The PEN Ten with Dani Shapiro
Writers—by the very nature of what we do—are forced to slow down, and perhaps in so doing, we form a counterweight to the culture of instantaneous reaction. More
The PEN Ten with Samiya Bashir
“The writer,” such as they are, can lose their mind or more by not writing. Your work, if it’s in you, can be both tonic and toxic. More
The PEN Ten with Christopher Bollen
I’m sure that particular piece of writing is horrifically melodramatic, but it did break down some invisible barrier between me and the page. It made me a braver writer. More
The PEN Ten with Lisa Ko
I said I wanted to be a writer, but only to myself—writers were not people who looked like me. More
The PEN Ten with Basma Abdel Aziz
I don’t accept the presence of censorship. I prefer to leave the final judgement to people when talking about writing. More
The PEN Ten with Kristen Radtke
We owe a lot to one another as human beings, but I don't know if we can always apply that debt to our work without crushing the work entirely.… More
The PEN Ten with Amanda Johnston
The closer our writing stays to uncovering a truth, the better we can understand the questions and answers. If we fall short of that, we lose vital pieces of… More
The PEN Ten with Kelly Forsythe
To consistently ask yourself “why” or “how” goes beyond the classroom and doesn’t belong to it exclusively; it is a tenet of critical thinking and literary exploration. More
The PEN Ten with Shani Mootoo
There are certain kinds of ideas and images that are hurtful, that I wish never existed, but censorship does not make them go away. It sends them underground. More
The PEN Ten with Garth Greenwell
A diverse and democratic society depends upon robust protections of free speech. Those protections require our vigilant commitment. More
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