PEN America

PEN America will no longer be posting regularly on X. For our latest posts, follow us @penamerica on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, and on LinkedIn and penamerica.bsky.social Find all our statements, press releases, reports and more on pen.org.

Amid an internet blackout and violent government crackdown targeting protestors across Iran, PEN America joins the #FreeNarges Coalition and 30+ organizations to sound the alarm about grave threats to jailed writers, journalists, and human rights defenders pen.org/press-release/…

With the three latest titles – Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – Utah has banned 22 books from all public schools. pen.org/utah-no-read-l…

Utah's "No Read List" grows as three more books were added today. 22 books are now prohibited in public schools across Utah. Utah's HB 29 is one of the most extreme book banning laws in effect in the United States. More: pen.org/the-state-of-b…. #bannedbooks #freedomtoread

We remain deeply concerned about the well-being of @penamerica's #FreedomToWrite honoree Narges Mohammadi & other activists arrested 4 weeks ago in Iran. As the 30-day detention order approaches, we reiterate our call for access to the prisoners & answers from the prosecutor.

Ben Folds on Resigning From the Kennedy Center: What Would Rostropovich Do? ⁦@PENamerica⁩ pen.org/ben-folds-inte…

PEN America: Congressional subpoena targeting investigative journalist @sethharpesq, "follows a familiar playbook: using government tools to intimidate reporters and deter coverage that officials don’t like. We stand with Seth Harp." pen.org/press-release/…

As we mark 4 years since the death of poet & @PENamerica #FreedomToWrite awardee Baktash Abtin—and as Iran again responds to protests with a crackdown on dissent—a reminder that impunity continues unabated. We call for justice for Baktash and all those jailed for their words.

Censorship is personal. PEN America just released new Snapshots of Censorship, showing how individual scholars are impacted by efforts to restrict academic freedom and freedom of expression. Read these stories here: pen.org/blog-series/sn…

Texas A&M is censoring Plato in a philosophy class. What next? “It is absurd that a professor could be told not to teach Plato,” says PEN America’s Amy Reid. “Texas A&M and its Board of Regents must rescind these chilling rules immediately.” Read more: pen.org/press-release/…

We urge Vietnam to release Tuan, Dung, Thuy, and all unjustly jailed writers. Governments, media organizations, and international institutions should request prison visits and press the Vietnamese government to provide them with adequate medical care. pen.org/press-release/…

Vietnam—the third leading jailer of writers in the latest #FreedomToWrite Index—is holding these writers in horrendous conditions that violate their human rights, leaving Tuan in serious medical conditions, and has inflicted severe prison terms of over a decade on all three.

Today marks five years since Vietnam unjustly convicted three writers and journalists: Le Huu Minh Tuan, Pham Chi Dung, and Nguyen Tuong Thuy. Their ongoing imprisonment demonstrates how the Vietnamese government silences independent voices. pen.org/press-release/…

Stay warm this winter and show off your support for the freedom to read with PEN America merch! Head to pen.org/shop to browse our collection of sweaters, sweatshirts, shirts, socks, and more, and use the code FREE2READ10 for 10% off PEN America Originals

"It’s safe to say this assault on the press over the past year has probably been the most aggressive that we’ve seen in modern times," said Tim Richardson, program director for journalism and disinformation at PEN America. abcnews.go.com/Business/wireS…

Calling Emerging Writers! The 2026 Emerging Voices Fellowship application opens January 1 and closes January 31, 2026. Join a vibrant community of writers, mentors, and readers committed to bold storytelling and creative growth. Apply this January. pen.org/emerging-voice…

Five breakout novels from lesser known and first time writers that pulled in huge sales in 2025, taking the authors, and sometimes even their publishers, by surprise. (gift link) nytimes.com/2025/12/23/boo…

Author Rex Ogle was among those who spoke at this year's PEN America Annual General Meeting. Learn more about that conversation — and how books help kids deal with the realities they face — at: pen.org/2025-annual-ge…

Looking for your next great read? Explore this selection of 2025 works by PEN America Members: bestselling fiction, a wide range of children's and young adult literature, award-winning translations, vital works of nonfiction, and more. bookshop.org/lists/2025-boo…

In conversation with PEN America, Ben Folds talked about his decision to step down from the Kennedy Center, art as activism, and why he doesn’t believe in writer’s block. Read the full interview at: pen.org/ben-folds-inte… #benfolds #kennedycenter