The PEN Ten Interview: Ahmed Naji on Language, Identity, and Writing in Exile
"I don't want to be sad, or a prisoner of my own nostalgia. It's an excellent opportunity to be here, and I am thirsty. I want to learn everything,… More
Ron Chernow Stands for Press Freedom at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Ron Chernow delivered a rousing speech in defense of press freedom and the First Amendment at the 2019 White House Correspondents' Dinner. More
Cry, the Beloved Country: Ma Jian on Resilience, Resistance, and Hope
"The Chinese language is my homeland. From exile, I can use it to drag repressed memories into the light" More
Works of Justice: An Interview with Writing for Justice Fellow Thomas Bartlett Whitaker
"Within my writings, I am able to take a moral stand against a site and an ideology that I feel to be both overwhelming and inherently broken." More
“We Think in Stories”: A PEN Ten Interview with Namwali Serpell
"We think in stories. It’s so constitutive that 'need' is an understatement. It’s more like blood than water." More
Open Secrets at the 15th Annual World Voices Festival
This year’s World Voices Festival explores the profoundly complex and challenging issues involved in this dissolution of the public and the private. More
Works of Justice: An Interview with Writing for Justice Fellow Justin Rovillos Monson
"Writing expanded my world at a time when everything felt so small and suffocating. As embarrassingly cliché as it is to say, writing gave me a breadth of hope." More
National Poetry Month 2019: A Roundup
For National Poetry Month, PEN America has curated a selection of poetry, readings, and more, from our decades-long history with the celebrated art form. More
Diaspora and Migration: A Reading List
17 books that catalyze discussion on the struggles of diaspora and migration, elevating the reader’s understanding of one of today’s most pertinent issues. More
“A necessary voice on the page”: a PEN Ten Interview with Amber Flora Thomas
"Yes, I do experience this persona. She (generally) is a necessary voice on the page—she gives me distance from experiences I cannot hold in my body any longer." More