Why We Need Stories: A PEN Ten Interview with Sophia Shalmiyev
"The kind of writing I believe we need more of is jagged, way stranger, and structurally embodying the thinker, the visionary, the hermit, and the loudmouth." More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Poet Brenda Shaughnessy
"Just like all politics are identity politics, and just like the personal is political—all poems are love poems, all poems are political poems." More
Works of Justice: Author and Advocate Andrea J. Ritchie on State Violence Against Women of Color
In this Works of Justice interview, Giselle Robledo discusses state violence against women of color with Andrea J. Ritchie, author of Invisible No More. More
The PEN Ten Interview: Ahmed Naji on Language, Identity, and Writing in Exile
"I don't want to be sad, or a prisoner of my own nostalgia. It's an excellent opportunity to be here, and I am thirsty. I want to learn everything,… More
Works of Justice: An Interview with Writing for Justice Fellow Thomas Bartlett Whitaker
"Within my writings, I am able to take a moral stand against a site and an ideology that I feel to be both overwhelming and inherently broken." More
“We Think in Stories”: A PEN Ten Interview with Namwali Serpell
"We think in stories. It’s so constitutive that 'need' is an understatement. It’s more like blood than water." More
Works of Justice: An Interview with Writing for Justice Fellow Justin Rovillos Monson
"Writing expanded my world at a time when everything felt so small and suffocating. As embarrassingly cliché as it is to say, writing gave me a breadth of hope." More
“A necessary voice on the page”: a PEN Ten Interview with Amber Flora Thomas
"Yes, I do experience this persona. She (generally) is a necessary voice on the page—she gives me distance from experiences I cannot hold in my body any longer." More
Works of Justice: Tim O’Connell on Publishing “Cherry,” Nico Walker’s Acclaimed Debut
In anticipation of the Publishing Power event at Housing Works, we had the pleasure of interviewing Tim O’Connell about his work with author Nico Walker. More
“To Write is to Take Action”: A PEN Ten Interview with Diane Mehta
"To write is to take action, and then you have to follow up your words with deeds—practice kindness, form opinions, stand up for others." More