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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Tony Kushner to Receive PEN/Mike Nichols Writing for Performance Award at April 29 Literary Awards
Tony Kushner said, “It’s intimidating enough that this honor is named after Mike Nichols, no one ever understood better than him the ways words can be made to perform.… More
Pham Doan Trang, Imprisoned Vietnamese Writer and Dissident, To Receive PEN America’s Freedom to Write Award at NYC Gala May 16
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said: “Pham Doan Trang has galvanized the Vietnamese people through her writings on democracy, human rights, environmental degradation, and women’s empowerment. The Vietnamese government… More
PEN World Voices Festival Marks Its 20th Year
PEN America will convene an array of vital voices in literature from around the globe in the 20th anniversary PEN World Voices Festival, held May 8-11 in New York… More
Georgia’s Ruling Party Reintroduces Draconian “Foreign Agent Law” Under New Name
The ruling Georgian Dream party is again pushing a so-called ‘Foreign Agent Law’ to undermine the essential and independent work of writers, cultural figures, and journalists More
Twelve Emerging Writers To Receive PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize
“This year’s recipients of the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers represent the breadth of powerful short fiction published in the last year,” said Clarisse Rosaz… More
New Report Prescribes Peer Support to Help Journalists Targeted by Online Abuse
“Online abuse disproportionately impacts journalists who are people of color, women, LBGTQ+, and members of religious or ethnic minorities,” said Jeje Mohamed, coauthor of the report and PEN America’s… More
New PEN America Analysis Points to Cracks in Florida’s Censorship Campaign
Katie Blankenship, director of PEN America’s Florida office, said: “By continuing to pass bills that are a knife to the heart of our Constitutional protections, Florida lawmakers are not… More
Banning Al Jazeera is a Clear Violation of Free Expression and Press Freedom
"The Israeli government’s decision to shut down Al Jazeera’s operation in Israel is a clear violation of press freedom." More
Illinois School District Board Withdraws from State Celebration of Children’s Literature Over Book on Racism and Antiracism
"The board's deliberations were plainly ideological,” said Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms managing director, U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America. “This program is a wonderful opportunity for kids to… More
ARC Deeply Concerned for Artists’ Rights and Freedom of Expression in Russia
The Russian authorities feel threatened by artists because it intuitively understands the power they have to mobilize citizens and inspire them to dream of better, more equitable futures based… More