“Write the World You Want”: A PEN Ten Interview with Cadwell Turnbull
"We are preoccupied by privilege. Our worldview skews towards it. There is no greater threat to free human expression." More
The PEN Ten Interview: Author William Dameron on the Artistry of Writing
"Stories are emotional food; without them, we fail to thrive. They let us know that we are not alone, and they teach us how to be human." More
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
“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
“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
“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
On Writing Fearlessly: A PEN Ten Interview with Lilliam Rivera
"I’m just trying . . . to find joy in the littlest of things—in working with young people, in laughing out loud with my friends, and in writing fearlessly." More
Defying Constraints: A PEN Ten Interview with Brionne Janae
"So my act of resistance is to first and foremost curate and protect joy in my life, and second to remember to write . . . about more than… More
“I Use Fiction as a Way to Find Truth”: A PEN Ten Interview with Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
"I think writers can continue to speak truth to power. I think writers can advocate for the most vulnerable and make their pain heard." More