“Whenever I Write, I’m Asserting That I Matter”: A PEN Ten Interview with Naima Coster
"Whenever I write, I’m asserting that I matter . . . I see that as resistance, even if it only changes what it’s like for me to be in… More
A PEN Ten Interview with Debut Author Jaclyn Gilbert
"I’ve always felt I am in conversation with writers and readers, building my own voice out of other stories that resonate with my own." More
On Identity, Perspective, and Influences: A PEN Ten Interview with Katya Apekina
"I’m looking at emotional truth, and that’s subjective and contradictory. The facts might be the facts, but how does one interpret them?" More
A PEN Ten Interview with Pussy Riot Founder Nadya Tolokonnikova
"In my art I’m trying to find truth about the world and critically reflect on the times in which I happen to live. That’s my main job in life." More
On Language, Truth, and Self-Expression: A PEN Ten Interview with Dessa
The PEN Ten is PEN America’s weekly interview series. This week PEN America's Public Program Manager, Lily Philpott, speaks to Dessa, a rapper, a singer, an essayist, and a… More
The PEN Ten Interview with Author Alethea Black
"I think the biggest threat to free expression today is the use of social media (or media in general) to bully and intimidate voices of dissent." More
“What Matters is the Writing Itself”: A PEN Ten Interview with the 2018 Los Angeles Literary Award Winners
"Every step of the writing process is also a choice to include or exclude, and being aware of our own biases in making those choices seems necessary." More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Jason Stanley, Author of How Fascism Works
"Truth is one of the core ideals of my discipline. In my writing, I don’t as much try to navigate it as attempt to faithfully adhere to it." More
“We’re All In the Resistance Now”: A PEN Ten Interview with Jeff Biggers
"I view “resistance” through a fairly broad lens, and ultimately as part of our American credo to fend off attacks on democracy." More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with 2018 Prison Writing Award Winner Matthew Mendoza
"My best writing is about moments of magical awareness. I refused to give voice to the monotony, the bullying and violence that make up prison life." More