#QOTD: "Does the First Amendment Protect Your Speech on the Job?" Here are some insights for workers, including professors and journalists, who are wondering exactly what protections they have against retaliation from their employers due to their speech: pen.org/does-the-fir...

Gaza’s Cultural Heritage Faces ‘Existential Threat,’ New Report Warns PEN America’s report highlights museums, archaeological sites, and religious centers destroyed or heavily damaged in Israel’s assault. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/gaza-cultural-heritage-pen-report-2690843

"We are at risk of losing one of our most precious freedoms: the freedom to write." In a new op-ed in The Los Angeles Times, PEN America's Summer Lopez warns the assault on free speech in the United States has "entered an alarming new phase." Read more: www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

"A dangerous moment for press freedom" PEN America Urges Court to Halt Deportation of Detained Journalist Mario Guevara https://pen.org/press-release/pen-america-urges-court-to-halt-deportation-of-detained-journalist-mario-guevara/

#USA: PEN International joins PEN America in condemning the FCC’s threats to Jimmy Kimmel Live! as a dangerous escalation of government-instigated censorship.

As the Trump administration suppresses speech—targeting the cultural, media, and educational sectors—we are moved by solidarity from @peninternational.bsky.social and our fellow PEN Centers around the world. Read the resolution condemning these attacks on free expression:

#Mozambique: PEN International welcomes the acquittal of writer & publisher Alex Barga, freed after 9 months of unlawful detention on fabricated charges. We urge authorities to end the weaponisation of justice against civic freedoms. Read our statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/mozambi...

With Doxing On the Rise, Here Are 7 Tips to Stay Safe Online https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/2025/09/19/7-tips-keep-you-safe-online-doxing

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has shattered the very fabric of its cultural life. The devastating death toll includes at least 151 cultural figures, while libraries, universities, museums, and irreplaceable historical landmarks lie in ruins. pen.org/press-releas...

PEN America condemns the Trump administration’s unconstitutional retaliation campaign against Mahmoud Khalil for his pro-Palestinian speech, most recently evidenced by an immigration court decision ordering Khalil to be deported to Algeria or Syria. Full statement: pen.org/press-releas...

An “Extraordinary Assault” on Free Speech: FCC Threats Mark a “Dark New Level of Capitulation” and Escalation of Government-Instigated Censorship Over Jimmy Kimmel, PEN America Warns pen.org/press-releas... #FreeSpeech #FirstAmendment

🧵 PEN America’s new report documents the Israeli military’s catastrophic destruction of Gaza’s cultural heritage alongside firsthand accounts from Palestinian cultural figures. pen.org/press-releas...

We join PEN centers in welcoming the release of writers jailed in Belarus. At the same time, we condemn their forced exile and call for their rights to be upheld. Writers still in prison—including Ales Bialiatski, Maksim Znak, and Kaciaryna Andrejeva—must be released. bsky.app/profile/peni...

#USA: PEN International joins PEN America in condemning President Trump’s defamation lawsuit against Penguin Random House and The New York Times. bsky.app/profile/pena...

Mario Guevara, journalist in ATL arrested & detained since June 14 for his news coverage, is still in detention. A judge ordered his release in July, but he remains in rural southern GA. We're fighting for his release. Next Monday will be 100 days in detention. pressingissues.org/five-questio...

#China: Today, Sebastien Lai addressed the UN Human Rights Council, calling for the immediate release of his father, #HongKong writer and publisher Jimmy Lai, who he fears may die in prison. See his statement here⬇️ #FreeJimmyLai www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...

"Especially concerning has been the involvement of a number of high-ranking government officials, who... have used Kirk’s murder as a pretext to crack down on speech in clear violation of the First Amendment." pen.org/charlie-kirk...

The Department of Homeland Security has proposed a rule that, if enacted, would significantly reshape how foreign journalists, students, and exchange visitors live and work in the United States. Take action to oppose this rule at: https://pen.org/oppose-homeland-securitys-proposed-visa-restrictions/

PEN America: Recent comments made by senior Trump Administration officials on podcasts, social media, and in official communications represent a "shocking, unacceptable, and undemocratic threat to civil society." pen.org/press-releas...

PEN America: President Trump’s defamation lawsuit against publisher Penguin Random House and The New York Times "is striking in its hypocrisy, and continues the broader goal of creating a climate of fear and retaliation while claiming to champion free speech." Full statement: pen.org/press-releas...

Trump administration joins Republicans' campaign to police speech in reaction to Kirk's murder. After The Washington Post fired opinion columnist Karen Attiah, PEN America warned in a statement that such firings “risk creating a chilling effect.” www.yahoo.com/news/article...

PEN America: “The firing and suspension of multiple journalists after the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk should alarm anyone who cares about free speech and a free press." Full statement: pen.org/press-releas...

PEN America: Crack Down on Faculty Social Media Posts Threatens Free Speech and Academic Freedom https://pen.org/press-release/crack-down-on-faculty-social-media-posts-threatens-free-speech-and-academic-freedom/

Faculty, advocacy groups fear Texas A&M firing threatens academic freedom. “It’s one of the most chilling stories I’ve seen in recent years,” said PEN America's @jonfreadom.bsky.social. www.texastribune.org/2025/09/15/t...

In our new PEN Ten interview, we spoke with Sam Sussman as he looks back on the Bob Dylan songs and parental relationships that inspired his debut novel, Boy From the North Country (@penguinpress.bsky.social, 2025). Read more: pen.org/sam-sussman-...

Journalists and co-founders of Russian Independent Media Archive (RIMA), M. Gessen and Anna Nemzer, joined human rights advocate Yaqiu Wang and PEN America’s Viktorya Vilk to talk about media erasure under authoritarian governments at #PENWorldVoices 2025. Read more: pen.org/what-oversea...

