PEN America

NEW: “The next four years will be very hard for higher education,” writes PEN America’s Jeffrey Adams Sachs and Jeremy Young. Read their post-election analysis about what might come next in federal higher ed censorship in 2025, and how higher ed can fight back. https://lnkd.in/eHk3vdxM

Read Anka Upala’s powerful essay on Swedish PEN's PEN/Opp published in collaboration with dekoder.org and translated into English by Hanna Komar. Upala left Belarus because of the persecution of writers, bans on literature, and systematic repression by the Belarusian government. https://lnkd.in/ddsbjxpY

"A make-believe person in a make-believe world" PEN Prison Writing Award-winner John Corley, as interviewed by Nicholas Chrastil, The Lens NOLA https://lnkd.in/etzR3XtR

As a young English professor at the University of Buffalo, Harry Keyishian was asked to sign a “loyalty” oath declaring that he had never been a member of the Communist Party. He refused and became the lead plaintiff in Keyishian v. Board of Regents, a landmark 1967 Supreme Court decision that established academic freedom as a “special consideration” that afforded professors at least as much freedom of speech as other citizens. In an interview with PEN America's Jeremy Young, Keyishian draws parallels between the McCarthy "red scare" era and the "educational gag orders" of today and says he fears the present majority of SCOTUS justices wish to return to the dark times of the 1950s. "I would say loudly that the costs of silence and submission are high, both for scholarship and for teaching, as well as for the future of our democracy." Read our interview at: https://lnkd.in/enRftU8d

PEN America's Jeremy Young joins The Politics Guys #podcast to discuss educational censorship: – Where it’s happening – The deviousness of ‘stealth censorship’ – How universities are responding – What to expect from the incoming Trump administration Listen here: https://lnkd.in/ek4yU4GV

Happy New Year! Whether you've made an official resolution or not, perhaps there's a voice in your head urging you to "Write more, write more, write more!" If that sounds like you, here's a little #writing inspiration from Danzy Senna, author of Colored Television. Read her 2024 PEN Ten interview at: https://lnkd.in/eYpYjCkt

"I think there are still many adults across the nation that are needing and seeking MG and YA books about queer identity, too, to give their inner kids the stories they needed when they were young, too. And, when education and empathy wins over book bans and censorship, young people will need your books to be ready, waiting for them on the shelves," says Kacen Callender, author of Infinity Alchemist. As another year comes to a close, we're highlighting some resonant words from ten authors featured in our PEN Ten interview series. Find more advice on picking up a pen as you go gently into the new year at: https://lnkd.in/eXCHQYjc #writers #writing

"My advice would be for younger generations to talk to those elders if they are able – ask questions, be curious and try to fill those gaps in their collective memory. If nothing else, it will likely bring you closer to an understanding of what came before you, and what pathways were laid out for you to arrive where you are today," says Maame Blue, author of The Rest of You. As another year comes to a close, we're highlighting some resonant words from ten authors featured in our PEN Ten interview series. Find more advice on picking up a pen as you go gently into the new year at: https://lnkd.in/eXCHQYjc #writers #writing

"Write the book you want to read, and write the very best book you can! Also, don’t be afraid to go big—send your work out, and keep sending it. Go to summer writing conferences, use your community networks and resources, share advice and information with writer friends. Trust your vision and trust your work," says Marcela Fuentes, author of Malas. As another year comes to a close, we're highlighting some resonant words from ten authors featured in our PEN Ten interview series. Find more advice on picking up a pen as you go gently into the new year at: https://lnkd.in/eXCHQYjc #writers #writing

Putting an unpublished, 600-page manuscript away, "felt like a great disloyalty," says Parul Kapur, author of Inside The Mirror. "I had been devoted to my characters for most of my adult life. And yet, as I sealed the pages up in a box, I felt it contained a great energy, a whole world, and I had a spurt of confidence that the book was alive and might one day make it into the world." As another year comes to a close, we're highlighting some resonant words from ten authors featured in our PEN Ten interview series. Find more advice on picking up a pen as you go gently into the new year at: https://lnkd.in/eXCHQYjc #writers #writing