We stand at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the U.S. and worldwide. Support and learn more at pen.org.https://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlok3zvb742hPEN America is yet again sounding the alarm on attacks against press freedom after a Wall Street Journal report indicated the news outlet received grand jury subpoenas for records of its reporters https://pen.org/press-release/government-is-using-war-time-leak-investigations-to-intimidate-the-press/12 May 2026 19:39 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlok3zvb742hhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlod4hmbb72vMay is Jewish American Heritage Month! Explore and celebrate Jewish experiences and lives from the start of our nation through the present day with PEN America. Below, find 52 titles to consider adding to your TBR pile. https://bookshop.org/lists/jewish-american-heritage-month-202612 May 2026 17:34 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlod4hmbb72vhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlo7i3dius2eAs journalists gear up to cover multiple major events in the U.S. in 2026, from the World Cup to midterm elections, they may face increased risks such as crowd or police violence during events, arrest and detention, and screenings or device searches at the border. (1/2)12 May 2026 16:28 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlo7i3dius2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlnvnehzck2zPEN America’s annual #FreedomToWrite Index, released today, shows that 401 writers were held behind bars across 44 countries during 2025 – more writers and countries than have been recorded since the first report in 2019: ​​https://pen.org/press-release/2025-freedom-to-write-index/12 May 2026 13:32 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlnvnehzck2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlm6bt4e4s2oFollowing the death of her husband of 43 years, Paul Auster, Siri Hustvedt set aside the half-finished novel she had planned to return to after his cancer treatments. She discussed her new memoir Ghost Stories: A Memoir of Love & Grief with Katie Kitamura at PEN World Voices: https://pen.org/siri-hustvedt-ghost-stories/11 May 2026 21:02 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlm6bt4e4s2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mljk76ywec2vHow does the work of writing actually get done? We asked some of the highly accomplished writers at the #PENWorldVoices Festival to share their personalized writing habits, setups and rituals. Leave a comment if you have a writing tip or trick you want to share.10 May 2026 19:57 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mljk76ywec2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mliyn7csbl2hWant to see your name — or a loved one's — in the pages of your next favorite book? Place a bid in PEN America's Character Naming Auction at: pen.org/2026-character-auction. Auction ends May 15 at 5pm ET. All proceeds support our new Author Safety Program.10 May 2026 14:43 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mliyn7csbl2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlh5ddgdi22wEveryone has a story. What if yours is inside one of the most gripping thrillers of the year? Place the winning bid in the PEN America Character Naming Auction and Jean Hanff Korelitz will name a character after you (or someone you love) in her next book. https://givebutter.com/c/pen-america-name-a-character-auction-gd4zkb/auction/items/190032509 May 2026 21:01 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlh5ddgdi22whttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlgsgfu2kk2lWe asked writers at the #PENWorldVoices Festival to share some of their most unhinged writing habits and, among other things, found at why some houses are cleaner than others. Also, do not try all of this advice at home. #writers #writing #booksky09 May 2026 17:46 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlgsgfu2kk2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlgp5g3fbs2s"PEN America’s report says the weaponization of the term 'pornography” to describe literature exploring identity or trauma is a deliberate ploy.... Perhaps most alarmingly, the censorship dragnet has expanded aggressively into nonfiction." https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/09/book-bans-schools09 May 2026 16:48 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlgp5g3fbs2shttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlgia7cbis2vRomantasy or dark academia? Hardcover or paperback? Library or bookstore? PEN America was on the scene and asking some hard-hitting questions at the Indie Lit Fair during #PENWorldVoices.09 May 2026 14:44 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlgia7cbis2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlejl3xbtc2lAmid controversies and cancellations, PEN America calls on campuses to uphold free speech surrounding commencement speakers https://pen.org/press-release/pen-america-calls-on-campuses-to-uphold-free-speech-surrounding-commencement-speakers/08 May 2026 20:02 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlejl3xbtc2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlehmym3wk2fIn his new novel Now I Surrender (@riverheadbooks.bsky.social), Álvaro Enrigue reimagines the wars over the U.S.