working with the curators of the Ukraine National Pavilion at the Venice Biennale.  

• PEN America sharply criticized the decision by Catholic University to fire a lecturer after a guest speaker invited to her class spoke about abortion in response to student questions. The free expression advocacy organization called on the university to reverse the firing saying it was a “gross violation of academic freedom.”

• In response to the public hearing at the Royal Court of Justice in London regarding Julian Assange’s appeal of his extradition order to the United States, PEN America strongly condemned the charges he might be facing under the US Espionage Act, which continues to pose an alarming threat to press freedom.  

• PEN America, the National Coalition Against Censorship, Read Freely Alabama, and EveryLibrary today called on the Autauga-Prattville Library Board (AL) to reverse its new policy prohibiting all children’s and young adult books related to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and relevant issues. The groups called the new policy discriminatory and urged the Prattville Library to uphold the freedom to read for all its patrons.

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