The PEN Ten: An Interview with Carribean Fragoza
“Fiction is very real to me, not just because my characters and settings are often inspired by real people. . . but because they also address emotions and ideas… More
The PEN Pod: On Speaking Up and Questioning Authority with Lora Burnett
“It’s a little bit chilling to say the least—and I think deliberately chilling—as in a deliberate attempt to chill free speech, for the college to single out three women… More
The PEN Pod: The Right to Protest and Vaccine Hesitancy with Suzanne Nossel
“The introduction of this sweeping anti-protest legislation that restricts where you can protest. . . really runs counter to freedom of assembly rights.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Forsyth Harmon
“Ali, [the] teenage narrator [in my book, Justine], struggles to communicate in words. I used illustrations as another way to represent her interior.” More
The PEN Pod: On Using Storytelling to Push Back Against Systems with Imbolo Mbue
“This story came from [my] childhood fascination: this idea of people pushing back against systems that are way more powerful than them.” More
The PEN Pod: On Making a Safer Internet with Suzanne Nossel
“Things like disinformation, online harassment. . . people feel that they are worse because of the small number of platforms that control so much content.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Jamie Figueroa
“Why do people need food and water? That’s how strongly I feel about the function of stories. We need stories to survive. . . to remember, to imagine, to… More
The PEN Pod: Truth Telling with Sanderia Faye
“We are the truth-tellers—even in fiction, we are the truth-tellers. We have to continue to write, and even beyond our pain, we have to continue to write.” More
The PEN Pod: On Political Ads, the Children’s Canon, and Ongoing Crackdowns in Myanmar with Suzanne Nossel
“While there was a democratic interlude and democratic norms were taking hold [in Myanmar], it was even more fragile than I think anybody quite realized.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Marisa Reichardt
“I think my identity reveals itself in styles, themes, and messages. Where I grew up, the sports I played, the people I loved and loathed, these all show up… More