-Mexico border through history and myth. He speaks with Erik Gross about the complexities of identity, beauty in fiction, and why he was trying to write a Western: https://pen.org/alvaro-enrigue-the-pen-ten-interview/08 May 2026 19:28 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlehmym3wk2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mle5evmf522lTo unravel insider secrets on how to be published with the Big Five, PEN America hosted a panel discussion where award-winning author @profsue123.bsky.social spoke with six industry experts. If you couldn’t make the event, hosted by P&T Knitwear, here are five takeaways: https://pen.org/how-to-publish-big-five/08 May 2026 16:24 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mle5evmf522lhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlckt55swd2yWant to See Your Name in a Book? PEN America’s 'Name a Character' Auction Can Make That Dream a Reality https://people.com/pen-america-name-a-character-auction-1196957208 May 2026 01:20 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlckt55swd2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlcarjmqgc2sToday, Texas Tech students sounded a death knell for academic freedom on their campus with a staged “funeral” to protest censorship during the system’s Board of Regents Meeting. Read more about the demonstration and the students involved here: https://pen.org/texas-tech-academic-freedom-funeral/07 May 2026 22:20 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlcarjmqgc2shttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlburadbr22wPEN America: Reported FBI Probe of Atlantic Magazine Journalist is a Clear Threat to Constitutional Protections “The head of the FBI should know better than to use his position to go after a journalist investigating his own alleged misconduct," says Tim Richardson. https://pen.org/press-release/reported-fbi-probe-of-atlantic-journalist-clear-threat-to-constitutional-protections/07 May 2026 18:45 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlburadbr22whttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlbuii5gjs2tTexas Universities are taking censorship into their own hands. Read more from PEN America about the policies and guidance that have resulted in a “disaster” for college students’ freedom to learn in Texas. https://pen.org/texas-universities-are-taking-censorship-into-their-own-hands/07 May 2026 18:40 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbuii5gjs2thttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlbqh5khm42vNonfiction books were censored at schools at over 2X the past rate in 2024-25 school year, according to a new PEN America report detailing a widespread “embrace of anti-intellectualism.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2026/05/07/nonfiction-books-banned-schools-doubles-report/89966267007/07 May 2026 17:28 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbqh5khm42vhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlbjgfo5e22rKasey Meehan, director of PEN America's Freedom to Read program, told PW that the new report “pushes back on the prevailing narrative around the book ban movement, that it's removing harmful, obscene, or inappropriate material. We know that to not be true.” https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/libraries/article/100342-book-bans-increasingly-target-nonfiction-pen-america-reports.html07 May 2026 15:22 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbjgfo5e22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlbhmpvacc2uReport shows banned non-fiction books doubled over last school year in US PEN America analyzed 3,743 unique titles removed from libraries and classrooms and found books about activism and social movements were targeted https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/may/07/banned-non-fiction-books-doubles07 May 2026 14:50 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbhmpvacc2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mlbcftgv2s2fIn a new report, PEN America documents a doubling of censorship of nonfiction in public schools on subjects from history and health to general knowledge as book ban campaigns “embrace anti-intellectualism." https://pen.org/press-release/banned-nonfiction-books-double-in-public-schools-erasing-authentic-stories-histories/07 May 2026 13:16 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlbcftgv2s2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3ml7tvsqi3k2mBy revising a bill that would restrict how the events of January 6 are taught, the Virginia legislature has put the freedom to learn above politics, writes @ajconn.bsky.social for PEN America: https://pen.org/virginia-freedom-to-learn/06 May 2026 23:24 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml7tvsqi3k2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3ml26r7sakc2c"Free expression on campus, as in life, is not always polite, tidy, or uncontroversial,” write PEN America’s Aileen Favilla and Kristen Shahverdian, arguing that NYU's new commencement speech policy is "a misguided attempt to control student speech." https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/05/04/nyus-pre-recorded-commencement-talks/?share=rmtn0hiado4yp6nw6dye04 May 2026 17:22 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3ml26r7sakc2chttps://bsky.app/profile/penamerica.bsky.social/post/3mkxnvkrevc2pA free press is under threat around the world. On #WorldPressFreedomDay, we stand with journalists facing imprisonment, harassment, and violence. We oppose efforts to retaliate against reporters and punish journalism. A free press must be defended.03 May 2026 17:15 +0000at://did:plc:cb2rfvyr2zasxtzn4ihmhedi/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkxnvkrevc2p