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Advocacy


  • Joint Congressional Letter on Journalists Endangered by Shutdown of U.S. Agency for Global Media

    Tuesday April 1

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  • The image shows the North Dakota State Capitol building, a tall structure with rectangular windows, set against a clear blue sky. In the foreground, a sign reads North Dakota Capitol surrounded by well-manicured lawns and trees.

    PEN America’s Testimony Against North Dakota Tenure Bill

    Wednesday March 12

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  • A person with short dark hair and glasses is standing indoors, wearing a dark jacket over a checkered shirt. The background includes a door with glass panels.

    Raising Our Voices for Le Huu Minh Tuan: PEN America’s Delegation to Washington, D.C.

    Tuesday March 11
    Anh-Thu Vo

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Banned Books

  • Cover of the book What Are Your Words? A Book About Pronouns showing five diverse children standing together, each with different pronouns written near them, on a light background with colorful stars.

    ‘These books are all joyful’: Katherine Locke wants to help everyone find their words

    Thursday April 17
    AJ Connelly

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  • Illustrated book cover titled Pride Puppy! shows a diverse group of people and children marching in a pride parade with rainbow and pride flags, balloons, and a dog leading the way. Authors: Robin Stevenson, Julie McLaughlin.

    ‘All kids deserve to see families like their own in the books they read’: Robin Stevenson writes books she wishes she had read growing up

    Wednesday April 16
    AJ Connelly

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  • The cover of the book Jacob’s Room to Choose shows nine colorful illustrations of a child with short blond hair and another with darker hair. The title is in bold blue letters at the top. Authors and illustrator are credited below.

    ‘All children should feel safe to use the bathroom’: Sarah and Ian Hoffman on writing to create a culture of kindness

    Tuesday April 15
    AJ Connelly

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Campus Free Speech

  • A woman with long dark hair stands outdoors, wearing a white knit top and jeans. She is smiling with a blurred cityscape and greenery in the background.

    ‘Fraught’ Frontiers for Student Press Freedom Day 2025

    Wednesday February 26
    Nicholas Perez

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  • A college campus with a brick building, trees, and walkways under a blue sky. In bold red letters, DEI Events Canceled is stamped across the image.

    ‘This Conference Has Been Canceled’:  The Impact of Trump’s War on ‘DEI’

    Friday February 14
    Kristen Shahverdian

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  • Harvard library protests

    A Riddle for Modern Academia: Where Can Studying Get You Suspended?

    Monday February 10
    Kristen Shahverdian, Aileen Lambert

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Disinformation

  • Collage titled Exploring How to Build Community-Level Resilience Against Disinformation with images of events in Texas, Florida, and Arizona. Each photo shows people gathered for discussions or presentations on the topic.

    Fighting a Global Problem Through a Local Lens

    Friday March 28
    Michelle Beaver

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  • Smartphone displaying an Instagram post about Violencia Política, describing it as harassment, threats, intimidation in public life. The phone rests on a laptop keyboard.

    How one newsroom battled political violence and opened spaces for dialogue

    Friday February 14
    Maritza L. Félix

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  • Black and white image of a person with short hair, wearing earrings and a dark top. Abstract shapes in red, white, and black are overlaid. A decorative background with cut-out patterns is visible.

    Curiosity is key for overcoming conflict and disinformation, author says

    Tuesday February 11
    Kurt Sampsel

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Educational Censorship

  • A majestic, illuminated capitol building with a prominent dome stands at dusk. The structure features columns and steps leading up to the entrance, with trees flanking both sides, under a clear, darkening sky.

    Wait, What Just Happened in Idaho? A Wake-Up Call for Higher Ed

    Monday April 14
    Clare Carter

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  • Campus scene featuring the Marston Water Tower and lush green trees at Iowa State University with Iowa State University written on a stone sign adorned with red flowers in the foreground.

    “We Need to Work For It:” Iowa State Students are Fighting for Their Community and University Equity

    Friday March 28
    Clare Carter

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  • Is University Shared Governance on the Way Out? How State Legislators Are Shifting Power to Themselves

    Thursday March 13
    Jeffrey Adam Sachs

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Florida


  • Coalition led by PEN Florida lobbies in Tallahassee to undo the harms of censorship

    Wednesday March 19

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  • A scenic beach image with tall palm trees and a city skyline in the background. The text on the image reads, PEN America Floridas Legislative Priorities 2025.

    PEN America Florida’s Legislative Priorities 2025

    Monday March 10

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  • United Voices for Democracy Summit

    Free Expression and the Threat of Christian Nationalism in Florida and Beyond

    Friday January 24
    Sophia Brown

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Gala


  • Paul Simon’s Remarks Accepting the 2024 PEN/Audible Literary Service Award

    Tuesday May 21

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  • Georgia Election Workers Remarks at the 2024 PEN America Literary Gala

    Tuesday May 21

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  • Phạm Đoan Trang Acceptance Speech | 2024 Freedom to Write Award

    Tuesday May 21

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Global Free Expression

  • A large crowd gathers in front of an ornate white building with multiple turrets. A colorful stage is set up with performers and intricate decorations. The sky is clear, indicating a sunny day. Trees and banners add to the festive atmosphere.

