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from Motion Studies
They had struck gold; they had won the right to be forgotten. The ticket granted them that. All they had to do was sign on the dotted line and… More
Announcing the Winners of the 2015 Prison Writing Contest
Over 1,500 stories, memoirs, poems, and plays were submitted by men and women serving time from nearly every state in the country to PEN's 2015 Prison Writing Contest. More
The PEN Ten with Chaya Babu
"I think the responsibility of the writer is to interrogate their reality and the reality of what they see and then write that. I do believe there is collective… More
Hamlet Uncut: Silencing the Lark
"Take me you for a lark, my Queen? Hast thou before seen a lark shed tears of discord? Dost thou, lark, so full of sorrow weighted by thy guilt… More
Free Expression Digest: Tues., November 24
Gao Yu appeals sentence for "leaking state secrets", Russian journalist assaulted, and a court gives a Bahraini photographer ten years in prison. More
Consensus of Death
“Hey, Captain Dixon, can you get me a television?” It sounded like Tony. “Sure,” he said, “they’re installing televisions for all of you.” “Really?” John asked. “Fuck no!” he answered. More
Dark Corners
As I sat alone at a picnic table eating lunch prepared by a woman in the congregation—chips, BBQ, chicken, corn on the cob, spaghetti, and cake—I was visited by… More
Prison Perspectives on Schopenhauer
Should I look for another philosopher who doesn’t threaten my peace of mind or parole prospects? More
The Colfax Crew
There's no sexy way to say it. There's no way to sprinkle magic dust over the truth to make it disappear. No matter how much time passes between then… More
Tears of Blood
Tiffanee likes when I tell her stories; she says it allows her mind to escape the prison of poverty, letting her thoughts run free from this five-by-five-foot tunnel. Far… More