Day of the Imprisoned Writer
In the past year, the Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC) of International PEN has monitored the cases of more than 1,000 writers and journalists in 90 countries, 200 of… More
74th International PEN Congress Calls for Cultural Rights, Free Expression
International PEN closed a historic Congress in Bogotá by strengthening its commitment to supporting writers and literature from all cultures and languages. From September 17 to 22 , over… More
Mary Ann Hoberman Appointed as Children’s Poet Laureate
Please join PEN in congratulating Mary Ann Hoberman, who will serve as the nation's second Children's Poet Laureate: Consultant in Children's Poetry to the Poetry Foundation for a two-year… More
Writers Hail Ruling in Favor of Guantanamo Detainees
PEN American Center today hailed a federal court ruling ordering that 17 Uighur detainees at Guantanamo Bay be released into the United States. The decision could signal the end… More
Writers Commemorate Burmese Uprisings, Rally for Jailed Colleagues
Salman Rushdie, Orhan Pamuk, Kiran Desai, Siri Hustvedt, Joseph Lelyveld, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, and George Packer shared the stage of the Great Hall of Cooper Union last night with… More
PEN: Signs “Discouraging” for Post-Olympics Human Rights Improvements in China
As the temporary regulations for foreign journalists working in the People’s Republic of China expire today, three International PEN centers issued a report highlighting the vulnerable position writers and… More
PEN Gives Voice to Silenced Writers in China on Eve of the Olympics
In New York last night, celebrated PEN Members gathered to read banned and censored work by writers in China, including new and never-before translated writings by Tsering Woeser, Yang… More
PEN Protests Censorship at Olympic Press Facilities
PEN American Center today reacted with shock to the news that the International Olympic Committee apparently agreed to allow the Chinese government to censor the Internet at the Olympic… More
Chinese Writer Du Daobin Re-Arrested as Crackdown Continues
Less than three weeks before the Olympic Games open in Beijing, Chinese authorities have re-arrested writer, former political prisoner, and PEN member Du Daobin and filed formal charges against… More
PEN Goes to Court to Challenge New Surveillance Law
PEN American Center today joined the ACLU and Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other leading international human rights organizations, journalists, and attorneys in filing a lawsuit challenging the… More