Ben Folds on Resigning From the Kennedy Center |
When multi-platinum singer-songwriter Ben Folds stepped into the role of artistic advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in 2017, it wasn’t political. But even before it was renamed the Trump-Kennedy Center, the writing was on the wall. In conversation with PEN America, Folds talked about his decision to step down from the Kennedy Center, art as activism, and why he doesn’t believe in writer's block. |
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A New Resource for Campuses |
Today PEN America unveiled an updated Campus Free Speech Guide, a unique digital resource designed to help students, faculty, and administrators navigate the complex challenges of speech, protest, and academic freedom sweeping U.S. colleges and universities. The guide provides grounding principles, analysis of real conflicts involving free speech, and clear, accessible advice for upholding freedom of expression principles while fostering inclusive campus climates. |
The Controversial Kitty-Corn |
Shannon Hale’s heartfelt children’s book Pretty Perfect Kitty-Corn has a simple message: Everyone makes mistakes, and we all deserve to be loved. Recently, the book was banned in a Texas school district because Unicorn, a male character, is depicted with eyelashes and a purple mane, and because the story features images of his “paint bum” after he sits in paint. The controversy came as a shock to Hale. “We don’t need to shy away from the fact that all people (and unicorns! and kitties!) have bottoms,” she told PEN America.
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Apply Now for Emerging Voices Fellowship |
PEN America’s Emerging Voices Fellowship selects 10 early career writers from communities that are traditionally underrepresented in the publishing world for a virtual five-month mentorship program. The fellowship includes curated one-on-one mentorship, workshops, introductions to editors, agents, and publishers, and an honorarium of $1,500. Applications are open until Jan. 31. |
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Explore a selection of PEN America Member publications from 2025: bestselling fiction, a wide range of children's and young adult literature, award-winning translations, vital works of nonfiction, and more. |
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| 'We aren't going to stop book bans without a fight.'
Best-selling author Jodi Picoult has a New Year’s Resolution for you: Join PEN America in the fight against book bans. PEN America data reveals that Picoult’s novel Nineteen Minutes is the second-most banned book in American schools since 2021. Find out why and learn how you can help. |
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Is This Peak Censorship?
A few months ago, a group of students in San Ramon, California, were waiting in their school library when children’s book authors Joanna Ho and Caroline Kusin-Pritchard arrived to talk about their book, The Day the Books Disappeared. But before they entered the library, the authors were told they were not permitted to address the topic of the book – book bans. A few weeks later, the subject of book banning was also deemed not suitable for older students across the country, part of a growing list of efforts to censor the very subject of censorship.
Read more >> Or This? Censoring Plato
A Texas A&M professor was told not to teach certain writings from Plato because it would violate the university’s rules against “advocating gender ideology.” Yes, that Plato: 5th Century BCE Athenian philosopher, student of Socrates and teacher of Aristotle. That guy was banned in Texas.
Read our statement >> Snapshots of Censorship
As part of our ongoing series on the impact of censorship in higher education, we heard from a professor who was sanctioned for criticizing his university and, according to an anonymous complaint, for speaking “negatively about Israel” in the classroom. We also spoke to a director of American Indian Studies who was restricted from using land acknowledgements.
See the snapshots >> Utah’s Bans Met With Lawsuit
Utah added three more books to its statewide “no read” list for all public school classrooms and libraries as the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the state on behalf of plaintiffs including the estate of Kurt Vonnegut, Elana K. Arnold, Ellen Hopkins, and Amy Reed.
Read more >> Beyond Book Bans
In a “pretty dramatic response,” Randolph County, North Carolina dissolved the board overseeing its public library after it voted to keep Call Me Max by Kyle Lukoff in the children’s section. Kasey Meehan told the Washington Post it was one of the most severe penalties she has seen in response to a controversial book. (Washington Post)
Read PEN America’s 2022 interview with Lukoff >> |
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“Teens know about sex. They know about abuse. They know a little bit about a lot of things. Reading good books and talking with adults they trust is far more enlightening and fortifying than pretending these subjects don’t exist.”
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