    Release of Myanmar Filmmaker An Essential Step in the Battle for Free Expression

    Friday April 11
    Anh-Thu Vo

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  • Joint Congressional Letter on Journalists Endangered by Shutdown of U.S. Agency for Global Media

    Tuesday April 1

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  • Two people are seated in a bookstore during an event. One holds a microphone, wearing a hat and striped shirt. The other has a notebook, wearing glasses and a blue shirt. A Pen America banner and bookshelves are visible in the background.

    You Must Take Part in Revolution: What a Story of Chinese Censorship Can Teach Americans Now

    Wednesday March 26

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Literary Awards


  • Announcing The 2025 PEN America Literary Awards Finalists

    Thursday April 10

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  • Announcing The 2025 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists

    Friday March 21

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  • Announcing The 2024 PEN/Bare Life Review Grant Winners

    Monday June 17

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Literary Community

  • A diverse group of people socializing at an indoor gathering. There are colorful decorations and artwork on the walls. Attendees stand and chat in small groups, holding drinks and mingling around tables.

    Literary Salons in Washington: Havens of Hope in Fraught Times 

    Monday April 14

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  • ‘I’m Glad You Are Here’: Black-Owned Bookstores Share Passion for Community

    Tuesday February 25

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  • Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Reading List

    Monday May 17

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Literary Programs

  • A woman and a man sit on a stage with microphones, engaged in conversation. The woman wears a light-colored jacket and patterned dress, while the man wears a black suit and glasses, holding a notebook. A banner and bookshelf are visible in the background.

    ‘I’m not Begging for Your Love Anymore. I Simply Expect It’: Jennifer Finney Boylan on Her Evolution in Her New Book, Cleavage

    Friday February 28
    Lisa Tolin

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  • ‘I’m Glad You Are Here’: Black-Owned Bookstores Share Passion for Community

    Tuesday February 25

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  • Announcing The 2025 PEN America Grant Winners

    Wednesday February 19

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Membership


  • Sarah Tomlinson: Ghostwriting, Los Angeles, and the Power of Rock & Roll

    Wednesday February 19
    Ayana O’Brien

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  • Five portraits of individuals for the 2024 Annual General Meeting with text: The State of the Nation, the State of Free Expression by PEN America.

    The State of the Nation, the State of Free Expression: PEN America Annual General Meeting Focuses on Unity Against Threats

    Wednesday January 8

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  • A collage of various book covers displayed at different angles. The covers feature diverse designs, colors, and illustrations, with titles in bold typography.

    A Year of Books By PEN America Members 2024

    Thursday December 19

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Online Abuse & Digital Safety

  • Text graphic with Journalist Safety in blue and Urgent Care Helpline in black. Background features lined paper and a hand holding a pen, suggesting a theme related to writing or journalism.

    Journalist Safety Urgent Care Helpline Responds to Growing Threats

    Monday March 24

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  • Four people participating in a virtual meeting. A Journalism Institute banner is visible in one participants background. They are engaged, with some using gestures. Books and office materials are in the background.

    What are My Digital Protections? How to Handle (and Prevent) Online Threats as a Journalist

    Monday January 6

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  • Protecting Your Digital Footprint: A Guide for Journalists

    Wednesday August 28
    Viktorya Vilk, Amanda Wells, Malka Margolies

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Organizational

  • Bold text in the center reads PEN America World Voices Festival, April 30 - May 3, 2025, NYC - LA. Colorful books surround the text. At the bottom, it says for the love of books in a playful font. Bright background in purple, green, orange, and yellow.

    PEN America Speaks: How We Defended and Celebrated Free Expression the Week of April 7

    Friday April 11

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  • A group of young children sit on the floor, attentively listening to an adult reading a book at the front of a classroom. The room is colorful, with educational posters on the walls and sunlight filtering through blinds.

    PEN America Speaks: How We Defended and Celebrated Free Expression the Week of March 31

    Friday April 4

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  • Collage of community meetings in Texas, Florida, and Arizona. People are discussing and presenting in various settings like libraries and meeting rooms. Books and presentation screens are visible.

    PEN America Speaks: How We Defended and Celebrated Free Expression the Week of March 24

    Friday March 28

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Press Freedom


  • Local LGBTQ+ Reporters in Conversation: Jason Parsley

    Thursday June 17

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  • Local LGBTQ+ Reporters in Conversation: Darian Aaron

    Wednesday June 16

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  • Local LGBTQ+ Reporters in Conversation: Tammye Nash

    Wednesday June 16

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Prison and Justice Writing

  • Cover of Verse Among Us: A NaPoWriMo Zine by PEN America. It features a colorful quilt pattern. The background is half red and half yellow, with a black and gold pen to the side and a sketched butterfly in the corner.

