Did you know that there's a database of banned books across Canada? If you've heard of a ban, the @cfetmu.bsky.social encourage all libraries (public, school, academic, and government) in Canada to add it to this online resource by completing a simple form: cfe.torontomu.ca/databases/ca...

The Writers Unlimited Festival opened at Het Nationale Theater to Olivia Newton-John’s Physical, a playful reminder of the importance of being present for conversation. The festival has already brought together Lisa Weeda, Leïla Slimani and Zoya Miari on stage and continues over the next two days.

#Cuba: We condemn the prison sentences against writer José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez and artist Fernando Almenares Rivera (Nando OBDC), alongside partners. Read our joint statement with @atriskartists.bsky.social and Civil Rights Defenders ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/cuba-th...

Fighting Book Bans, Coast to Coast: Across America, publishers, libraries, and literary organizations are building a formidable litigation slate to ensure the availability of books in public and school libraries. www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

#USA: We are gravely concerned about the FBI’s raid on reporter Hannah Natanson’s home in connection with a government contractor investigation — an alarming escalation that strikes at the core of press freedom. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026... @washingtonpost.com @penamericas.bsky.social

#Venezuela: PEN International welcomes the release of five journalists but condemns their arbitrary detention. We remain deeply concerned for Rory Branker, still detained. All writers and journalists must be freed now. Read our statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/venezue...

President Trump’s defamation lawsuit against the BBC, which seeks an extraordinary $10 billion, represents a coercive ploy to globalize his domestic threats to a free and independent press and to chill reporting overseas, says PEN America. Full statement: pen.org/press-releas...

PEN America: Cancellation of 60 Minutes segment—reportedly because the Trump administration refused to be interviewed—represents an abandonment of "central principles of press freedom and independent news gathering." Full statement: pen.org/press-releas... #60Minutes #Journalism #FreePress

Calling Emerging Writers! The 2026 Emerging Voices Fellowship application opens January 1 and closes January 31, 2026. Join a vibrant community of writers, mentors, and readers committed to bold storytelling and creative growth. Apply this January. https://pen.org/emerging-voices-fellowship/

"It’s safe to say this assault on the press over the past year has probably been the most aggressive that we’ve seen in modern times," said Tim Richardson, program director for journalism and disinformation at PEN America. abcnews.go.com/Business/wir...

Statement: PEN America Decries Supreme Court Decision on Book Ban Case pen.org/press-releas... @penamericas.bsky.social #libraries #bookbans

#Cuba | PEN Internacional condena la detención arbitraria de los autores Alina Bárbara López y Jorge Fernández Era en Matanzas, hoy, 18 de diciciembre. Ambos han enfrentado una fuerte persecución por su literatura y activismo. Exigimos su liberación inmediata. diariodecuba.com/derechos-hum...

#Cuba. PEN International condemns the arbitrary detention of writers Alina Bárbara López Hernández and Jorge Fernández Era in Matanzas on 18 Dec 2025. Both face persecution for their writing and activism. We demand their immediate release. diariodecuba.com/derechos-hum...

#Honduras: As harassment against journalists intensify before the elections, we join partner organisations in calling on authorities to deliver urgent guarantees to protect journalists and end the stigmatisation of the press. Read our joint statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/hondura...

PEN International welcomes the UN statement on human rights and press freedom in Honduras ahead of the November 30 election. PEN and partners are contributing to the Honduras UPR process and a forthcoming assessment report. www.ohchr.org/sites/defaul...

SIGN OUR PETITION: He told the truth. They silenced him. Rory Branker has been disappeared and detained in Venezuela for doing his job as a journalist. Add your name to set him free — journalism is not a crime. www.pen-international.org/rory-branker... #RoryBranker #DayoftheImprisonedWriter

#Cuba: Writer José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez has spent 1 year in prison for his words. Accused of “public disorder,” he faces up to 6 years. The Patmos Award 2025 honoured him and his late mother for their dedication to free expression. We call for his immediate release. @penamericas.bsky.social

#Cuba. José Gabriel Barrenechea Chávez cumplió un año en prisión el 8 de noviembre pasado. PEN Internacional reitera sus llamados a las autoridades cubanas y exige su liberación inmediata. Su detención y persecución evidencian los esfuerzos del gobierno por silenciar toda disidencia.

PEN International is increasingly concerned by efforts to silence diverse voices and restrict access to literature. Read more from Hola Cultura (@holaculturadc.bsky.social) on the growing wave of book bans affecting Latine authors ⬇️ holacultura.com/as-book-bans...

#Chile #PENLasAmericas #Latinoamerica #Literatura www.penchile.org/post/newslet...

#Mexico: PEN International condemns the killing of journalist Miguel Ángel Beltrán Martínez, found dead in Durango after going missing on 23 Oct. We urge the Mexican authorities to conduct an immediate investigation. (@penamericas.bsky.social) www.cbsnews.com/news/journal...

Author @jodipicoult.bsky.social is being banned in two mediums this fall — her books and now a high school musical. “It’s devastating... kids who put in hundreds of hours of hard work had that torn away from them because of the objections of a single parent,” she says. apnews.com/article/jodi...

This week, we continue our theme for PEN recommends reading list: Banned Books, spotlighting writers whose works have been silenced. Today, we feature The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, banned in several schools in the United States.

If you’re a journalist or newsroom leader concerned about safety, join @PENAmerica and @TheCAOV's free webinar, Leading the Way: Building Safer Newsrooms, on Nov. 13th at 12pm ET. Register here: pen.org/event/buildi...

