During the 2023-2024 school year, 36% of all banned titles featured characters or people of color and a quarter (25%) included LGBTQ+ people or characters.
This week-long intensive provides an in-person workshop for early-career writers from communities underrepresented in the publishing world.
Learn how the creation and display of art is entwined with the U.S.’s most fraught cultural and political debates.
The next four years could reshape the United States for decades to come. Join us in fighting every day to protect the freedom to write and the freedom to read.
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Introduction: The “Problematic” Discourse and Books In the past few years, the literary community has seen waves of activism that…
Introduction In 2020, the publishing industry entered a moment of moral urgency about the persistent lack of racial and ethnic…
Introduction Book bans in public schools have recurred throughout American history, and have long been an issue of concern to PEN America,…
More books banned. More districts. More states. More students losing access to literature. “More” is the operative word for this…
Introduction At Nash Correctional Institution in North Carolina, a series of low-lying brick buildings ringed with barbed wire fencing, parking…
Download the Index data How to Get Involved Introduction The freedom to read is under assault in the United States—particularly…
For the last three school years, PEN America has recorded instances of book bans in public schools nationwide. In that…
What is a book ban? How is a book ban different from a challenge? What is the history of book…
The book ban crisis is often referred to by its numbers. A rising number of bans, more states impacted, more…
