@PENamerica

We defend free expression, fight censorship, and champion creative freedom. Support us: https://xitter.cf/t.co/zKygaNnonY

 NYC | LA | DC
pen.org
Joined July 2008
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  • Following8.6K
  • Followers138K
11.6KMedia
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.
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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/irans-…

Iran’s Detainees At High Risk Amidst A Communications Blackout

Communications blackouts severely restrict access to independent reporting and sharing of essential and life-saving information.

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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-book-ba…. #bannedbooks #freedomtoread
Graphic featuring three books – "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult, "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire, and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky – with the headline "Three More Books Added to Utah's No-Read List". The poster indicates that 22 books are now banned in the state, and includes the PEN America logo at the bottom.

ALT Graphic featuring three books – "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult, "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire, and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky – with the headline "Three More Books Added to Utah's No-Read List". The poster indicates that 22 books are now banned in the state, and includes the PEN America logo at the bottom.

Graphic shows cover of Jodi Picoult's novel Nineteen Minutes, featuring a toppled chair and an open book on the floor. The text reads 'BANNED Statewide in Utah,' with a PEN America logo at the bottom.

ALT Graphic shows cover of Jodi Picoult's novel Nineteen Minutes, featuring a toppled chair and an open book on the floor. The text reads 'BANNED Statewide in Utah,' with a PEN America logo at the bottom.

Graphic shows cover of 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West' by Gregory Maguire, marked as 'Banned' across the bottom, with text indicating it is banned statewide in Utah. The background is red with the PEN America logo at the bottom.

ALT Graphic shows cover of 'Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West' by Gregory Maguire, marked as 'Banned' across the bottom, with text indicating it is banned statewide in Utah. The background is red with the PEN America logo at the bottom.

Graphic shows cover of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky with the word "BANNED" overlayed in large letters, and PEN America logo at bottom.

ALT Graphic shows cover of "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky with the word "BANNED" overlayed in large letters, and PEN America logo at bottom.

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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-list-la…

Utah Adds Three Titles to Statewide ‘No Read’ List as Authors and Students Sue Over Censorship

"We can’t allow censorship to take root under laws with vague prohibitions against topics deemed unacceptable by an extremist movement."

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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.
Narges Mohammadi | نرگس محمدی
@nargesfndJan 9
It has been one month since Nobel Peace Laureate Narges Mohammadi and journalist Alieh MotalebZadeh, previously diagnosed with cancer, were arrested in Mashhad, northeast Iran. Detained during Khosrow Alikordi’s memorial, by the Islamic Republic’s intelligence services and have since been held in solitary confinement Ghazal Abdollahi, daughter of Alieh MotalebZadeh, explains in a video about her mother’s brief call from an unknown security detention center yesterday. Read More : narges.foundation/alieh-mota… #FreeNarges #FreeAlieh #Iran #Freepoliticalprisoners #Iranprotest #InternetShutdown
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PEN America retweeted
Folk You!@FolkYouAllJan 7
Ben Folds on Resigning From the Kennedy Center: What Would Rostropovich Do? ⁦@PENamerica⁩ pen.org/ben-folds-interview/

Ben Folds on Resigning From the Kennedy Center: What Would Rostropovich Do?

When Ben Folds stepped into the role of artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, it wasn’t political. But even before it was renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center last...

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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/congre…

Congressional Subpoena of Journalist Threatens Press Freedom

PEN America is alarmed over a congressional subpoena targeting investigative journalist Seth Harp, who was wrongly accused of “leaking classified intel” and “doxxing” a Delta Force member in a post...

pen.org
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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.
PEN America@PENamerica8 Jan 2025
Replying to @PENamerica
Three years on, there is still no accountability for poet Baktash Abtin's death in custody in Iran. PEN America and @FrontLineHRD call for an international, impartial investigation into his death. Joint statement: pen.org/press-release/three-… Image by @channeldraw
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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/snapshot…

Snapshots of Censorship Archives

Newspaper headlines bring waves of stories about the censorship of research and teaching in higher education, whether by state legislation, federal action, or campus overcompliance. What is often...

pen.org
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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/plato-…

Plato Has Been Censored; What Next?

PEN America condemns and calls absurd Texas A&M censoring Plato readings and discussions related to race and gender

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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/vietna…
Graphic by PEN America highlighting the imprisonment of Vietnamese writers Le Huu Minh Tuan, Pham Chi Dung, and Nguyen Tuong Thuy for expressing their views, with a focus on violations of free expression rights in Vietnam. The poster is red with white and black text, featuring the PEN America logo at the bottom.

ALT Graphic by PEN America highlighting the imprisonment of Vietnamese writers Le Huu Minh Tuan, Pham Chi Dung, and Nguyen Tuong Thuy for expressing their views, with a focus on violations of free expression rights in Vietnam. The poster is red with white and black text, featuring the PEN America logo at the bottom.

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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.
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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/vietna…

Vietnamese Writers Mark Five Years of Unjust Prison Sentence

"The Vietnamese government must immediately release them and all writers in jail and end these grave violations of free expression rights.”

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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
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"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/wire…
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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-voices-fell…
Promotional poster for the Emerging Voices Fellowship by PEN America. The image features an artistic illustration of diverse individuals using laptops and books, symbolizing writers. Text invites early-career writers to apply for a mentorship program to support underrepresented groups in publishing, with a deadline of January 31.

ALT Promotional poster for the Emerging Voices Fellowship by PEN America. The image features an artistic illustration of diverse individuals using laptops and books, symbolizing writers. Text invites early-career writers to apply for a mentorship program to support underrepresented groups in publishing, with a deadline of January 31.

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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/books…

From ‘Mona’s Eyes’ to ‘Theo of Golden’: This Year’s Surprise Hit Novels (Gift Article)

These days, most best sellers are written by authors with household names. Not these five breakout books.

nytimes.com
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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-general-…
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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-book…
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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-interview/ #benfolds #kennedycenter
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