    Introducing Verse Among Us: A National Poetry Writing Month Zine

    Tuesday April 1
    Jess Abolafia

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  • Announcing the 2024 PEN America/L’Engle Rahman Prize for Mentorship Honorees

    Wednesday March 26

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  • The red and blue graphic for the 2023 Pen America Prison Writing Awards showcases categories like Poetry, Fiction, Essay, Memoir, and Drama. It features imaginative elements such as a butterfly, ticket stubs, a pen, and a city skyline silhouette.

    PEN America Prison Writing Award Winners: 2024

    Wednesday October 30

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Resource


  • #FactChallenge: Media Literacy Course on WhatsApp Leading up to the 2024 Elections

    Friday June 7

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  • Morgan Talty recommends what you should read for Native American Heritage Month

    Tuesday November 21

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  • Native American Heritage Month – Reading List by Oscar Hokeah

    Friday November 17

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Translation


  • Books, Roses, and Food: Sant Jordi Festival Celebrates Translation in New York

    Tuesday March 18
    Aleah Gatto

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  • Response To Letter Regarding Pen/Heim Translation Fund Grants

    Wednesday July 17

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  • Found in Translation: A Reading List Featuring the 2020 PEN Award for Poetry in Translation Honorees

    Friday April 17

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U.S. Free Expression

  • Logos of organizations: PEN America, Gannett, The New York Times, ProPublica, Vox Media, The Washington Post, NPR, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and CIR, against a light gray background.

    PEN America Joins News Organizations Asking a Federal Court to Apply a State Anti-SLAPP Law

    Wednesday April 2
    Suzanne Trimel

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  • Campus scene featuring the Marston Water Tower and lush green trees at Iowa State University with Iowa State University written on a stone sign adorned with red flowers in the foreground.

    “We Need to Work For It:” Iowa State Students are Fighting for Their Community and University Equity

    Friday March 28
    Clare Carter

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  • Federal Government’s Growing Banned Words List Is Chilling Act of Censorship

    Friday March 21
    AJ Connelly

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World Voices Festival


  • A Letter from the President of PEN America: American Authors Demand a Second Draft of PEN America, and the World in Which We Write

    Thursday April 18
    Jennifer Finney Boylan

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  • World Voices Festival 2024: A Statement from Former PEN America Presidents

    Wednesday April 3

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  • 2023 PEN America World Voices Festival: Day 4 Highlights

    Monday May 15
    Lisa Tolin

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Writer Opportunities

  • A collage of seven people smiling outdoors in different settings, some with greenery in the background. They each have unique hairstyles and are wearing casual clothing.

    ‘This Thing You’re Doing Is Worth It’: Rising Fiction Stars Celebrate PEN/Dau Prize

    Thursday January 23

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  • A collage of various book covers displayed at different angles. The covers feature diverse designs, colors, and illustrations, with titles in bold typography.

    A Year of Books By PEN America Members 2024

    Thursday December 19

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  • 2024 Free Expression Essay Competition Winners

    Monday July 15

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Writers


  • Sarah Tomlinson: Ghostwriting, Los Angeles, and the Power of Rock & Roll

    Wednesday February 19
    Ayana O’Brien

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  • Five portraits of individuals for the 2024 Annual General Meeting with text: The State of the Nation, the State of Free Expression by PEN America.

    The State of the Nation, the State of Free Expression: PEN America Annual General Meeting Focuses on Unity Against Threats

    Wednesday January 8

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Writers at Risk

  • A large crowd gathers in front of an ornate white building with multiple turrets. A colorful stage is set up with performers and intricate decorations. The sky is clear, indicating a sunny day. Trees and banners add to the festive atmosphere.

    Release of Myanmar Filmmaker An Essential Step in the Battle for Free Expression

    Friday April 11
    Anh-Thu Vo

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  • Joint Congressional Letter on Journalists Endangered by Shutdown of U.S. Agency for Global Media

    Tuesday April 1

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  • Two people are seated in a bookstore during an event. One holds a microphone, wearing a hat and striped shirt. The other has a notebook, wearing glasses and a blue shirt. A Pen America banner and bookshelves are visible in the background.

    You Must Take Part in Revolution: What a Story of Chinese Censorship Can Teach Americans Now

    Wednesday March 26

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Writing as Craft

  • A man with short, wavy, gray hair and a trimmed beard is shown in profile against a red circle. Next to him is the cover of a book titled Open Heaven by Seán Hewitt, featuring abstract art of a tower and a pink sky.

    The Power and Freedom of Books: Poet Seán Hewitt on his novel Open, Heaven

    Thursday April 17
    Clare Carter

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  • A woman with glasses and braided hair speaks into a microphone. She is wearing a black suit. Behind her is a banner with text and logos. The setting is a well-lit room with decorative walls.

    Jamia Wilson Wants to Call All the Troublemakers of the World

    Thursday April 10

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  • A woman with long hair smiles next to a book cover titled These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean. The cover shows a beach scene with three figures walking along the shore under a blue sky.

    ‘Romance Will Take You On The Wildest Of Rides’: Sarah MacLean

    Thursday April 10

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