Two Poems by Paul Legault
A president cannot pardon itself. / A body cannot bury itself in / the ground or tomb it had its minions build. / There has to be someone to… More
On Magic, History, and Storytelling: The PEN Ten with S. A. Chakraborty
"I like being part of a long tradition of storytelling, whether that’s ancient tales shared around a campfire or modern podcasts." More
“Being a Writer is a Matter of Doing”: A PEN Ten Interview with Yoon Ha Lee
"It is through fiction we tell ourselves the emotional truths about life and living, from birth to death, from friendship and love to betrayal, from madness to mercy." More
Blame This on the Boogie
Despite the demands put on her from family, school, and work throughout, she carves out a space for her love of dance, cultivates it, and invites others in. More
A PEN Ten Interview with Author Susan Bernhard
"Facts are provable, truths are held, like beliefs. Perception is more interesting to me—how we see a set of facts through the lenses of individual experience." More
Lest We Forget: A Reading List
In celebration of PEN Out Loud: Lest We Forget, a 2018 retrospective, PEN America and Strand Book Store have developed the following reading list. More
A PEN Ten Interview with Poet Cynthia Manick
"It’s a writer’s job to take truth and empathy and stretch it every direction; to make sense of things that don’t make sense." More
On History, Self-Censorship, and Bravery: A PEN Ten Interview with Wayétu Moore
"I do recognize that the desire to resist stems from being socialized in a system that institutionally devalues my worth." More
“Whenever I Write, I’m Asserting That I Matter”: A PEN Ten Interview with Naima Coster
"Whenever I write, I’m asserting that I matter . . . I see that as resistance, even if it only changes what it’s like for me to be in… More
“To Remember is a Kind of Resistance”: A PEN Ten Interview with Julian Randall
"I’m glad so many people have found something they know to be true, someone like themselves in what I’ve written." More