The Latest Breaking News from PEN America

Florida hasn’t made reading a crime — not yet, anyway. But it’s doing the next worse thing by dangling threats of criminal charges against teachers and educators who share the “wrong” books with students.

This year’s PEN America Literary Gala will be notable for the presence of “Saturday Night Live.”

Bills in at least eight states seek to restrict drag performances as part of a broader rightwing backlash against LGBTQ+ rights

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ disdain for “woke ideology” is on full display.

PEN America and two other free speech groups are calling for school officials in Florida to reinstate a high school production of Paula Vogel's Indecent, a play that is itself about censorship.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The centuries-old artworks appeared on Hamline University students' computer screens during an art history class early one October morning.

“We defended these books, which remained in the library ... We saw book banning slow down, and that was really phenomenal to see.”

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — Maia Kobabe grew up in an idyll. Cow fields threaded by a dirt road. No TV. Almost no internet. Nights fell over hills, stars shone bright, and Kobabe read fantasy novels, imagining other universes while searching for an identity, a glint of self to carry into…

A book is on a library shelf one day, then it’s gone. Any librarian or educator who stands up against those efforts runs the risk of being threatened.

Jenny Bhatt was born in Gujarat, India, grew up in Bombay, and has lived and worked around the globe. But for the past several years, she has made her home in the Dallas area and established an international reputation as a writer, translator, literary critic, podcaster and instructor.

Over the last year and a half, young people and educators have witnessed a growing campaign to silence voices in our nation’s schools. Districts across the country are banning books with unprecedented frequency, directly undermining students’ freedom to learn. This movement has gained momentum from local and national advocacy groups,…