Words Behind Bars: Honoring the Day of the Imprisoned Writer

A black-and-white photo of a man with short hair and a beard is on the left. On the right, there is handwritten Arabic text filling most of the image. The man wears a light-colored shirt and looks directly at the camera.

Join us for this powerful conversation led by PEN experts Liesl Gerntholtz and Asma Laouira of the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center about how we’re fighting for writers imprisoned for their words and art. Joined by the family of Galal El-Behairy, Egyptian poet, songwriter, and winner of the PEN America 2025 Freedom to Write Award, who has been imprisoned for his art since 2018.