Press Releases
PEN America experts are available for interviews with the press. Please direct inquiries to Suzanne Trimel, Senior Advisor, Communications and Media, at [email protected].
At a time of unprecedented attacks against the free press, PEN America Members are taking action. Join us today.
PEN America Welcomes ‘Safekeeping Status” for Texas Prisoner-Journalist Whose Reporting Put His Safety at Risk
Moira Marquis, senior manager of PEN America’s Freewrite Project, expressed gratitude for supporters across the country who wrote to the Texas prison authorities on behalf of Walker. She said:… More
“Alarming” Proposed Florida Law Heightens Oversight of Classroom Libraries, Expands Mechanism to Challenge a Book
“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
Vinod Kumar Shukla and Erika Dickerson-Despenza to Receive Career Achievement Honors at PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony Mar. 2
Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf, Chief Program Officer, Literary Programming at PEN America, said, “The recipients of our Literary Awards’ three career achievement honors reveal the breadth of what human imagination… More
PEN Network Welcomes Release of Iranian Writers Arash Ganji and Reza Khandan Mahabadi, Calls for Release of Other Members of the Iranian Writers’ Association
As members of the global PEN network, we call for the Iranian authorities to cease harassing and investigating members of the IWA, to unconditionally drop all politically-motivated charges against… More
Proposed New Florida Law Would Place the “Most Draconian and Censorious” Restrictions on Higher Education in the Country, Says PEN America
“HB 999 would enact perhaps the most draconian and censorious restrictions on public colleges and universities in the country,” said Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and… More
PEN America Condemns Proposed Florida Bill that Would Enact Radical Changes to Defamation Law, Posing a “Grave Threat” to a Free Press and Free Speech
“With this legislation, Florida politicians seek to insulate themselves from criticism and weaponize the courts to chill speech and attack journalists,” said Kate Ruane, director of PEN America’s US… More
Arrest of Researcher in Algeria Amid a Crackdown on Civil Society Puts Free Expression in a “Perilous State,” Says PEN America
Algerian authorities arrested Farrah, who works as a senior analyst at the Geneva-based Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, and his father Sebti Farrah on February 14 at his… More
Florida University’s Investigation of Professor’s Teaching on Race is “Textbook Example” of Mishandling of Spurious Complaint, Says PEN America
“No university, even a private one, should violate the tenets of academic freedom, least of all to suit a political agenda,” said Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of Free… More
PEN America Decries Another Attempt by Georgia to Deny Entry to Russian Journalist
“The decision to deny Filipp Dzyadko entry to Georgia raises serious questions about Georgia’s space for free media and expression,” said PEN America's Eurasia and Advocacy Director Polina Sadovskaya. More
PEN America Condemns Reported Dismissal of Teacher Who Blew the Whistle and Published Videos of Empty Florida Library Shelves
“Reports that the Governor's commentary may have led to the dismissal of a teacher are shocking,” said Kate Ruane, director of US Free Expression Programs at PEN America. “If… More
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