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The Latest Breaking News from PEN America

Author Ann Patchett urges a 'breath' for books as PEN gala raises $2M amid ban surge

Author Ann Patchett and film producer Jason Blum are among those who spoke at PEN America's annual gala, which raised more than $2 million for the century-old literary and free expression organization

The Independent UK

China remains the biggest jailer of writers worldwide, report finds

Report finds Iran witnessed sharpest increase in arrest of writers last year

The Independent UK

‘They’re trying to narrow the worldview of young people’: how book bans are on the rise in the US

Rising tide of censorship is spreading, reshaping what students are permitted to read, learn and think

The Guardian - US

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Report shows banned non-fiction books doubled over last school year in US

New PEN America report analysed 3,743 unique titles removed from libraries and classrooms and found books about activism and social movements were targeted

The Guardian - US

Author ‘safety program’ launched after rise in harassment and threats

The group says it first noticed a rise in harassment against journalists a decade ago, around the time Trump was first elected president

The Independent UK

BJ Novak to host PEN America gala on May 14 at the American Museum of Natural History

The Independent UK

PEN America announce 2026 World Voices festival with Judith Butler and Bill McKibben

The 2024 festival was cancelled after multiple authors pulled out over the non-profit’s stance on the Israel-Gaza war

The Guardian - US

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Free press organizations and journalists sound the alarm over Don Lemon’s arrest: ‘Journalism is not a crime’

‘Jailing a journalist for doing their job is dangerous — not only for press freedom, but for the public’s right to know,’ the National Press Club said on Friday.

The Independent UK

Film producer Jason Blum and author-bookseller Ann Patchett to receive PEN America awards

Oscar-nominated producer Jason Blum is set to receive the Business Visionary award from PEN America at its fundraising gala next spring

The Independent UK

The uptick in book banning has spread to the stage. Jodi Picoult is hitting back

The superintendent of Mississinewa High School in Indiana canceled a production of ‘Between the Lines’

The Independent UK

Texas and Florida Have Become National Models for Using the Police State To Wage Culture War Battles

From library books to abortion, gender, and even food, the culture war is now feeding the police state.

Reason

New PEN America report reveals Stephen King is the most banned author in US schools

The alarming new report by PEN America, titled "The Normalization of Book Banning - Banned in the USA, 2024-2025", offers a window into the extensive climate of censorship in the US.

Euronews

Many book bans could be judging titles mainly by their covers

Over the past decade, a growing movement to restrict access to books in public schools and libraries has spread across the country. Every year, there are hundreds of attempts to challenge or ban books, targeting thousands of titles.

The Conversation

‘Inappropriate’ comments about Charlie Kirk shooting lead to university firings

Free speech advocates accuse Republicans of ‘intimidation tactics’ as employees disciplined for sharing their views

The Guardian - US

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The Texas Tribune

UT System will push to enforce campus protest bans that judge temporarily blocked

A judge said the university can’t be trusted to enforce a state law that bans overnight “expressive activity,” among other restrictions, in a constitutional way.

Al Jazeera

Trump says Smithsonian museums only cover ‘how bad Slavery was’ in US

US President says a review of the national museums will be similar to those he has ordered for universities.

The Guardian - UK

Why I withdrew my book from an LGBTQ+ literary prize

The Polari first book prize claims to promote trans rights and trans voices. But when I saw the longlist, I had to act, says Guardian writer Jason Okundaye

Al Jazeera

Protests held worldwide over Israel’s murder of Al Jazeera Gaza journalists

Global protests target Israel and media outlets who have ‘made excuses’ after killing of four Al Jazeera staff in Gaza.

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The Guardian - US

‘Accelerated censorship’: advocates criticize US supreme court ruling on LGBTQ+ books

Opponents say the decision allowing parents to let their kids opt out of lessons featuring LGBTQ+ themes will hurt the US education system

The Independent UK

What to know about the US Supreme Court's ruling on public school lessons using LGBTQ books

The Supreme Court has sided with religious parents who want to pull their children out of the classroom when a public school lesson uses LGBTQ storybooks

The Independent UK

Supreme Court says Maryland parents can pull their kids from public school lessons using LGBTQ books

The Supreme Court has ruled that Maryland parents who have religious objections can pull their children from public school lessons using LGBTQ storybooks

The Guardian - AU

PEN America ‘gravely concerned’ by deportation of Australian writer critical of Trump administration

US administration describes suggestion Alistair Kitchen was targeted because of his political beliefs as ‘unequivocally false’

The Independent UK

Literary world gathers for PEN America dinner-gala hosted by Amber Ruffin

Hundreds of writers, editors and publishers are to gather Thursday night for PEN America’s annual gala, hosted by Amber Ruffin and featuring a tribute to actor-publisher Sarah Jessica Parker

The Independent UK

China jails most writers in the world for sixth year in a row

Iran named as one of the worst offenders for jailing mostly women writers protesting against suppression

The Independent UK

Supreme Court takes up religious rights dispute over LGBTQ books in Maryland schools

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments over the religious rights of parents in Maryland to remove their children from elementary school classes using storybooks with LGBTQ characters

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