(NEW YORK)— PEN America issued the following statement about the death of Adrienne Vaughan, president of Bloomsbury USA:

“Adrienne Vaughan lent her extraordinary talent, passion and persistence to the cause of free expression and the freedom to read. Beyond her impressive publishing talents working with writers, she was committed to the idea that books are at the core of our civilized values. PEN America was grateful to have her as an ally in the current fight against efforts to censor books and ideas. We deeply mourn her untimely death and send our condolences to her family and friends and colleagues at Bloomsbury USA.”