The Latest Breaking News from PEN

Rushdie, whose attendance had not been announced beforehand, spoke briefly, and dedicated some of his remarks to those who came to his help last August while on stage at a New York literary festival.

Salman Rushdie has made an emotional and unexpected return to public life, attending the annual gala of PEN America and giving the event’s final speech as he accepted a special prize, the PEN Centenary Courage Award

A new lawsuit against a Florida school board marks a “first-of-its-kind challenge to unlawful censorship”.

UPDATE: Added response from PEN.

The Iranian writer, journalist and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi will be honored at this week’s PEN America Literary Gala

“I’ve never met a parent who wants a politician dictating what they can learn, what they can think, and who they can be,” the president said in remarks at the White House

A nationwide surge in restrictions against library materials under the auspices of a “parental rights” campaign runs parallel to legislation targeting LGBT+ people and honest discussions of race and racism, sowing chaos for educators and chilling speech in schools across the US. Richard Hall and Alex Woodward report

Fearing criminal penalties, public schools throughout Missouri removed hundreds of books from their libraries after state lawmakers last year made it illegal to provide students with “sexually explicit” material — a new law that carried punishment of up to a year in prison.

Writers organisation denounces ‘relentless’ Republican crusade as 1,477 books banned in first half of 2022-23 school year

NPR's official Twitter feeds have gone silent. The news organization cites the social media platform's decision to question NPR's editorial independence through a series of inaccurate labels.

Amid the national uproar about whether to allow students access to a wide variety of books, the superintendent of a Virginia school district last week proposed a sweeping solution: Get rid of school libraries altogether.