Blog

Filter By:

AdvocacyAnalysisBlogCommentaryDramaEssayEventFeatureFictionGraphic NarrativeInterviewMemoirNewsObituaryOpen LetterPoetryPress ReleaseProfile

Browse By Series:

PEN Poetry Series •  Prison WritingThe PEN Ten InterviewsIllustrated PEN • Pen PalsThe PEN World

Browse By Email Subscription:

PEN America NewsEducational Censorship NewsWorks of Justice 

Learning to Swim

Gary Shively 103443 Powhatan Correctional Center, D7 State Farm, VA 23160 I am sinking. Just like a stone, I am sinking. Coils from the black icy depths pulling me under. My scream is… More

Old Letter

On your plain white envelope a handwritten address hints at the personal inside. Long time companion through many transfers and years, you have been worked soft and your stamp… More

Retired from the Game

Retired from the Game“Umm . . . excuse me, miss.” I halted the sensuous stride of the six-feet beauty of a correctional officer.“Yes?” she snapped, pausing with an attitude,… More

A Way of Saying

A Way of SayingIt was a way of sayingtime had stopped, thatlife had been put awaynice & neat inside aspecial place.“A sign of the times," They said.“For the best."It… More

The First O.J. Book

I got the idea for an O.J. Simpson book long before all the others came out. The inspiration came in a flash at three in the morning as I… More

Lepidoptera or Butterflies

Lepidopteraor ButterfliesThere is a blue chair in a room with 60 menIt bears the gravity of a black hole,an inward burning star, drawingall light, all matter toward it.Names flutter… More

Fear

Someone told me there are 365 references in the Bible to fear. Basically, all of them say, “Fear not, for I, the Lord thy God, am with you.” So,… More

A Fresh End

It is important to find the right place for an ending. Places we pass through are easily forgotten; whether the right place at the right time or not, we… More