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].
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PEN America Joins with Other Groups in Condemning Cancellation of Play at Santa Monica College
PEN America is joined by the Dramatists Guild, the Dramatists Legal Defense Fund, and the National Coalition Against Censorship in condemning the cancelation of a play at Santa Monica… More
PEN America Endorses Appeal for New UN Special Rapporteur on Democracy
The statement, led by Democracy without Borders, warned on Monday that “democracy is threatened and authoritarianism is on the rise.” It stresses the urgency for the UN to actively… More
PEN America Welcomes Release of Iranian Dissident Rapper Toomaj Salehi
Salehi was arrested in October 2022 for his music in support of Iran's “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests following the custodial death of Mahsa Amini. More
PEN America Files Amicus Brief in Case Against Texas Law Requiring Ratings for Sexual Content on Books Sold to Public Schools
(NEW YORK)—PEN America has filed an amicus brief in the Fifth Circuit in the case of Book People v. Wong, challenging Texas’s HB 900, which requires booksellers to “rate”… More
Guatemalan Artists Among Those Targeted During Political Turmoil
ARC calls for the liberation of all artists, writers, activists, and others arrested for publicly opposing attempts to invalidate August’s presidential election results. More
Cancelled Film on Israel Deprives a NY Campus of Important Conversation Amid Crisis
“The decision to cancel this film is totally antithetical to the principles of free expression and academic freedom to which Hunter College must adhere. At this moment of heightened… More
Decision by University of Southern California to Bar Professor from Teaching This Semester for Anti-Hamas Remarks is a “Shocking Overreaction,” Says PEN America
“Totally barring a professor from campus because of a passing comment like this is a shocking overreaction. Regardless of Professor Strauss’s intent, he is entitled to his views and… More
Marietta, GA School Board Upholds Ban on Flamer, Book by Mike Curato
“In September, PEN America said this policy decision would lead to censorship - and we are disturbed to find that it has. While two parents were able to ban… More
Aleksandra Skochilenko Sentenced to 7 Years for Supermarket Art Project
Russian artist, musician and author Aleksandra (Sasha) Skochilenko was sentenced to seven years in prison today for “knowingly spreading false information about the Russian Armed Forces. More
PEN America Calls on Israeli Government to Rescind Inflammatory Rhetoric, Threats Against Palestinian Journalists
(NEW YORK)—PEN America called on the Israeli government today to immediately rescind inflammatory rhetoric and threats against freelance Palestinian photojournalists who supplied news agencies with images of Hamas’ unprecedented… More