Join Us for the Freedom to Read Day of Action |
Book bans continue to skyrocket across the country – with more than 10,000 in the 2023-2024 school year. This Saturday, PEN America joins Unite Against Book Bans, the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library and other allies to show support for the freedom to read. We hope to see you in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, or Washington, D.C., where we’ll join a pre-screening of the first feature-length documentary about book bans, Banned Together. |
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Refining the Art of Censorship
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PEN America’s latest annual report on state-level educational censorship laws aimed at colleges and universities outlines a growing and sophisticated campaign to restrict academic freedom and campus free expression in the United States. America’s Censored Classrooms 2024 warns that legislative efforts to curtail educational speech have evolved from overt gag orders banning controversial topics into new stealth tactics that threaten higher education across the nation. |
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The Project 2025 ‘Hit List’ of Forbidden Words |
Despite its explicit claim to champion free speech, the conservative policy blueprint Project 2025 would do the opposite. Our new white paper shows how the plan seeks to impose a range of new controls – including deleting terms like abortion, reproductive health, diversity, equity and inclusion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and even gender from every government document. |
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Calling Academics: Apply for New RIMA Grants |
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Our Russian Independent Media Archive (RIMA) is announcing three new opportunities for scholars, coordinated by Bard College. The RIMA Course Development Fund offers four $2,000 grants to faculty members integrating RIMA into their curricula; the RIMA MA and Doctoral Virtual Fellowships offer $3,500 stipends for graduate students who incorporate RIMA into their theses; and the RIMA Semester Senior Fellowship offers a $6,000 stipend and a week-long visit to Bard to senior scholars and researchers who demonstrate a commitment to advancing research on independent Russian journalism and media.
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This week’s Spotlight features The Sirens of Soleil City by PEN America Member Sarah Henkemeyer. West Palm Beach, 1999. Three generations of women learn to own their mistakes and rebuild their bonds as they prepare to compete in the South Florida Senior Synchronized Swimming Competition. The publicity from winning the contest, along with the $10,000 prize money, could help save Soleil City. Over the course of a month in an apartment complex filled with feisty, funny, strong-willed women in their 70s, four women who make up an uneasy family will realize that in life, and motherhood, there isn't good and bad. There's only trying to get it right. Check out The Sirens of Soleil City >>
View 2024 publications by PEN America Members >> |
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What Voters Need to Know About Disinformation |
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Thursday, October 17 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET Online
Learn an overview of the key themes, motivations, and trends of current election disinformation campaigns, followed by a conversation with Maritza Félix of Conecta Arizona and Jen Fifield of Votebeat about what they’ve learned from fighting election conspiracies and providing communities with nuanced, accurate information about voting. | |
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Forrest Gander | The PEN Ten Interview |
Forrest Gander discusses his latest, a novel-poem, Mojave Ghost (New Directions, 2024), an intimate yet thrilling tale spanning love and loss while hiking the San Andreas Fault. Gander reflects on the self, the climate, and the changing perspectives surrounding them all. |
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Alejandro Zambra and Megan McDowell | The PEN Ten Interview |
In Chilean writer Alejandro Zambra’s latest novel, Childish Literature (Penguin Books, 2024), he meditates on his life’s newest role–fatherhood. Zambra and his longtime translator and friend, Megan McDowell, discuss capturing the nuances of such a personal novel. |
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Columbia Journalism Review’s Mathew Ingram talks about disinformation, polarization, and underlying beliefs fueling partisan falsehoods in a new interview with PEN America’s journalism and disinformation team. |
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Journalism and Disinformation Program Director Tim Richardson wrote about the top disinformation threats heading into the election. (The Hill)
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Florida Director Katie Blankenship was given the Youth Allyship award by Prism, Florida, a youth-led nonprofit that works to expand access to LGBTQ-inclusive education. (Prism)
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Freedom to Learn Director Jeremy C. Young spoke about our latest report, America’s Censored Classrooms 2024, in a range of media including Forbes and NPR. (Inside Higher Ed)
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PEN America’s research was cited in a video explainer about book bans. (The New York Times)
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Allison Lee and Sam LaFrance wrote about ethnic studies in California, focusing on a well-meaning but censorial provision that has flown under the radar in the public discourse. (Orange County Register)
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We amended our lawsuit against Escambia County, Florida, after the school board returned 24 previously restricted books to school library shelves in a victory for the freedom to read. (Pen.org)
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“There is no act of censorship that is more explicit than literally banning words.” |
- PEN America Project 2025 White Paper |
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How’s your banned book bingo card holding up? We asked people to donate $5 for every book they’ve read on the card, and, sadly, that adds up fast.
Check it out >> |
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