New Guidance: E-Readers in Prisons Must Expand Access to Reading, Not Supplant Books Altogether
New guidance on e-readers use in prisons seeks to expand reading, not supplant books altogether. More
The Sentences That Create Us
A road map for incarcerated people and their allies to have a thriving writing life behind bars—and shared beyond the walls—that draws on the unique insights of more than… More
Visiting the Blues: 2021 Prison Writing Awards Anthology
Visiting the Blues is an incredible collection of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama written during one of the toughest moments in our over-incarcerated nation’s history. More
Facing the Page: PEN America’s Prison Writing Program Takes on NaNoWriMo 2021
In our third year of collaboration with NaNoWriMo, we are supporting 15 incarcerated writers taking on the daunting challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in just 30… More
Introducing ‘Greater Constellations’: A 2021 Prison Writing NaPoWriMo Zine
Our Greater Constellations zine springs from the inspired poetic work created by members of our PEN America Prison Writing community during National Poetry Writing Month. More
Works of Justice: How to Write a Novel in a Month (During a Pandemic)
This year, the PEN America Prison Writing team had 10 incarcerated writers participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). More
Breathe into the Ground: 2020 Prison Writing Awards Anthology
The 2020 Anthology, titled Breathe into the Ground, is an impressive collection of poetry, nonfiction, and drama from incarcerated writers in the United States. More
Break Out: An Interview with Kaveh Akbar
A conversation with Kaveh Akbar, who will be performing Terry Hedin’s “El Reno” in our “Break Out” awards celebration, about the privilege and responsibility of performing another person’s work. More
Introducing the Inaugural PEN America/L’Engle-Rahman Prize for Mentorship
We are honored to launch the PEN America/L’Engle-Rahman Prize for Mentorship, which uplifts mentorships in our Prison Writing Program. More
Support for the freedom to read with exclusive designs by Todd Parr, Mike Curato, Art Spiegelman, and more!