Join us today at 3 pm in front of the Mexican Embassy in London to honour journalists in Mexico who’ve been killed or disappeared for their work. Can’t join in person? Create an altar wherever you are and share a photo with #NoOneIsGuaranteedSafety to stand in solidarity.

#Mexico: PEN International condemns the intimidating threats from criminal groups against "Semanario Zeta." The attack follows the outlet's publication of a crucial journalistic investigation on October 13, 2025. zetatijuana.com/2025/10/sena... Read more ⬇️

#México. PEN Internacional condena los mensajes intimidatorios de grupos criminales en contra del "Semanario Zeta". El medio de comunicación fue señalado tras publicar una investigación periodística el 13 de octubre de 2025. zetatijuana.com/2025/10/sena...

#Guatemala: We welcome the decision of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice to overturn the conviction of José Rubén Zamora Marroquín. The new trial must proceed with full independence and without persecution of journalism. cnnespanol.cnn.com/2025/10/06/l...

Join PEN International, @sanmiguelpen.bsky.social, @englishpen.bsky.social and other PEN Centres with @amnesty.org and @article19.bsky.social. Together, we will gather in front of the Mexican Embassy in London to demand justice for murdered and disappeared journalists. #NoOneIsGuaranteedSafety

PEN International warmly congratulates @giocondabelli.bsky.social, President of PEN Nicaragua, on receiving the Carlos Fuentes International Prize for Literary Creation. elpais.com/mexico/2025-...

As book bans proliferate, Latine authors are increasingly caught in the cultural crossfire https://holacultura.com/as-book-bans-proliferate-latine-authors-are-increasingly-caught-in-the-cultural-crossfire/

A federal judge in the Eastern District Court of Virginia today ordered the Department of Defense to restore all books banned in five schools at U.S. military installations, a ruling PEN America called a victory for the freedom to read. pen.org/press-releas...

#USA: We are pleased to see Jimmy Kimmel return. His case reminds us of the urgent need to resist worsening threats to free expression. We can only hope his words spark a louder and more consistent opposition to the Trump administration’s attacks on free speech. @penamericas.bsky.social

#Cuba: Independent journalist and author José Gabriel Barrenechea will stand trial today, facing up to six years in prison. His case reflects the Cuban authorities’ systematic campaign to silence independent voices. Read our statement ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/cuba-tr...

“Kimmel's return is a vindication for free speech... When people speak out to hold the powerful to account—it matters. We must all channel the same energy to fight the many assaults on free speech underway, including against those with less reach & resources"—Summer Lopez, PEN America interim Co-CEO

Over the past week, we've seen writers, journalists, and scholars bombarded with harassment after being put on watchlists or doxed for expressing their thoughts on the killing of Charlie Kirk. Some have lost their jobs, been forced offline, or had to flee their homes. (1/2)

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

At our 91st Congress in Kraków, Centres adopted a landmark Resolution condemning the ongoing escalating attacks on freedom of expression in the United States — from book bans to threats against press freedom. Read the full resolution ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/pen-int...

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

📢 UPDATE: After 206 days, the disappeared journalist Rory Branker has been located in Caracas police cells. PEN International calls on Venezuela to immediately release him, guarantee his safety, and respect his right to legal defence. #FreeRoryBranker @penamericas.bsky.social

#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...

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...

EVENT: PEN International and Polish PEN open the 91st Congress in Kraków with Nobel Laureate Olga Tokarczuk and PEN President Burhan Sonmez. 🎟 Reserve your seat: kbfbilety.krakow.pl/kup-bilet/ur... 📍 Kino Kijów, Kraków 🗓 Tuesday 2 September 🕠 17:30–19:00 CEST

In just 3 days, writers from around the world will gather in Kraków for PEN International’s 91st Congress — Freedom of Words, Words of the Free. Find out more ⬇️ kbfbilety.krakow.pl/kategorie/pen #PENCongress25 #FreedomOfWords

🇨🇺 Alertamos sobre la situación de Maykel Castillo, incomunicado y en una celda de castigo desde el 16 de agosto, por una pelea instigada por un preso común. Exigimos que se levante el castigo impuesto y se le permita comunicarse con su familia. youtube.com/watch?v=O6tu... @crdefenders.bsky.social

#Guatemala: On 8 August 2025, the Third Court of Appeals admitted that the file, reportedly under the custody of Magistrate Alejandro Prado, had been lost—an alarming breach of due process. Read our full update (@penamericas.bsky.social) ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/news/guatema... (1/2)

“College campuses can encourage students and professors to express themselves more freely by providing them a space to have their voices be heard,” says Abygail Simmons, a student at the University of Georgia. Hear from Abygail and other students here: pen.org/college-stud...

#Eritrea: Poet and journalist Amanuel Asrat has been held incommunicado since 2001 for using literature to speak out. One of the world’s longest-imprisoned writers, PEN International calls for his and his colleagues immediate release. #EmptyChair #FreeAsrat #PENCongress25

At PEN International, we stand with writers, artists, and thinkers everywhere. Freedom of expression is a right, not a privilege. Find out more about the work we do ⬇️ www.pen-international.org/what-we-do

As we look back on the powerful conversations and connections forged at last year’s annual Congress, we carry that momentum forward into PEN International 91st Congress, Kraków, 1-6 September. Stay tuned for more information.