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.
Call for Egyptian Government to Immediately Release Poet Galal El-Behairy, Following Reported Suicide Attempt
Justin Shilad, PEN America’s Middle East and North Africa research and advocacy lead, said: “The Egyptian government is responsible for Galal El-Behairy’s health and safety behind bars, just as… More
Israeli authorities target Palestinian students’ freedom to learn
The Israeli government should immediately stop this cruel and malicious practice of book banning at gunpoint. More
PEN America Comments on Federal Government Appointment in Response to School Book Bans
PEN America has been at the forefront of documenting and defending against the unprecedented rise of school book bans nationwide. Texas, Florida and Missouri lead with the most books banned currently.… More
On anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death, PEN America calls for an end to the suppression of free thought and expression in Iran
PEN America calls upon the Iranian government to cease its continued persecution of dissident voices and to release artists, writers, and creatives sentenced to prison. More
High School and College Students Can Learn how to Become Free Expression Advocates and Combat Book Bans at PEN America’s Online Trainings This Fall
PEN America’s flagship Free Expression Advocacy Institute returns this fall as a free, online, eight-week, educational and training program where high school and college students get certified in mastering… More
2023 PEN America Prison Writing Contest Winners Announced
Robert Pollock, program manager for the Prison and Justice Writing program, said: “The extraordinary quality of the writing and their subject matter are evident in the judges’ choices. That… More
Media Advisory: PEN America Experts on Book Bans Available, Ahead of Senate Hearing 9/12
PEN America has been at the forefront of documenting and defending against the unprecedented rise of school book bans nationwide. Texas, Florida and Missouri lead with the most books… More
In Censoring Poet, Egyptian Government Bending Every Rule to Silence a Song
Galal El-Behairy’s ordeal over the past five years is a testament both to his strength and the Egyptian government’s ultimate weakness. More
PEN America: Elon Musk Trying to Silence Critics, with Threat to Sue Anti-Defamation League
Kate Ruane, Sy Syms director, U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America, said: “Self-appointed ‘free speech-defender', Elon Musk, is seeking to silence one of his strongest and most effective… More
With Massive Book Banning in Prisons, PEN America Presents “Return to Sender: Prison as Censorship,” a NYC Exhibition Sept. 14-Oct. 28
Moira Marquis, an advocate in PEN America’s Prison and Justice Writing program, said: “More books are banned in prisons than anywhere else in the country and censorship is rising… More