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The Princess and the Slave
In Afghanistan, where four-fifths of the population is illiterate, poetry has always had a strong position—especially among women. The Afghan writer and journalist Nushin Arbabzadah writes here a letter… More
from Aw Heck Land
I don’t mean that vocabulary is arbitrary, but rather that artistic intent can manifest itself—can thrive, even—in the absence of an infinitude of possibilities, in the absence of total… More
Reports of Second American Journalist Murdered
The appalling targeting of journalists in the Iraq and Syrian conflicts must stop. They are non-combatants and their harassment, persecution, and murder is a violation of international press, civil,… More
The PEN Ten with Warren Adler
My obsession is to get it right, plot, characters, atmosphere, logic. I never go to sleep without figuring out what I will write tomorrow. More
Free Expression In the News: August 29, 2014
A plea from Shirley Sotloff, mother of journalist Steven Sotloff who is currently held captive by the Islamic State in Syria, epitomizes the power of words, the importance of… More
As Nigeria Fights Ebola, Activists Carve Out a Future for an Open Internet
As the nation rallies to fight Ebola, a group of internet activists are busy crafting landmark legislation to protect free expression online, reports our Freedom to Write fellow from… More
Prison Memoirs
“The girls and the women here wanted to hear about my time in freedom outside the prison walls, but I could not wait to share my stories about my… More
Knockemstiff
Though she’s rotten to the core, I reckon I’ve always loved Tina Elliot, from the first time I laid eyes on her. She came in the store with her… More
Two Poems by Craig Morgan Teicher
I'll want to die first so you / can do this for me, though you'll / want to die first too. It's not / selfish to want to be… More
Charles Bracelen Flood: 1930-2014
PEN remembers former PEN American Center President and distinguished novelist and historian Charles Bracelen Flood, 84, who died on August 15, 2014. More
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