The PEN Ten: An Interview with KB Brookins
I love poetry because it is a genre that embraces imitation and history—the fact that we still write sonnets and teach epics is exciting to me! More
On Prison Art and Music
PEN America Prison and Justice Writing Program Manager Robbie Pollock highlights three projects centered on making music from prison: Heartbeat Opera, Die Jim Crow Records, and a recent book… More
Damascus James on Witnessing, Letter Writing, and Solitary Confinement
Damascus James, editor of "TEXAS LETTERS," speaks with PEN America's "Works of Justice" podcast about what he learned from people who are in solitary confinement in Texas prisons. More
Pride Month: A Banned Book Reading List
The last two years have seen unmitigated attacks on LGBTQ+ content in public school libraries, with 26% of banned books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and themes. For Pride month, PEN… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with aracelis girmay
I understand this work to be part of an ongoing practice of the sharing and listening that happens on telephones, in laundry rooms, before the altars, and in the… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Nicole Cuffy
I wanted the experience of reading this to be physical in a way; I wanted readers to bring their attention to their own physicality, even if they haven’t danced… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Amelia Possanza
Archiving is a community act, and we will need many, many generations of future archivists to protect these stories from censorship, to make them immortal. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Stella Nyanzi
My multiple identities empower me to fashion my writing into an effective weapon fighting against injustices meted out by holders of abusive power onto underprivileged groups in society. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Grace E. Lavery
My work is to try to understand the methods of self-knowing and self-becoming that trans people have used for a century and a half. More
Unsealed: An Open Letter from No More Victims Road
In this open letter, Antwann Lamont Johnson, Sr. considers if the Department of Corrections actually contributes to harm reduction. More