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.
Dozens of Writers, Artists, and Activists Demand Oleg Sentsov’s Release in Light of Hunger Strike
"The Russian Government has tried to silence Oleg Sentsov, but even from prison he continues to make his voice heard through words and actions—including this hunger strike—that demonstrate his enduring commitment to… More
Maryland’s New Prison Policy on Access to Literature a Step in the Wrong Direction
"As a result of this policy, thousands of people in prison now have their access to reading and educational materials primarily dictated by the offerings of just two companies.… More
Five Years’ Imprisonment for Tibetan Activist Tashi Wangchuk an Attack on Language Rights
“The preservation of language rights is a fundamental building block of the right to free expression. Tashi Wangchuk should never have spent a single day in detention for his… More
Judge’s Decision on President’s Blocking of Twitter Users a Substantive and Symbolic Defense of the First Amendment
Today's decision is both substantively important as a defense of the First Amendment, and symbolically important in reminding us that, as the court states, "no government official—including the President—is… More
NFL’s Decision to Punish Peaceful Protest Strikes a Blow to Athletes’ Free Expression Rights
"The NFL should be standing behind the players who give their all for the League on any given Sunday, and standing up for their right to peacefully express their… More
2018 PEN Literary Gala Honors Stephen King; Youth Activists Against Gun Violence Cameron Kasky, Samantha Fuentes, and Zion Kelly; Imprisoned Myanmar Reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo; and Simon & Schuster Inc. President and CEO Carolyn Reidy
PEN America welcomed a broad cross-section of New York luminaries to the American Museum of Natural History Tuesday night for the at once celebratory and urgent 2018 PEN Literary… More
President’s Objectionable Remarks Part of Broader Reprehensible Effort to Stoke Anti-Immigrant Sentiment
"Suggestions that President Trump was referring only to gang members when he said “These aren’t people. These are animals," do not change the underlying context in which these remarks must… More
Acclaimed Writers and Artists Call on China to Free Poet and Artist Liu Xia
Suzanne Nossel, PEN America Chief Executive Officer: “As efforts to allow Liu Xia to travel abroad for medical treatment stall, literary and human rights communities renew and amplify their… More
Attack on Olivera Lakić Sign Investigative Journalists are Unsafe in Montenegro
A brutal attack on Olivera Lakić is yet another sign that investigative journalists are not safe in Montenegro and that the government must take immediate action to ensure their… More
Trump’s Suggestion to Revoke Credentials of “Corrupt” Media Outlets Part of Effort to Diminish Role of the Press
“The President’s explicit conflation of ‘negative’ news with ‘fake’ news further illustrates his expectation that the press should act like a public relations agency for the Presidency, not as… More