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Defining Socially Engaged Fiction
Socially engaged fiction, for the purposes of the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction, may describe categorical human transgressions in a way that compels readers to examine their own… More
Free Expression Digest: Weds., July 22
Rafael Marques de Morais writes open letter to Angolan president, Scottish government highlights Raif Badawi case, and more... More
Return of Ai Weiwei’s Passport Leaves Questions About His Future in China
The return his passport is a promising development for Ai Weiwei and for other persecuted artists in China, but leaves serious questions about Beijing's plans for Ai's future relationship… More
Two Poems by Rebecca Wolff
And I trust people // to make good choices / so I don’t have to impale them // on the tines of my pitchfork. Or otherwise // govern them.… More
Fall/Winter 2016 Editorial Internship, PEN America: A Journal for Writers and Readers
PEN America: A Journal for Writers and Readers seeks volunteer interns to assist with production of the magazine, both ink-and-paper and online editions. The journal is published by PEN… More
Myanmar: With 100 Days Until Elections, Free Press More Important Than Ever
Myanmar’s media outlets are widely seen as key players in maintaining free and fair elections, but as the south Asian country (also known as Burma) emerges from decades of… More
The PEN Ten with Jennifer Blackmer
"There was a time in my twenties when I didn’t write because it was too difficult. I had elevated the concept of “being a writer” to a status I… More
Free Expression Digest: Tues., July 21
New UAE anti-discrimination law, Myanmar editors fined for insulting president, Armenian journalist prosecuted for refusing to reveal her source, and more... More
Political Turmoil and the Deterioration of Free Expression in Burundi
Over the past few months, political conflict and turmoil have fueled a sharp deterioration in the environment for free expression in Burundi. More
Dispatches from Civitella Ranieri: A Tour of the Castle
Poet Natalie Diaz brings us on a tour of Civitella's 15th-century castle in Umbria, Italy, where she spent two months as the first PEN/Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellow. More