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 Remains Concerned Over Academic Freedom at University of Arizona, Related to Suspension of Two Instructors, Despite Their Reinstatement
“We are relieved to see that the instructors have been reinstated, but we remain concerned that they will be unable to finish teaching their course this semester. It is… More
PEN America Joins Seven Other Groups to Support Lawsuit to Overturn Texas Book Ban Law as Unconstitutional
Kasey Meehan, Freedom to Read program director at PEN America, said: “We stand with Texas students in rejecting HB 900. This law, which forces private companies and public school… More
Purge of LGBTQ+ Children’s Books from a Kansas Public Library is “Deeply Disturbing”
“This blatantly discriminatory action has deprived the residents of St. Marys of ready access to a wide range of literature, and it forced the library director into an impossible… More
High-Profile Supporters Join PEN America to Call for the Release of Narges Mohammadi Ahead of Nobel Prize Ceremony
Hundreds of the world’s most prominent writers, artists, human rights activists, allies, and civil society organizations have signed on to an open letter created by PEN America calling for… More
New Reports: California and Florida Push the Nation in Opposing Directions on Free Expression
Katie Blankenship, a former ACLU of Florida litigator who this month became PEN America’s inaugural director in the state, said: “Gov. DeSantis and the legislature have launched a legislative… More
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
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