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2 months ago | 
pen.org | Jeremy Young |Kristen Shahverdian |Sabrina Baêta |Samantha LaFrance
Picture books featuring gay or transgender characters or naked butts — human or otherwise — were among the most frequently banned in U.S. public schools in the 2023-2024 school year. PEN America counted more than 10,000 book bans in the 2023-2024 school year affecting more than 4,000 unique titles, with about 45% of the bans occurring in Florida and 36% in Iowa. Most bans targeted young adult or adult titles, but about 2% of bans were of picture books for the youngest readers.
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Nov 17, 2024 | 
thinkingdance.net | Kristen Shahverdian
Still/Here: 30 Years Later
It’s been 30 years since the premiere of Still/Here by the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, and although that’s reason enough to mount a reprisal of it, it does raise the question - how will a piece so of its time resonate today? Still/Here was born from “survival workshops” led by Bill T. Jones and documented by Gretchen Bender from 1992-1994. The participants in the workshops form the essence of the Still/Here.
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Oct 31, 2024 | 
pen.org | Sophia Brown |Kristen Shahverdian
Invoking fairytales and folklore, acclaimed author Sarah Moss’ new book My Good Bright Wolf (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2024) is an innovative and experimental memoir documenting her struggles with disordered eating. Writing at times in the second person and using archetypal figures in the place of real people, Moss explores how childhood lessons and the fables of girlhood influences her present.
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Oct 30, 2024 | 
pen.org | Sophia Brown |Kristen Shahverdian
PEN America joined public libraries, authors, advocates, and readers across the country to unite in standing up for books and fighting censorship on the Freedom to Read Day of Action on Oct. 19. The day of action was a chance for people to learn about book bans, send letters to elected officials, and join organizations defending the right to read. The event came as PEN America’s latest figures reveal a stunning 10,000 instances of school bans over the 2023-2024 school year.
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Sep 13, 2024 | 
thinkingdance.net | Kristen Shahverdian
Listening to the dance
“What makes a performance? What’s a performance for?” These two questions were asked vocally, via ASL interpreters and through closed captioning, early in the documentary screendance film Telephone, and they undergird how I watch and listen to the 45-minute film.
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Feb 2, 2024 | 
pen.org | Kristen Shahverdian |Summer Lopez |Jonathan Friedman
The IssueThe most recent war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, 2023, with Hamas’ murderous attack on civilians in Israel, including the taking of hostages and the targeting of an open-air music festival. Israel’s military response, in a context where Hamas is embedded in civilian infrastructure, has resulted in a devastating loss of civilian lives in Gaza, including writers, artists, and journalists. Treasured cultural centers, libraries, and educational institutions have been destroyed.
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Oct 30, 2023 | 
highereddive.com | Kristen Shahverdian |Sam LaFrance
This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Kristen Shahverdian is a senior manager for free expression and education at PEN America. Sam LaFrance is the manager of editorial projects for free expression and education at PEN America. PEN America is a nonprofit devoted to protecting free expression.
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Oct 20, 2023 | 
pen.org | Lisa Tolin |Justin Shilad |Kristen Shahverdian |Jonathan Friedman
HomePEN America Speaks: How We Defended and Celebrated Free Expression The Week of October 16PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out. PEN America mourned the devastating loss of civilian lives in Gaza and condemned threats to free expression and the free flow of vital information to the public arising out of the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine.
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Sep 22, 2023 | 
pen.org | Suzanne Nossel |Justin Shilad |Kristen Shahverdian |Samantha LaFrance
PEN America works tirelessly to defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Here are some of the latest ways PEN America is speaking out. PEN America launched a new report that found book bans across the U.S. increased by 33 percent in the 2022-2023 school year.
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Sep 22, 2023 | 
pen.org | Kristen Shahverdian |Samantha LaFrance |Erica Galluscio
Earlier this month, when disability activist Alice Wong submitted her remarks for a virtual talk at Boston University’s School of Public Health, the school made an unusual request: to change what she planned to say. Because she cannot speak, Wong requires questions in advance of public appearances. This allows her to type answers ahead of time to more efficiently use a text-to-speech app.
