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penamerica.bsky.social
We stand at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the U.S. and worldwide. Support and learn more at pen.org.
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The conviction of Salman Rushdie’s attacker is an important step toward justice for this unparalleled writer and reaffirms that violence can never be the answer to ideas. Our statement: pen.org/press-releas...

PEN America mourns the death of journalist, artist, and activist Oded Lifshutz, whose body was returned to Israel by Hamas after he and his wife,Yocheved, were taken captive from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023. Mrs Lifshutz was released in October 2023.

On #InternationalMotherLanguageDay, the Translation & Linguistic Rights Committee spotlights poets in Indigenous & minoritised languages from across the world. Watch Dafina Savic perform "Ol rom si sar syia aver" in Romani - Kalderash: www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9Zs...

On #InternationalMotherLanguageDay, we stand with #AndrzejPoczobut, jailed for nearly three years for defending linguistic and cultural rights in Belarus. Denied medical care and held in solitary confinement—we demand his freedom today. Take action: www.pen-international.org/news/interna...

Second Speaker on Israel-Gaza Conflict is Canceled by Wake Forest University, a Move PEN America Calls “Arbitrary and Misguided” pen.org/press-releas...

Visiting PEN America’s office, longtime Pen Ukraine director Tetyana Teren spoke about the work of Victoria Amelina, a Ukrainian writer killed in a 2023 Russian airstrike. Honoring her legacy, Teren said, was a vital act of solidarity. Read Amelina’s posthumous book: bookshop.org/p/books/look...

Truong Huy San’s book “The Winning Side” sparked discussion and criticism in Vietnam and internationally, cementing his reputation as a political writer. Today, he is behind bars in Vietnam, facing prison time for “abusing democratic freedoms” (Art 331). www.thevietnamese.org/2025/02/the-...

Statement by authors and illustrators of books in Supreme Court case Mahmoud v. Taylor pen.org/mahmoud-v-ta...

#Türkiye: We utterly condemn the latest crackdown on Kurdish, opposition, and minority voices – including writers, journalists, and artists – and urge the release of all those held for their peaceful expression www.middleeasteye.net/news/mass-de...

PEN America Blasts Mississippi Bills as 'Race to the Bottom' in Education Censorship pen.org/press-releas...

Romance is one of the most targeted genres for book bans. For this week's Shelf Love interview—in collaboration with @authorsabb.bsky.social—we talk to romance royalty Meg Cabot of the Princess Diaries fame about the ways romance fiction can kindle a love of books: pen.org/meg-cabot-sh...

Join us for a new series of free online workshops, “Defending the Freedom to Read 101: Workshops for Organizers and Authors.” Our first four sessions cover digital safety and disinformation - learn more and register: pen.org/defending-th...

PEN America is thrilled to announce the 2025 Literary Grant Winners! Recognizing oral history, young adult literature, diasporic narratives, and translation, these works-in-progress illuminate important stories and are sure to carry a lasting literary impact. #PENLitAwards pen.org/announcing-t...

The Trump administration called book bans a hoax — but now the call is coming from inside the house. Vice President JD Vance's "Hillbilly Elegy" joins the list of books removed from Department of Defense schools pending "compliance review." Learn more: pen.org/julianne-moo...

"Autocrats know that culture can be wielded as a weapon or a tool to preserve or erase the stories we tell about who we are and our broader national narratives of identity." Why Trump’s Culture War on the Kennedy Center Matters, by PEN America's Liesl Gerntholtz www.usnews.com/opinion/arti...

Actress and author Julianne Moore says it was a "great shock" to hear her children’s book was among those removed from schools after an executive order from President Trump saw a long list of titles confiscated for review, reports @france24.com www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/...

PEN America joins @atriskartists.bsky.social in condemning the sentencing of Algerian poet Mohamed Tadjadit. We call on Algerian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Tadjadit and end the persecution of writers and artists for their expression. pen.org/press-releas...

British-Egyptian writer Alaa El-Fattah remains arbitrarily detained in Egypt. Prof. Laila Soueif has been on hunger strike for over 130 days, urging Keir Starmer to secure Alaa’s release. We are deeply concerned for her health. #FreeAlaa

Julianne Moore has said it is a “great shock” to learn that one of her books had been “banned by the Trump Administration” from schools serving the children of US military personnel and civilian defence employees. www.theguardian.com/books/2025/f...

PEN America Condemns Education Department’s Threat to Defund Colleges and Universities Over DEI Programs pen.org/press-releas...

‘This Conference Has Been Canceled’: The Impact of Trump’s War on ‘DEI’ pen.org/dei-campus-e...

Happy Valentine’s Day! Read a banned book!

