Maryland Judge Orders Harford Schools to Keep Flamer on the Shelves
A Harford County judge ruled from the bench that the school board was wrong to pull Mike Curato's Flamer, the first court test of Maryland's Freedom to Read Act.
thepublishingtimes.comEditorial
The Publishing Times
All the News That’s Fit to Publish
Coverage
PEN America in The Publishing Times
Free-expression nonprofit that tracks U.S. school book bans. Official site: pen.org
Eleventh Circuit: Escambia Board Can Be Asked Why It Removed Books
The Eleventh Circuit held that Escambia County school board votes to remove specific books were administrative, so members can be deposed about those votes. Votes adopting the policies stay privileged.
Jodi Picoult Gave Away 600 Copies of Nineteen Minutes in Utah
At the first Salt Lake Book Festival, Picoult handed out 600 free copies of Nineteen Minutes, removed from every Utah public school in January. The talk was her last U.S. stop for Hollow Bones.
Manga Series Are Being Pulled From School Shelves Whole, PEN America Says, as ALA Lists 150 Most-Challenged Books
PEN America says manga series are being removed from schools as entire sets. ALA's Banned Books Week list of 150 most-challenged books opens with Gender Queer.
PEN America Counts 11,982 School Book Bans in 2025–26, a Record
PEN America recorded 11,982 school book bans in the 2025-2026 school year, its highest one-year count since it began tracking in 2021. Stephen King is again the most banned author.
Literary Prizes 2026: Booker, Pulitzer, National Book Award — What Winning Means for Sales
Major literary awards have long been viewed as trophies for artistic achievement, but in the modern publishing ecosystem, they function as powerful commercial a…
Utah Orders Seven More Books Out of Every Public School, Bringing the Statewide List to 44
The Utah State Board of Education told every school district on September 28 that seven more titles, including books by Sarah J. Maas, Ellen Hopkins and V.E. Schwab, must come off shelves statewide.
Email me when The Publishing Times covers PEN America
One email when a new article about PEN America is published. Confirm by email; unsubscribe any time.
As featured in The Publishing Times
Add this badge to your site. It links to this coverage page.
