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The Latest Breaking News from PEN

Report: Last year ended with a surge in book bans

According to PEN America, 4,349 books were banned from schools between July and December 2023, more than the entire previous school year. More than 3,000 of those bans were in Florida.

WEKU

Authors Withdraw From PEN Awards Over Gaza Stance

Authors withdraw from PEN America awards over Gaza conflict stance, sparking debate in literary community.

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PEN America invites writers who exited festival over Gaza to discuss ‘divergent views’

The writers group is also making a ‘substantial financial contribution’ to fund for distribution to Palestinian writers

The Guardian - US

Authors withdraw from PEN America festival in protest over Israel-Gaza war

Group of more than a dozen writers decry organization’s inadequate response to ‘genocide’ being committed by Israel

The Guardian - US

The Booksellers’ Revolt

The READER Act would have required vendors to rate books on "explicitness" before selling to schools—and blacklisted those that didn't comply.

Texas Observer

Open letter criticising PEN America’s stance on Israel-Gaza war reaches 500 signatories

Writers including Roxane Gay have called on the organisation to ‘wake up from its silent, tepid, self-congratulatory middle of the road and take a stand’

The Guardian - UK

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Hundreds gather in Ukraine's capital to honor renowned poet who was also a soldier killed in action

Hundreds of people have attended a ceremony honoring the memory of renowned Ukrainian poet Maksym Kryvtsov, who was killed in action while serving as a soldier in the war Russia started in Ukraine nearly two years ago

The Independent UK

Ukrainian poet fighting Russian invasion killed in war, says mother

Maksym Kryvtsov, 33, joined Ukrainian Armed Forces as volunteer in 2014

The Independent UK

‘My mum’s books survived Putin’s missiles’: defiance after blast destroys Kherson children’s library

A Ukrainian library to which Ed Vulliamy donated works by his late mother, the author Shirley Hughes, is trying to rebuild itself

The Guardian - UK

Pink gives away 2,000 banned books at Florida concerts

The pop music icon is taking a stand against the libraries and classrooms around the U.S. that have removed books due to claims of inappropriate content related to sexuality, gender identity and race.

WEKU

Pink to distribute 2000 'banned' books at Florida concerts

Around 40 per cent of book bans in the United States in the last year took place in Florida

Evening Standard

‘Books keep our minds free’: US prisons ban reading materials at alarming pace

New PEN America data reveals incarcerated persons are being robbed of magazines and even recipe books

The Guardian - US

Most banned books in US prisons include Amy Schumer and Art of War

Latest banned books list comes amid increase in type of books being banned from prison system, PEN America says

The Guardian - US

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The Independent UK

New report from PEN America documents vast book bannings in U.S. prisons

A new study from PEN America finds that tens of thousands of books are banned or restricted by U.S. prisons

The Guardian - UK

Imprisoned Uyghur academic named 2023 PEN writer of courage

Professor and global expert on Uyghur folklore Rahile Dawut was reportedly sentenced to life in prison after going missing six years ago

The Independent UK

Michael Rosen names Uighur scholar Rahile Dawut PEN Writer Of Courage 2023

The British author announced Dawut as an award winner on Wednesday during an event held at the British Library in London.

The Guardian - US

Get on the bus: banned books tour hits the road, from New York to Texas

Book banning in public schools jumped by 33% this year, so a group of enthusiasts is tackling censorship with a bus tour

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The Independent UK

Judy Blume, James Patterson and other authors are helping PEN America open Florida office

Judy Blume, James Patterson and Michael Connelly are among 24 prominent writers who have raised more than $3 million to help PEN America open a center in Miami and expand it efforts to counter Florida’s surge in book bannings in recent years

Salon

Book bans spiked 33% last school year

"Eating away at the foundations of our democracy"

WEKU

School book bans show no signs of slowing, new PEN America report finds

The number of bans and restrictions in the U.S. rose 33% in the last school year, according the the report. Florida had more bans than any other state.

Cinemablend

Disney Q3 2023 Earnings Call Live Blog: Bob Iger Speaks On Strike, Possible Sale To Apple

CEO Bog Iger is expected to touch on the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike and the ongoing legal battle between Disney World and Florida among other topics.

Al Jazeera

‘Everywhere, things are hot’: Ukraine battles Russian onslaught

Mixed picture for Kyiv’s forces as Russia fights to hold onto Ukrainian land captured after February 2022 invasion.

The Guardian - UK

We can revile Putin’s violence in Ukraine, but we’re not at war with Russian culture

Elizabeth Gilbert was wrong to stop her novel being published on account of its setting

The Guardian - UK

Writer Rachel Eliza Griffiths: ‘There’s a strength you don’t realise you have access to’

The novelist on inheriting her mother’s ferocity, gun violence in the US and the attack on her husband, Salman Rushdie, last year

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