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.
Quiet Rewrite of Barnard College Policy Appears to be an Effort to Suppress Speech
“The swift rollout of these new website policies, without faculty consultation, makes plain that they are a response to pro-Palestinian speech that someone wanted to suppress,” said Jonathan Friedman,… More
Missouri Candidate Turns Flamethrower on LGBTQ-Themed Books
Queer: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens by Kathy Belge and Marke Bieschke was among the books torched. Belge said: "LGBTQ teens are vulnerable and antics like this only… More
PEN America Release on War in Israel and Gaza
PEN America hopes that the multi-national negotiations now underway will lead to a mutually agreed ceasefire, and that an agreement can be reached that will safeguard the people of… More
PEN America Condemns Detention of Iranian Dissident Rapper Vafa Ahmadpour
PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of Iranian rapper Vafa Ahmadpour and calls for his immediate release. More
New Effort by Florida Lawmakers to Undermine Press Freedom is an Attack on Democracy Itself
Katie Blankenship, director of PEN America’s Florida office, said: “These bills seek to instill fear in journalists and their sources, chilling constitutionally protected speech. HB 757 and SB 1780… More
PEN America Condemns Suspended Death Sentence for Australian Writer Jailed in China
PEN America condemns a Chinese court’s decision to give novelist, pro-democracy blogger, and political commentator Yang Hengjun a suspended death sentence. More
PEN America Statement on the Disruption of a Los Angeles Book Event by Protests
Allison Lee, Los Angeles director of PEN America said, “PEN America is a big tent organization that values, supports, and creates dialogue, including among writers who hold wide-ranging points… More
Russia Places Best-Selling Novelist Boris Akunin on its Wanted List
(NEW YORK) -- PEN America condemns the Russian government for placing London-based Grigory Chkhartishvili, better known under his pen name Boris Akunin, on its wanted list for alleged criminal… More
New Policies at American University Undermine Free Expression on Campus
PEN America’s Kristen Shahverdian, senior manager on the Free Expression and Education team, said: “Clamping down on free expression in the name of inclusion is an insult to both… More
PEN America Partners with Ukraine National Pavilion for Venice Biennale
The Artists at Risk Connection and PEN America are pleased to support the vital work of the six Ukrainian artists featured in the Ukrainian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. More
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