Find the areas hit hardest by book bans and the nearest Little Free Library book-sharing box locations! We are proud to reveal our 2025 Book Ban Map, created in collab with @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social & @penamerica.bsky.social. Learn more and try the interactive map! littlefreelibrary.or...

#Mali: We are deeply concerned that writer Étienne Fakaba Sissoko, one of our emblematic cases, has been forced into exile after years of harassment and unjust imprisonment. We stand in solidarity and urge the authorities to safeguard freedom of expression. www.pen-international.org/cases/tienne...

We welcome the release of politically-imprisoned writers in Belarus, including philosopher Uladzimir Matskevich. Their freedom is long overdue, and many are still in jail. We call for all jailed writers, cultural figures, and journalists to be released. en.belsat.eu/88871429/bel...

Egypt's government has a record of human rights violations against writers, journalists & dissidents. Poet Galal El-Behairy has been jailed for 7 years solely for his writing. We join partners in urging UN member states not to elect Egypt to the Human Rights Council egyptianforum.org/en/joint-sta...

Writers worldwide face urgent and escalating crises. We are honored to work in solidarity with the PEN network to speak out against threats to the freedom to write, read, and learn in the U.S. Read all of the resolutions defending our collective right to free expression: bsky.app/profile/peni...

Online harassment field manual from @penamerica.bsky.social onlineharassmentfieldmanual.pen.org

PEN America Condemns “Horrific” Killing of Activist Charlie Kirk While Speaking on a Utah Campus pen.org/press-releas...

Violence has no place in our democracy. PEN America condemns the shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University. Our campuses must be safe spaces for dialogue, and all Americans must reject violence as a response to speech. Ideas must be met with debate and not bullets.

PEN America: “We are witnessing the death of academic freedom in Texas." https://pen.org/press-release/swift-removal-of-academic-leaders-at-texas-am-signals-the-death-of-academic-freedom-in-the-state-warns-pen-america/

In a Lifetime of Causes, Eleanor Roosevelt Stood for the Freedom to Read Honoring Her Legacy, PEN America Will Co-Present the Eleanor Roosevelt Awards for Bravery in Literature on October 11. Learn more: https://pen.org/in-a-lifetime-of-causes-eleanor-roosevelt-stood-for-the-freedom-to-read/

The Trust in ‘Trustee’ We should resist efforts to redefine the trustee role in narrow, partisan terms, writes Kevin P. Reilly, president emeritus and Regent Professor for the University of Wisconsin system and a PEN America Champion of Higher Education www.insidehighered.com/opinion/view...

'The Librarians' Documentary Sets Theater Release The film is "a clarion call for citizens to rise in defense of libraries and librarians," says @jonfreadom.bsky.social, Sy Sims Director, US Free Expression Programs of PEN America. www.slj.com/story/The-Li...

We join with 16 partner press freedom & free expression organizations to call for the release of journalist Furkan Karabay, detained for 117 days in Türkiye, and an end to the continuous judicial harassment against him by Turkish authorities. #FreedomToWrite

We're honored to have joined PEN colleagues from around the world for powerful conversations. As #Congress25 comes to a close, we are grateful to PEN International and Polish PEN for bringing together writers to discuss literature, free expression, and solidarity.

We’re thrilled to welcome Olga Tokarczuk, winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature, as Vice President of PEN International, our network’s secretariat. Congratulations!

Join P&T Knitwear and PEN America on 9/8 as author Susan Shapiro (@profsue123.bsky.social) reveals the SECRETS OF PUBLISHING, with panelists: Miya Lee, Alia Hannah Habib, Paul Whitlatch, Rachel Kahan, Krishan Trotman, and Rob Cameron. Click for details and tickets: www.eventbrite.com/e/back-to-sc...

“Censorship isn’t people being mad at your take, It’s gov't deciding which speech is acceptable.” @eisendrath.net & Hadar Harris of @penamerica.bsky.social discuss censorship & "viewpoint neutrality"on a new "It's the democracy, stupid!" on Lincoln Square: www.lincolnsquare.media/p/censorship...

🎙️ Our book talk this spring at P&T Knitwear in partnership with @penamerica.bsky.social is available as a podcast if you missed the event in New York! 🔗 bit.ly/ptknitwear-revolution

Writers, journalists, & activists in Iran continue to face harsh sentences and abusive prison conditions to punish their expression. Reza Valizadeh is the cellmate of Reza Khandan, husband of 2011 PEN America #FreedomToWrite Awardee Nasrin Sotoudeh. We call for their release! cpj.org/2025/09/impr...

Daniel Cruz of PEN America emphasized the toll censorship can take on authors: “Authors stop writing the content that's getting censored.”

At a time when books and bookstores are needed more than ever, reports indicate people are afraid to venture out in Washington DC because of the National Guard deployment. PEN America stands with booksellers, writers and readers in DC at this difficult time. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Author Margaret Atwood Mocks Book Ban With New Short Story & Now The Ban’s On Hold “Until Further Notice” deadline.com/2025/09/marg... via @deadline.com

I am so honored to be named an inaugural recipient of the James Patterson "Go Finish Your Book" Grant. As a later-in-life full-time writer, this recognition means the world to me. Thank you, James Patterson‪ @penamerica.bsky.social‬, from the bottom of my heart! apnews.com/article/jame...

We're proud to join the PEN network in Poland this week for the Annual Congress, where PEN centers worldwide come together. This year's theme is #FreedomOfWords, #WordsOfTheFree. Follow @peninternational.bsky.social for highlights and updates from #Congress25.