The Latest Breaking News from PEN America

‘I’m tired and scared’: The ‘historically bad’ wave of anti-LGBT+ legislation impacting youth mental health

A record number of state-level bills targeting transgender young people and the inflammatory right-wing rhetoric surrounding them are having a damaging effect on LGBT+ youth, Alex Woodward reports

The Independent UK · Feb 18, 2023

George Santos and Marjorie Taylor Greene team up for bill that raises fears of LGTBQ+ book ban

Similar legislation has flourished across country in GOP states

The Independent UK · Feb 17, 2023

A librarian’s frontline view of Florida’s ‘vetting’ process for school books, and the titles being banned

A vetting process to comply with Florida guidelines to school books has caused chaos for students and teachers, writes Richard Hall

The Independent UK · Feb 13, 2023

Florida Gov. DeSantis leads the GOP's national charge against public education that includes lessons on race and sexual orientation

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

The Conversation · Jan 18, 2023

A play about censorship is censored — and free speech groups are fighting back

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.

WEKU · Jan 10, 2023

Hamline University at center of academic freedom debate over Islamic artwork shown in class

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

Tribune News Service · Jan 10, 2023

Students Taking Back ‘Ownership’ of Education

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

Texas Observer · Jan 5, 2023

How 'Gender Queer: A Memoir' became America's most banned book

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…

Los Angeles Times · Dec 22, 2022

Silent censorship of books is an attack on knowledge and open discourse

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.

Chicago Sun-Times · Nov 25, 2022

This North Texas author is shining a light on Desi authors from around the globe

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.

Tribune News Service · Nov 23, 2022