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The PEN Ten with Roxane Gay

Do writers have a collective purpose? I'm not sure, but what we do is write the world as we see it. We witness and record and remember and when… More

Giving Thanks for Books

In honor of Thanksgiving this week, we asked PEN staff and interns, "For what book are you most thankful?" Their answers—and reasons them—varied widely to include religious texts, momentos… More

Writing About Children and War

Since children are the most vulnerable citizens of any society, it seems rather obvious that they are the citizens most likely to be negatively affected by war. Until very… More

Tunisia: Blogger Denied Pardon

PEN continues to call for the immediate and unconditional release of blogger Jabeur Mejri, whose seven-and-a-half year sentence for expressing allegedly blasphemous views online was confirmed by the Court… More

Creativity’s Battles With Censorship

The West knows little about the cultural scene inside Iran today. Since the dawn of civilization until renascence, Iran has always been a great contributor to world's literature, art… More

2013 Literary Award Winners

PEN/Robert W. Bingham PrizeSergio De La Pava, A Naked Singularity (University of Chicago Press)PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing AwardLeonard Mlodinow, Subliminal (Pantheon) PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the EssayRobert Hass,… More

2012 Literary Award Winners

PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged FictionSusan Nussbaum for "Good Kings, Bad Kings"PEN/Robert W. Bingham PrizeVanessa Veselka, Zazen (Red Lemonade) Runner-Up:Ben Lerner, Leaving the Atocha Station (Coffee House Press) PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in… More