PEN DIY: Erica Jong on How to Write YOUR Book
Erica Jong opened the 2015 PEN DIY season with a passionate talk on how to write the book of your heart. More
Writers in the Schools: December–January
Volunteers Michael Saur, Jim Traub, and Maggie Paley work with students to tackle challenging essay topics including the prison system and abortion. More
PEN DIY Relaunches with Erica Jong, Amanda Palmer, and Jennifer Weiner
PEN is relaunching its DIY series with Erica Jong, Jennifer Weiner, and Amanda Palmer headlining our first three events at The Ace Hotel’s Liberty Hall. More
Sabotaging Free Speech in Italy
In Paris and throughout France, millions took to the street last Sunday in support of freedom of expression. And yet, in Italy, at the end of this month, one… More
Remembering Robert Stone (1937–2015)
On behalf of PEN American Center and PEN's members and supporters, we mourn the loss and celebrate the life and work of novelist Robert Stone, who passed away on… More
Vive Charlie Hebdo!
Michael Jackson, the Vatican, Christianity, Islam, LGBT, and the U.S.—we chose Six Charlie Hebdo covers that celebrate the power of creative freedom and satire. More
Your Students … Or Your Customers?
“In other words, know your customer,” she says. Customer. This word is the last straw. I can't keep my hand down any longer. As if it’s not enough that… More
Writers in the Schools: November
The MCSM RamPage, which Carol Cooper helped to edit, is nominated for a Newsie. In other parts of NYC, Writers in the Schools volunteers work with students from around… More
The Other America: Black Lives and the Police State
With the deaths of so many black Americans at the hands of both police officers and white vigilantes who have escaped punishment, we are coming to see that two… More
Remembering Saïd Mekbel, Twenty Years On
Today marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Algerian journalist Saïd Mekbel. The morning of his assassination, Mekbel had with seeming prescience written a poetic and polemical last… More