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The PEN Ten: An Interview with Monica Youn
The poem doesn’t live for me until it reaches the mind of the reader, as if the poem is a musical composition and the reader is both the musician… More
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel Responds to Remarks by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that Book Bans Are a ‘Hoax’
If we take Gov. Ron DeSantis at his word that he is simply aiming to protect students from porn and sexualized texts, then the approaches and methods being legislated… More
From Movie Star to Book Translator, Molly Ringwald Makes a Splash (In Pink) at the PEN America Literary Awards
(NEW YORK)— Books aside, some of the chatter among the literary and publishing crowd at PEN America’s Literary Awards ceremony last Thursday night zeroed in on a surprise guest… More
Chinese Authorities Must Release “Blank Paper” Protesters and Allow Free Expression on COVID-19 Pandemic
We call on the Chinese government to release Cao Zhixin (曹芷馨), Li Siqi (李思琪), Li Yuanjing (李元婧), and Zhai Dengrui (翟登蕊). More
Removal of Art About Abortion at Idaho College is a “Slap in the Face” to Academic and Artistic Freedom, Says PEN America
“Lewis-Clark State College’s decision to pull artworks from an exhibit on urgent challenges in healthcare today is a slap in the face to academic and artistic freedom; it undermines… More
‘Literature lasts’: Erika Dickerson-Despenza basks in career achievement award
For Erika Dickerson-Despenza, receiving the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award meant something special – an honor for words on the page. More
Honoree Tina Fey Brings Down the House at the 2023 PEN America Literary Awards
Comedy legend Tina Fey continued her three-decade streak of making audiences laugh on Thurs. evening Mar. 2 at the 2023 PEN America Literary Awards with a hilarious speech at… More
Genre-Defying Author Percival Everett Takes Top PEN America Literary Award
Percival Everett’s body of work has been called many things — experimental, idiosyncratic, “gleefully unhinged” — and perhaps most frequently, prolific. “It’s a tasteless thing to do, but I… More
PEN Centers Condemn Belarusian Court’s Verdict in Trial of Writer Ales Bialiacki
In response to news that Belarusian writer Ales Bialiacki was convicted to 10 years in prison—coinciding with International Writers for Peace Day—PEN Belarus, PEN Armenia, PEN Moscow, and PEN… More
PEN America Honors Tina Fey, Vinod Kumar Shukla, Erika Dickerson-Despenza, and 11 Authors and Translators at 2023 Literary Awards Hosted by Kal Penn
Tina Fey said: “As a 52-year-old woman who’s been living in New York and writing comedy for 30 years, there aren’t too many rooms anymore where I feel like… More