PEN America: A Journal for Writers and Readers

PEN America: A Journal for Writers and Readers features a diverse collection of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, dialogues, graphic narratives, and more. The organization supports global authors and offers a unique glimpse into the thoughts of modern writers through engaging discussions and events. In the year 2000, Library Journal recognized PEN America as one of the Ten Best New Magazines. The journal has also been a contender for the Utne Independent Press Award due to its international coverage, and its contributions have been included in respected anthologies such as Best American Essays, Best American Short Stories, and the Pushcart Prize.

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Women’s Voices from the Revolution: Book Launch and Conversation with Writers from Myanmar - PEN America

2 days ago | pen.org

Join us for a conversation with writers on the power of storytelling and their experiences living under the junta’s rule.
Announcing The 2025 PEN America Literary Awards Finalists - PEN America

1 month ago | pen.org

PEN America is honored to announce the Finalists for the 2025 Literary Awards. The 2025 Awards will confer around $350,000 to writers.
Announcing The 2025 PEN America Literary Awards Longlists - PEN America

1 month ago | pen.org

PEN America is honored to announce the Longlists for the 2025 Literary Awards, which will confer over $350,000 to writers and translators.
Coalition led by PEN Florida lobbies in Tallahassee to undo the harms of censorship

1 month ago | pen.org | Sophia Brown |Tasslyn Magnusson |Kasey Meehan |Lisa Tolin

For nearly three years running, the Florida legislature has passed law after law that has jeopardized the state’s public education system—from instructional bans to book bans, to direct attacks on Black, brown and LGBTQ+ Floridians through legislation like the “Don’t Say Gay” law or the “Stop WOKE Act.”The agenda for the 2025 Florida Legislative Session unfortunately demonstrates a commitment to this ongoing trend, with more censorial bills up for consideration this year.
Utah Prevents Students From Bringing Banned Books to School

Jan 29, 2025 | pen.org | Sabrina Baêta

There are a few things Utah students can’t bring to school. Weapons. Vaping devices. Judy Blume’s Forever... Based on a new interpretation of a state law, Utah is forbidding students from bringing banned books to school. The updated guidance from the Utah State Board of Education, first reported by Utah’s KUER, says banned books should be prohibited on school property.
The 23 Most Banned Picture Books of the 2023-2024 School Year

Jan 27, 2025 | 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.
It’s Not a Hoax: Trump Administration Dismisses Book Ban Complaints

Jan 24, 2025 | pen.org | Sabrina Baêta |Samantha LaFrance

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights on Friday dismissed 11 complaints and six allegations related to book bans, saying it was ending “Biden’s book ban hoax.”PEN America counted more than 10,000 instances of school book bans in the 2023-2024 school year, nearly triple the number in the previous year. Book bans in United States public school classrooms and libraries are no hoax. You don’t have to take our word for it.
Gu Byeong-Mo | The PEN Ten

Dec 10, 2024 | pen.org | Gu Byeong-Mo

Award-winning author Gu Byeong-Mo’s latest novel Apartment Women (Hanover Square Press, 2024; translated by Chi-Young Kim) offers a sharp critique of gender roles, parenthood, and shared responsibilities, inviting readers to reflect on the cultural expectations of women in South Korea. The novel follows the intertwining lives of the four couples who live together in the Dream Future Pilot Communal Apartments.
Native American Heritage Now: An Interview With Dr. Debbie Reese

Nov 13, 2024 | pen.org | Sabrina Baêta |Samantha LaFrance

At the tail end of another year that has threatened and targeted books by Native Americans–from book bans to incorrect reclassifications–the work of Dr. Debbie Reese becomes extremely important. Her website, American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL), is a repository of information on Native American heritage that acts, at once, as both an archive and a record, especially of misrepresentation of culture in literature.
Beyond the Shelves: Three Years of Book Bans and Educational Censorship

Nov 1, 2024 | pen.org | Sabrina Baêta |Samantha LaFrance

The numbers are staggering. Four hundred books removed from shelves in Elkhorn, Wisconsin following a single parent’s objection. Sixteen hundred books suspended in Escambia County, Florida after the passage of a state law. Three thousand books yanked in Iowa last fall. Over 10,000 book bans nationwide in the 2023-24 school year. Now in its fourth consecutive school year, the movement to ban books that has sowed chaos in public education shows few signs of dissipating.