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.
Russian Author Ludmila Ulitskaya Attacked at Awards Ceremony
An attack on Thursday against the acclaimed writer Ludmila Ulitskaya and others attending an awards ceremony for high school students is an appalling demonstration of disrespect for even the… More
Detention of Journalist Omar Nazzal Punctuates Crackdown on Speech in Israel
PEN America today called on the Israeli government to make public the basis for the arrest of Palestinian journalist Omar Nazzal. More
Hong Kong: Editor dismissed after publishing story on Panama Papers
The dismissal of a top editor at Ming Pao, one of Hong Kong’s most respected papers, after the publication of a story about Hong Kong residents implicated in the… More
Rights Groups Call on Obama to Press for Release of Jailed Poet Ashraf Fayadh
PEN America, Freedom House, Human Rights First, and the Center for Inquiry today released a letter calling on U.S. President Barack Obama to push for the release of poet… More
Unity 5 Journalists Freed in Myanmar
The recent pardon of 83 political prisoners is a praiseworthy achievement for Myanmar, but serves as a reminder of the work ahead for the government to ensure the right… More
PEN World Voices Festival Announces Roxane Gay To Deliver Arthur Miller Lecture
Leading Feminist Writer and Cultural Critic to Deliver the “Arthur Miller Freedom to Write Lecture” on May 1 Additional New Events to the Festival Include a Conversation between Fran Lebowitz… More
Mia Alvar Wins $25,000 PEN/Bingham Prize for Debut Story Collection ‘In the Country’
Other winners at the 2016 PEN Literary Awards Ceremony include Ta-Nehisi Coates, Rick Barot, and Lauren Redniss. More
San Diego reporter Jean Guerrero takes $10,000 PEN/FUSION Prize for “Crux”
"Crux" is a cross-border memoir about a Guerrero's quest to understand her father, an immigrant from Mexico she grew up believing was schizophrenic. More
Bangladesh: Murder of Student Continues Assault on Free Expression
NEW YORK—PEN America condemns the brutal killing of a student in Bangladesh today in what appears to be another targeted attack by Islamist militants on those who express dissident… More
Azerbaijan: Authorities Detain Writer at Airport in Attack on Free Expression
NEW YORK—Azerbaijani authorities’ detention of writer Akram Aylisli at Baku airport last week showcases the government’s continuing quashing of the right to free expression in the central Asian nation,… More
Support for the freedom to read with exclusive designs by Todd Parr, Mike Curato, Art Spiegelman, and more!
