A Coronavirus Update from PEN America
As the world faces a global health crisis, we at PEN America are encountering uncharted territory. More
2020 PEN America Corporate Honoree: Frank A. Bennack, Jr.
Frank A. Bennack, Jr., executive vice chairman of Hearst is the 2020 PEN America Corporate Honoree. More
2020 PEN/Audible Literary Service Award: Patti Smith
Writer, performer, and visual artist Patti Smith is the 2020 PEN/Audible Literary Service Award honoree. More
2019 LitFest Gala: Levar Burton’s Tribute to Toni Morrison
In an intimate tribute to Toni Morrison at the 2019 LitFest Gala in Los Angeles, acclaimed actor and author LeVar Burton honored the late writer's legacy. More
Norwegian PEN: Overcoming Free Expression Challenges Globally
I would say there is a tendency to write in an autobiographical manner. This is an old tradition, from a stream of bohemian literature in the 1890s. Proponents would… More
St. Petersburg PEN: “This City is Ours!”
The main challenge that St. Petersburg PEN faces is that the Russian authorities have currently set themselves the task of "provincializing Petersburg.". . . More
PEN Québec: A New Generation on a Familiar Quest for Literary Identity
There’s always a quest for identity. Whichever way you look at it, I feel that every writer in Québec is somehow drawn to this question. More
Incognegro
In the early 20th century White went undercover, posing as a white man in the deep south to investigate lynchings. More
PEN Estonia: Raising Popularity of Women’s Writing
The women writers are gaining ground. Books by women and girls are popular and writing is popular with women. We have many wonderful ones but let me introduce two… More
Three Strikes
I dropped from the skies or from heaven—whatever was closer at the moment—at the doors of the Kremlin library to research, and the clerk, an army major with a… More
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PEN America On 
Press freedom groups are criticizing the firing of a US critical doctor & barring a reporter from a #COVID19 news briefing. "This pandemic is bad enough without being compounded by a resort to punitive tactics aimed to suppress vital info" https://pen.org/press-release/doctors-and-journalists-who-critique-officials-shouldnt-be-punished/ @PENamerica
If you haven't listened to our podcast yet, check out this weekend's bonus with Gregory @Pardlo and leave us a message! http://anchor.fm/penamerica
There's still time to do better than #China on one aspect of the #COVID19 pandemic: staying true to our principles and avoiding the official impulse to suppress and punish those who dare voice unfavorable information https://pen.org/press-release/doctors-and-journalists-who-critique-officials-shouldnt-be-punished/?fbclid=IwAR2_FY_MqRroK1zznJFlIAuEgphtjI_ZKEnrTusfOUN7nkrhWYSGyueHtrU