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.
PEN America
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Permitting federal agencies to force employees to sign NDAs would silence discourse and restrict the flow of information to the public.
We condemn the proposed Trump admin rule that would enable this.
Read the letter we signed with 23 other orgs: www.spj.org/spj-coalitio...
PEN America today criticized reports from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago that a tenured professor and chair of the art therapy department, Savneet Talwar, has been put on leave after a student complained about a mock case study assignment that referenced violence against Palestinians.
Summer is here, which means we’ve got more time for our favorite hobby: reading! If the same goes for you, try your hand at our 2026 Summer Reading Bingo card.
Need some #summerreading inspiration? Find some of our favorite reading lists here: https://pen.org/try-our-2026-summer-reading-challenge/
Submissions are open for the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. 12 exceptional debut stories will be awarded a cash prize of $2,000 and winning stories will be published in an anthology by Autumn House Press. More at: https://pen.org/literary-awards/pen-dau-short-story-prize/
STARTS TONIGHT! PEN America’s You Are A Writer — a #free online workshop series for early career writers — returns June 8. This year’s class is dedicated to fiction writing, from early research to publishing strategies. Learn more and sign up now at: pen.org/you-are-a-wr... #writing #writingworkshop
This #PrideMonth, check out PEN America’s newest reading list, which features nearly 100 stories of LGBTQ+ love: https://bookshop.org/lists/2026-pride-love-stories
10 Authors Share Why They Write LGBTQ+ Literature https://pen.org/why-write-lgbtq-literature/ #PrideMonth
“Universities should not be in the business of banning books,” says @jonfreadom.bsky.social, Sy Syms Managing Director of U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America. PEN America condemns the banning of a human sexuality textbook at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. pen.org/press-releas...
Lucky by Alice Sebold is the 35th book to have been banned statewide in all public schools and public charter schools in Utah https://pen.org/books-banned-in-utah/ #bannedbooks #censorship
The University of Nebraska at Kearney banned a textbook after a student complained it was “pornography” even though an internal investigation found the book: a) doesn’t violate Nebraska law and b) aims to “educate future health workers, counselors, therapists, and educators.” pen.org/press-releas...
PEN America
Books about LGBTQ+ people are under attack. But there are countless reasons why these books should stay on shelves.
(NEW YORK)–The University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) discontinued the use of a human sexuality textbook, Discovering Human Sexuality by Simon LeVay, Janice Baldwin and John Baldwin, effective Fall 2...
Utah’s statewide banned books list includes 35 titles as of June 2026. See the complete list of books banned statewide in Utah public schools, including titles by Toni Morrison, Judy Blume, John Green...
