NEW YORK (AP) — A coalition of publishers and literary agencies are teaming with PEN America on an initiative meant to counter a growing trend of harassment against members of the literary community.
PEN America, the century-old free expression organization, announced Friday that it was launching the U.S. Safety Program, which would provide safety training and other resources for authors amid a wave of censorship efforts around the country.
“We have heard from countless authors, illustrators, and translators who are under siege, fending off a steady stream of abuse and threats, online and at book events,” said Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf, co-chief executive officer of PEN America. “Through this new program, the literary and publishing community is stepping up together because writers should not be forced to choose between their safety and their voice.”
Viktorya Vilk, who directs PEN's digital safety efforts, told The Associated Press that she first noticed a rise in harassment against journalists a decade ago, around the time Donald Trump was first elected president, and has seen it spread to writers and educators over the past couple of years. Maia Kababe, Jon Evison and George Johnson are among the authors of censored works who have spoken out about being harassed and threatened and even physically assaulted.
Ashley Hope Pérez, whose young adult novel “Out of Darkness” became a target for censors over its depictions of sex and sexual abuse, says she had to take down her office email and telephone. “I got hate mail and all kinds of ugly phone calls,” says Pérez, who teaches at Ohio State University.
According to PEN, it has raised nearly $1 million through contributions from Hachette Book Group, Macmillan Publishers and Penguin Random House among others. This spring, Jodi Picoult, Jennifer Egan and Lee Child will be among the writers auctioning off character names for future novels, with the proceeds benefiting the safety program. PEN will be building on other programs from recent years, including digital safety workshops held for Hachette authors in 2023.
“There have probably never been as many threats to authors’ safety as there are currently in the U.S,” Hachette CEO David Shelley said in a statement. “We’re proud to support this much-needed program from PEN America that will give writers a wide range of professional resources to help them deal with threats to their safety, online and offline.”
FILE - An LGBTQ+ section appears at Fabulosa Books in the Castro District of San Francisco on June 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Haven Daley, File)
FILE - Amanda Darrow, director of youth, family and education programs at the Utah Pride Center in Salt Lake City, poses with books that have been the subject of complaints from parents, including "Gender Queer" by Meir Kobabe, on Dec. 16, 2021. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain is aiming for back-to-back Champions League titles in Saturday's final in Budapest. Arsenal is trying to win it for the first time in its history.
European club soccer's biggest prize is at stake when the champions of France and England face off at the Puskas Arena in Hungary.
Titleholder PSG can become only the second team in the modern era to retain the trophy after Real Madrid, which won three in a row from 2016-18.
Arsenal, meanwhile, is heading into the game on a high after ending its 22-year wait to lift the Premier League title again. This is only its second time in the final, having lost to Barcelona in 2006.
Here’s what to know about the Champions League final.
Kickoff has been brought forward to 1600 GMT, having traditionally been played in the evening. Governing body UEFA made the change to enhance the matchday experience for fans and to optimize logistics, such as public transport, in Budapest.
American rock band The Killers will be performing. In recent years, Linkin Park and Lenny Kravitz have headlined the pre-match show.
Only Madrid has managed to retain the European Cup since it was rebranded as the Champions League in 1992.
AC Milan, Ajax, Juventus and Manchester United all lost in the final the year after winning the trophy, so PSG is on the brink of greatness.
Despite being one of the most storied teams in England, Arsenal is still to be crowned champion of Europe. Twenty years on from reaching its only final, it is aiming to complete the greatest season in the club's history by winning a Premier League and Champions League double.
Victory would see Luis Enrique become only the fifth coach to win three or more Champions League or European Cup titles.
5 Carlo Ancelotti
3 Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane, Pep Guardiola
The 67,000-seat stadium was opened in 2019 and built on the same site as the previous Ferenc Puskas Stadion — named after the Hungarian and Real Madrid icon who won three European Cups as a player.
2025 PSG
2024 Real Madrid
2023 Manchester City
2022 Real Madrid
2021 Chelsea
15 Real Madrid
7 AC Milan
6 Bayern Munich, Liverpool
5 Barcelona
4 Ajax
3 Manchester United, Inter Milan
The 2027 final will take place at Atletico Madrid’s Estadio Metropolitano. It will be the second time it has held the final, having staged the 2019 showdown between Liverpool and Tottenham. The city of Madrid has hosted the final on five previous occasions.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
PSG's head coach Luis Enrique directs a training session ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)
Arsenal supporters pose for a photo the day before the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Armin Durgut)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta meets the media ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Arsenal, in Budapest, Friday 29, 2026. (Ina Fassbender, Pool Photo via AP)
Arsenal's Declan Rice warms up during a training session ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, May 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele meets the media ahead of the Champions League final soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Arsenal, in Budapest, Friday 29, 2026. (Franck Fife, Pool Photo via AP)
