We support them with grants, fellowships, awards, workshops, and quality public programming while defending their freedom to write. Pen america stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the united states and worldwide We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Pen america is thrilled to announce the 2025 literary awards winners The following book award winners were announced live at the pen america literary awards ceremony on may 8, 2025, at the town hall in new york city and hosted by tamron hall. Accessibility forms the core of pen america’s definition of a school book ban and emphasizes the multiple ways book bans infringe on the rights of students, professional educators, and authors.
What books are banned in 2025 Thousands of titles have been removed from public schools across the country Pen america has documented nearly 23,000 book bans in public schools nationwide since 2021, a number never before seen in the life of any living american. Pen america initially compiled a list of more than 250 words and phrases reportedly no longer considered acceptable by the trump administration, from “abortion,” to “women,” and including “disability,” “elderly,” “native american” and, unsurprisingly, the “gulf of mexico.” Pen america is honored to announce the finalists for the 2025 literary awards The 2025 awards will confer around $350,000 to writers.
The grants are made possible by a substantial contribution from the bare life review, which celebrates world literature and has been a champion for migrant and diasporic arts.
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