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The Latest Breaking News from PEN America

Utah outlaws books by Judy Blume and Sarah J Maas in first statewide ban

State has ordered 13 books by seven authors, six of them women, to be removed from every public school classroom and library

The Guardian - UK

Florida arts groups left in the lurch by DeSantis veto of state funding for theaters and museums

All over Florida, arts groups are scrambling to plug large budget gaps after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unexpectedly vetoed $32 million in arts funding

The Independent UK

‘Scary’: public-school textbooks the latest target as US book bans intensify

A school district in Houston has voted to redact chapters on vaccines and climate change, and parents and educators are worried

The Guardian - US

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PEN America, facing criticism over its response to the Mideast war, gathers for annual gala

PEN America gathered Thursday night for its annual gala, a high-profile event raised even higher because some wondered if it would be held at all

The Independent UK

America’s unseen book bans: the long history of censorship in prisons

Tens of thousands of books are banned in US prisons, in an often arbitrary process that limits education opportunities

The Guardian - US

Indian elections: The videos causing a stir online

India's mammoth general election is well under way, with the first two phases of voting over and five more to go. FRANCE 24's Leela Jacinto looks at online campaigning and some controversies that are flaring up. Next, we speak to PEN America about their latest Freedom to Write Index. Writers…

France 24

Number of writers jailed in China exceeds 100 for first time, says report

Pen America says there are 107 people behind bars for published content in China, with many accused of ‘picking quarrels’

The Guardian - UK

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PEN America cancels festival after authors drop out in support of Gaza

Cancellation of World Voices festival comes days after organization cancelled 2024 edition of its annual awards ceremony

The Guardian - US

PEN America cancels 2024 awards after authors drop out over Gaza

Dozens of nominated writers had withdrawn from consideration by literary and free-expression organization

The Guardian - US

Writers withdraw from PEN America literary awards in support of Gaza

Authors and translators say PEN America has ‘had no criticism of American complicity in the bombardment of Gaza’, in stark contrast to other national centres of the organisation

The Guardian - UK

In a u-turn, Governor DeSantis signs bill limiting book challenges in Florida schools

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Tuesday that tightens the state's law, restricting numerous books and classroom materials subject to challenges within school districts.

Latin Times

In A U-Turn, Governor DeSantis Signs Bill Limiting Book Challenges In Florida Schools

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Tuesday that tightens the state's law, restricting numerous books and classroom materials subject to challenges within school districts.

International Business Times

Report: Last year ended with a surge in book bans

According to PEN America, 4,349 books were banned from schools between July and December 2023, more than the entire previous school year. More than 3,000 of those bans were in Florida.

WEKU

5 takeaways from Salman Rushdie's new memoir 'Knife'

Nearly two years after the renowned author was stabbed on stage in Chautauqua, N.Y., Rushdie's new memoir unpacks everything he's been feeling since the attack.

WEKU

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Top News

Authors Withdraw From PEN Awards Over Gaza Stance

Authors withdraw from PEN America awards over Gaza conflict stance, sparking debate in literary community.

The Hindu

NIT-C Assistant Professor wins PEN America’s literary grant for translation

Vrinda Varma, Assistant Professor, National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NIT-C), has been chosen for a grant instituted by PEN America for literary translation. Ms. Varma translated Alingam, a Malayalam novel by S. Girish Kumar based on the life of dramatist Ochira Velukutti.

The Guardian - US

PEN America invites writers who exited festival over Gaza to discuss ‘divergent views’

The writers group is also making a ‘substantial financial contribution’ to fund for distribution to Palestinian writers

The Guardian - US

Authors withdraw from PEN America festival in protest over Israel-Gaza war

Group of more than a dozen writers decry organization’s inadequate response to ‘genocide’ being committed by Israel

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The Guardian - UK

Open letter criticising PEN America’s stance on Israel-Gaza war reaches 500 signatories

Writers including Roxane Gay have called on the organisation to ‘wake up from its silent, tepid, self-congratulatory middle of the road and take a stand’

Salon

Libs of TikTok joins Okla. library panel

Education chief actively integrating extremist right-wing ideologies into state's education system, critics say

WEKU

A secret shelf of banned books thrives in a Texas school, under the nose of censors

A teacher at a public school near Houston has a secret classroom bookshelf largely made up of challenged titles. Many of the books deal with race, sex and gender.

The Independent UK

Florida school district pulls dictionaries, encyclopedias from shelves to review for sexual content

Escambia County School District has pulled more than 1,600 books to review them for pornography or depictions of sexual conduct

The Guardian - US

Florida school district pulls dictionaries for ‘sexual conduct’ descriptions

Officials say materials – including encyclopedias and other books – violate state law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis

The Independent UK

Federal lawsuit against Florida school district that banned books can move forward, judge rules

A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit may move forward against a Florida Panhandle school district over its removal of books about race and LGBTQ+ identities from library shelves

The Guardian - US

Book bans use ‘parental rights’ as cover to attack civil liberties, Democrat warns

Florida congressman Maxwell Frost, who introduced the Fight Banned Books Act, says bans are ‘baseless attack on our civil rights’

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