If books weren't powerful, they wouldn't be banned. John Green, author of "Looking for Alaska," the most banned book in Amerika, is hopeful for the future of the #freedomtowrite #freedomtoread @penamerica.bsky.social @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social

youtube.com/shorts/YkaJ3...

Salman Rushdie's 7 #writing tips (from his MasterClass):

1. Understand whether you are a minimalist or a maximalist

2. Are you a planner or a writer who improvises?

3. Write b/c there's something you need to express; it has to be essential to you

cont...

Writer @elanakarnold.bsky.social, whose books are often banned, says ignorance does not protect innocence. #freedomtowrite #freedomtoread @penamerica.bsky.social www.youtube.com/shorts/wS1n7...

Today, after a year of conditional freedom, Narges Mohammadi—an activist, writer, Nobel Peace Laureate, and PEN/Barbey #FreedomToWrite Awardee—was re-arrested by Iranian authorities. Mohammadi was attempting to speak at a memorial for murdered human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi.

Brandon Sanderson's 5 #writing tips:

1. Borrow your structure [could I write something like that?]

2. Begin w/ a monologue [have the character tell you about something]

3. Ask what does the character want? What do they need? How are those 2 things different? Why can't they have either?

cont...

PEN America and @bardcollege.bsky.social announce the launch of Kronika, a new digital platform designed to safeguard journalism globally and ensure that the historical record cannot be obliterated by censorship. More: pen.org/press-releas...

I donated $500 and arranged for another $750 to be donated to @penamerica.bsky.social because I believe in the #freedomtowrite. PEN America is a necessary advocate for the freedom of expression in the U.S. and globally. Donate today! #GivingTuesday pen.org/2025-support...

Natalie Goldberg's rules for #writing:

1. keep your hand moving
2. lose control
3. be specific
4. don't think
5. don't worry about spelling, punctuation, or grammar
6. you're free to write the worst junk in the world
7. go for the jugular

Late-night jokes are protected speech. The FCC chairman amplifying Trump's misguided call for Seth Meyers to be fired is a troubling use of regulatory power and a warning sign for anyone who cares about a free and independent media. www.npr.org/2025/11/17/n...

Mario Guevara was grabbed off the streets of ATL for his reporting; deported 100 days later. Now British journo Sami Hamdi is held by ICE in SF for criticizing Israel. The use of ICE to quash dissent is unconstitutional. Defend the right to report. @penamerica.bsky.social pen.org/2025-support...

PEN America strongly condemned the Iranian authorities’ detention and harassment of six writers in Tehran this week as “repressive tactics meant to quash independent thinking, analysis, and expression,” said Karin Deutsch Karlekar, Director of Writers at Risk.

pen.org/press-releas...

PEN America: New White House press restriction "severs one more line of accountability between the government and the American people, part of a pattern that is straining the nation’s foundational principle of a free press.” pen.org/press-releas...

My hometown library was a Carnegie Library & there's one where I live now, one of the lucky recipients of a $10k grant from @carnegiecorp.bsky.social. These institutions are a part of the bedrock of this democratic society. Thanks for supporting them! #freedomtoread www.carnegie.org/news/article...

Stephen King is the most-banned writer in America. Thousands of books and writers are banned in school libraries, denying readers looking for stories about them. #writing #freedomtowrite #freedomtoread

abcnews.go.com/US/video/rep...

The #freedomtowrite goes hand-in-hand with the #freedomtoread ... and one of my all-time favorite places to find a great book is the Argosy bookstore in NYC, celebrating 100 yrs in business.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/01/n...

A federal judge ordered the Department of Defense to restore all books banned in five schools at U.S. military installations, a solid first step in a long road to restoring and protecting students’ freedom to read. #freedomtowrite #freedomtoread #censorship pen.org/press-releas...