FROM ME: Happy Valentine’s Day! Looking for love? You might want to look somewhere besides Florida school libraries. Here are the most banned romance novels in the Sunshine State and the US, according to @penamerica.bsky.social

ICYMI: A #BlackHistoryMonth reading list curated by PEN America staff pen.org/black-histor...

Writer and PEN/Barbey #FreedomToWrite Honoree Xu Zhiyong is still unjustly imprisoned in China, still isolated from his loved ones nearly five years after he was detained. Show that Xu is not alone. Share poetry by Xu’s partner, dedicated to him during Spring Festival 2025.

In our latest PEN Ten, Malcolm Tariq talks with Alan Michael Parker about his new flash fiction book Bingo Bango Boingo. This book encourages readers to engage with the stories directly and challenges the linearity that often accompanies fiction. pen.org/alan-michael...

This #ValentinesDay, PEN America and @authorsabb.bsky.social are launching "Shelf Love," a new interview series featuring some of your favorite romance authors. To launch the series, we talked to Ali Hazelwood about her "STEMinist" novels—and why romance matters. Read: pen.org/ali-hazelwoo...

NEW: PEN America has criticized a North Dakota bill that would effectively end tenure protections for faculty. Freedom to Learn Senior Manager Amy Reid called it a “mockery of the tenure system.” Read more here: pen.org/press-releas...

Tell Congress: DON'T CENSOR AMERICA. Make a stand for #freespeech by sending a letter today: pen.org/dont-censor-...

Twilight, ACOTAR, Red White & Royal Blue Among Most-Banned Romance Books — Is Your Favorite One of Them? See the PEN America list the seven most commonly banned romance novels during the 2023-2024 school year people.com/see-the-pen-... via @peoplemag.bsky.social

Legendary First Amendment lawyer James Goodale pleads with the press to fight back against Trump:

Banned Romance: Ahead of #ValentinesDay, PEN America has released a list of the most commonly banned romance novels in public schools. pen.org/press-releas...

Legislators restricting academic programs – using “Return on Investment” as a smokescreen for ideological censorship – is “paternalistic overreach at best, intentional political censorship at worst.” Read more from PEN America’s Clare Carter here: pen.org/cuts-to-acad...

PEN America denounced the Vietnamese government’s indictment of author and journalist Truong Huy San (also known by his pen name Huy Duc) today and urges his immediate release and the dismissal of all charges against him. pen.org/press-releas...

In a polarized world, Mónica Guzmán of Braver Angels is trying to encourage dialogue. In a recent interview with Kurt Sampsel, she discussed her method for sharing curiosity, values, and learnings. Read: pen.org/curiosity-is...

In a new PEN Ten, our editorial director @lisatolin.bsky.social & illustrator Yas Imamura talk with @jonfreadom.bsky.social about their new picture book Can You Imagine? The Art and Life of Yoko Ono (Simon & Schuster), which explores the fascinating life of the famous artist: pen.org/lisa-tolin-y...

“Barring AP journalists... because of the news agency’s editorial decisions is an affront to the First Amendment and a free press,” said PEN America's Tim Richardson. “It is retribution, plain & simple, & a shameful attempt to bully the press into ideological compliance.” (gift link) wapo.st/4jRK2VQ

PEN America, in a letter to Florida Senate President Ben Albritton, called on the Senate to reject SB 100, which explicitly targets racial and LGBTQ+ identities and symbols, and attempts to ban flags such as the Pride flag that reflect these symbols. pen.org/press-releas...

"We condemn this attack on an essential Palestinian cultural institution." PEN America appalled by Israeli authorities’ raid on Palestinian Educational Bookshop in East Jerusalem, outraged that its owners were detained and now banned from their own shop. pen.org/press-releas...

Los Angeles! Join PEN America and Vroman’s Bookstore on Feb. 25th at 7pm for a conversation between author Colm Tóibín and PEN America President, @jennyboylan.bsky.social, on her new book Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us. This will be a night not to be missed! pen.org/event/cleava...

What are you reading this #BlackHistoryMonth? PEN America staff selected some favorite titles that span generations and genres, but are united by their place in the canon of Black literature. We hope you’ll enjoy these books this month and all year long. pen.org/black-histor...

URGENT ACTION ALERT: Ohioans, stand up for the freedom to learn! Urge legislators to vote down SB 1/HB6, a bill that drastically restricts campus speech for faculty and students. Click to send a message to your legislators and defeat this dangerous bill: pen.org/dont-censor-...

Israeli authorities must release Palestinian bookstore owner Mahmoud Muna and his nephew Ahmad. Their arrests and the raid on Educational Bookshop are part of an ongoing crackdown on free expression and writers severely restricting Palestinian voices. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...