All articles tagged with #pen america
PEN America reports a significant rise in book bans in U.S. schools during 2024-2025, with nearly 7,000 bans despite a slight decrease from the previous year, highlighting ongoing censorship and challenges to books on topics like LGBTQ+ and controversial themes, especially in states like Florida, Texas, and Tennessee.
PEN America has released a list of the most banned or restricted books in the US prison system, which includes unexpected entries such as Amy Schumer's memoir and Sun Tzu's The Art of War. The common reasons for banning books are security and sexual content, but the terms are used loosely and often include books that are not actually threats. The group estimates that over 40% of all prison book bans occurred in Florida last year, and Texas has over 10,000 books on its banned-from-prison list. PEN argues that the censorship of books in prisons is excessive and calls for an end to this practice.
American poet Amanda Gorman criticized a Miami-Dade school district for restricting access to her poem "The Hill We Climb" after a parent complained. The parent alleged that the material is "not educational" and has indirect hate messages. Gorman expressed her disappointment on Twitter and cited the American Literature Association’s study that reported 40 percent more books were challenged in 2022 than the year before. Penguin Random House filed a lawsuit against ECPS over their decision to ban several books, claiming it is a violation of First Amendment rights. PEN America recently published a report that showed that nearly 1,500 books were banned in the first half of the 2022-2023 school year.
Nonprofit organization PEN America tracked school book bans in the 2022-23 school year and found that 874 unique titles were affected by 1,477 instances of individual book banning across 37 states, including Michigan. Most bans occurred to books by or about people of color or LGBTQ individuals. Michigan reported 18 book bans across five school districts, with 16 unique titles banned. The banned books include "Gender Queer: A Memoir" and "Push" by Sapphire, which is banned in three districts.
Salman Rushdie made his first in-person appearance after the August stabbing attack in western New York to accept the PEN Centenary Courage Award. Rushdie explained that PEN America and its mission to protect free expression has never been “more important” at a time when book bans and censorship are at a high. He said that he was accepting the award on behalf of all of the people who came to his rescue that day at the institute.
Salman Rushdie made his first public appearance since being attacked at a literary event, where he was stabbed and lost sight in one eye. He attended the Pen America gala to accept the Pen Centenary Courage award and praised the people who saved his life during the attack, saying they were the true heroes. Rushdie also spoke about the importance of protecting free expression and Pen America's mission. The gala also awarded the Pen/Barbey Freedom to Write award to imprisoned Iranian writer and human rights defender Narges Mohammadi.
Salman Rushdie made his first in-person appearance since being stabbed last August at the annual gala of PEN America, where he received the PEN Centenary Courage Award. Rushdie dedicated his remarks to those who came to his help during the attack and emphasized the importance of not letting terror and violence deter us. Other honorees at the gala included Lorne Michaels and Narges Mohammadi. The event was eventful, with PEN and Penguin Random House suing a Florida school district over book removals and writer Masha Gessen resigning as vice president of the PEN board.
Salman Rushdie, the award-winning novelist, attended a New York gala hosted by PEN America, his first public appearance since being attacked on stage last year. Rushdie lost sight in one eye after being stabbed while speaking at a US arts centre. He thanked the people who came to his aid and said, “The courage that day was all theirs. I owe my life to them.” Rushdie has become an icon of free speech and is still an outspoken defender of the power of words.
Author Salman Rushdie warns of the dangers of banning books and of related movements in the US to roll back freedoms of expression at the PEN America Gala in New York City. Rushdie praised the literary and free speech advocacy group for its latest efforts to block politicians and local officials seeking to ban literature concerning race and gender identity. Rushdie also accepted the Freedom of Expression Courage Award “on behalf of those who came to my rescue and saved my life” after he was stabbed several times before his scheduled lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in New York in August.
Salman Rushdie made his first in-person appearance at a public event since being stabbed last August, attending the annual gala of PEN America and giving the event's final speech as he accepted a special prize, the PEN Centenary Courage Award. Rushdie, whose attendance had not been announced beforehand, spoke briefly, and dedicated some of his remarks to those who came to his help at the Chautauqua Institution, a nonprofit education and retreat center. Other honorees Thursday included "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels and the imprisoned Iranian journalist and activist Narges Mohammadi, who was given the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award.
Author Salman Rushdie made his first in-person appearance since being stabbed last August, attending the annual gala of PEN America and receiving the PEN Centenary Courage Award. Rushdie dedicated his remarks to those who came to his help during the attack and urged that terror and violence must not deter us. Other honorees included Lorne Michaels and Narges Mohammadi, who was given the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award. Rushdie's attendance had not been announced beforehand, and his voice sounded frailer than it once did.
Novelist Salman Rushdie made a surprise appearance at PEN America's annual gala, his first public appearance since being stabbed and gravely wounded at a literary event last year. Rushdie received an award for courage from the freedom of expression organization. The gala highlighted the high stakes of the current moment, where freedom of expression is under siege on many fronts, across the political spectrum, not just abroad but at home. Rushdie praised the group's efforts on behalf of teachers, libraries, and authors, and hailed those who had saved his life during the attack.
Author Salman Rushdie made his first in-person public appearance since being stabbed and hospitalized nine months ago at the annual gala of PEN America, the literary and free expression organization for which he once served as president. Rushdie sustained multiple wounds, leaving him blind in his right eye and struggling to write. Rushdie was in hiding for years after Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa in 1989 calling for his death because of the alleged blasphemy of the novel “The Satanic Verses,” but he had long moved about freely before the attack in August.
PEN America and Penguin Random House have filed a federal lawsuit against the Escambia County School District and its School Board for violating the First Amendment by removing 10 books about race and LGBTQ+ identities from library shelves. The lawsuit alleges that the removals stem from objections from one language arts teacher in the county, and in each case, the school board voted to remove the books over recommendations from a district review committee that deemed them educationally suitable. The case does not name Governor Ron DeSantis as a defendant, though he has championed policies that allow the censorship and challenging of books based on whether they are appropriate for children in schools.
PEN America and Penguin Random House have filed a federal lawsuit against the Escambia County School District and its School Board for violating the First Amendment by removing 10 books about race and LGBTQ+ identities from library shelves. The lawsuit alleges that the removals stem from objections from one language arts teacher in the county, and in each case, the school board voted to remove the books over recommendations from a district review committee that deemed them educationally suitable. The case does not name Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as a defendant, though he has championed policies that allow the censorship and challenging of books based on whether they are appropriate for children in schools.