We are one of nearly 140 centres of PEN International, which is hosting this free event on Thursday morning👇
The event marks the launch of the annual PEN Case List, tracking the numbers of persecuted and imprisoned writers around the world.
Register to listen to the conversation:
After #Alberta schools removed four titles from their libraries, a local initiative donated those same titles to public libraries in Smiths Falls, Carleton Place, Mississippi Mills, Perth and Lanark.
More on organizers and residents tackling #bookbans:
www.insideottawavalley.com/news/lanarkc...
Librarians across #Alberta are pushing back against a proposed bill which could expand government control over public libraries.
Bill 28 would amend the Libraries Act and give the provincial government greater oversight of public library operations:
okotoksonline.com/articles/oko...
Canada is facing a “tsunami” of transnational and digital repression with the rise of authoritarianism in the U.S., the arrival of artificial intelligence and a softening of attitudes on human rights:
www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...
Joshua Whitehead is a Two-Spirit, Oji-Cree member of Peguis First Nation (Treaty 1).
He is the author of full-metal indigiqueer, Jonny Appleseed, Making Love with the Land, and Indigiqueerness: a Conversation About Storytelling.
He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary (Treaty 7).
francesca ekwuyasi is the author of Butter Honey Pig Bread and co-author of Curious Sounds: A Dialogue in Three Movements.
She won the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for Emerging LGBTQIA2S+ writers, and has been short and longlisted for the Governor General Award, Giller Prize, and the Dublin Literary Award.
Ann Y. K. Choi is a Toronto-based author and educator.
She serves on the program advisory committee for gritLIT, mentors emerging writers in a group she founded called Writers in Trees; and teaches at the University of Toronto.
Her new novel, All Things Under the Moon, was published in 2025.
We are excited to announce the jury for this year's RBC / PEN Canada New Voices Award: Ann Y. K. Choi, francesca ekwuyasi, and Joshua Whitehead.
Learn more about the jury, and how to submit for the New Voices Award: buff.ly/tyqdl8k
📅 The deadline to submit is Thursday May 7, 2026.
#Italy: Writer @robertosaviano.bsky.social has been cleared of defaming Matteo Salvini. While the court’s verdict reaffirms the vital importance of free expression, we must not forget the years spent fighting these baseless charges.
Read the statement ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/italy-r...
Generously funded by the RBC, this award celebrates emerging talent in Canadian literature.
The winner will receive $3,000 CAD and mentorship from a Canadian author.
Learn more about eligibility and how to submit:
pencanada.ca/call-for-sub...
Three weeks left to submit for our RBC/PEN Canada New Voices Award.
Unpublished writers are encouraged to submit any genre of writing, including creative nonfiction, journalism, plays, short stories, and poetry collections.
Deadline: Thursday May 7, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Alberta’s government asked media to edit or delete our story on Edmonton EMS overtime. We filed access to information requests and fact-checked them instead.
zurl.co/R8T9Y
Reporting by Zoe Mason / Medicine Hat News
#Alberta: Legislation tabled last week could give the province more control over ideology and operations in schools.
If passed, Bill 25 would mandate neutrality in classrooms and impose new restrictions on statements issued by school boards:
medicinehatnews.com/news/local-n...
We're looking for new board members 📣
In particular, we are looking for those from Atlantic Canada, as well as those with a background in fundraising or events (residing anywhere in #Canada).
The deadline to express interest in Monday April 13, 2026.
Learn more: pencanada.ca/news/call-fo...
Right-wing groups and think tanks had a private audience with Alberta's premier and education minister in February to discuss education policy. Check out what our access to information documents show.
zurl.co/P25Fl
To register for this free workshop, email queries@pencanada.ca with 2-4 sentences describing the piece of work you are hoping to get published.
Only members of the PEN Canada Writers in Exile program may register. Learn more at the link 🔗 in our bio.
buff.ly/2RGJHKo
PEN Canada Writers in Exile — apply this week. 💌
This free workshop, led by educator and author Patricia Westerhof, covers what scams you should look out for, how to get published in literary magazines, and how to get an agent or editor interested in your manuscript.
buff.ly/2RGJHKo
Shilling adds that the first #books singled out under the province’s policy to remove sexually explicit materials from school libraries were graphic novels with 2SLGBTQ+ themes and characters.
More on this story from the Investigative Journalism Fund:
theijf.org/article/albe...
@theijf.org
Jason Schilling, president of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, says “it’s concerning when you look at some of the people that have been meeting with government, because you’ve seen government make choices such as the book ban, for example, that are targeting vulnerable children within the system."
Access to Information Requests have revealed that in February 2026 Alberta’s premier and education minister held a private meeting with groups behind the push to ‘conservatize’ Alberta school boards and ban LGBTQ books:
theijf.org/article/albe...
The Alberta government is expanding its control of library materials 🚨
New proposed legislation would require that public libraries separate material with any graphic sexual material from the rest of the library, such as keeping those books behind a counter:
www.cbc.ca/player/play/...
In 2024, the Children’s Book Bank gave away 146,632 books to children in need. Since 2008, they have distributed 1.9 million #books across the city.
PEN Canada President Ira Wells recently interviewed Luiza Junqueira, manager of the Jane & Finch location of the, to learn more: buff.ly/824YiiI
In an era of book bans, this organization is giving them away 📚
At a moment when many special interest groups and governments are devoted to keeping some books out of children’s hands, there is something almost radical about an organization devoted to getting books into the hands of children.
The Operations Manager responsibilities include managing membership services and several of QWF’s programs and overseeing the organization's finances, bookkeeping, budgeting, and payroll.
Pay is $55,000–$60,000 per year.
ttps://qwf.org/call-for-applications-operations-manager/
The Executive Director will serve as the public face and strategic leader of QWF. Responsibilities include representing QWF at media appearances and external events and leading the development of new projects and initiatives.
Pay is $65,000–$75,000 per year.
qwf.org/call-for-app...
#JobAlert: The Quebec Writers' Federation is looking to fill two full-time, permanent positions: Executive Director and Operations Manager.
Deadline to apply: April 15, 5:00 p.m. ET.
👉 Executive Director: qwf.org/call-for-app...
👉 Operations Manager: qwf.org/call-for-app...
We're looking for new board members 📣
In particular, we are looking for those from Atlantic Canada, as well as those with a background in fundraising or events (residing anywhere in #Canada).
The deadline to express interest in Monday April 13, 2026.
Learn more: pencanada.ca/news/call-fo...
A look back on our event two weeks ago, featuring members of the PEN Canada Writers in Exile network.
The Varsity reporter Bushra Boblai says the reading brought an "urgency" that is "sorely needed in an environment that can sometimes feel insular": thevarsity.ca/2026/03/29/t...
We want you to make a nomination for the Ken Filkow Prize, which recognizes those who have advanced free expression in Canada.
Learn more: pencanada.ca/defend-expre...