The PEN Pod: Keeping Hope Alive with Jewher Ilham
“Only standing up, speaking up, on my father’s behalf, on Uyghurs’ behalf, to work on something, then we can at least try to make a small change.” More
The PEN Pod: Defending the Freedom to Write with Karin Deutsch Karlekar
“[It’s] important to not just look at numbers and to give trends a human face, and to really look at the individual cases of writers and intellectuals behind bars.” More
Nasrin Sotoudeh, Imprisoned in Iran
Nasrin Sotoudeh is a human rights lawyer and public intellectual who has faced harassment and intimidation for years and spent time in and out of prison. More
Ahmet Altan, Imprisoned in Turkey
Ahmet Altan is the founder of Taraf, who was arrested for allegedly spreading subliminal messages on television before an attempted coup against Erdoğan. More
Galal El-Behairy, Imprisoned in Egypt
Galal El-Behairy is an Egyptian poet and songwriter. He was arrested and sentenced to prison for his criticism of the government expressed in his lyrics. More
Ilham Tohti, Imprisoned in China
Ilham Tohti is a writer and professor from Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Tohti’s defense of human rights has made him a target of the Chinese state. More
Tell Imprisoned Writers: You Are Not Alone
This January, PEN America is collecting messages of solidarity to be delivered to imprisoned writers around the world. More
DARE: Addressing Bigotry from the White House
As President Trump attacks four Democratic Representatives of color with ever starker language of racism and nativism, news organizations are critiqued... More
DARE: Trump Signs Executive Order on Free Speech on College Campuses
President Trump signs executive order including terms that deal with free speech and inquiry on university campuses, drawing reactions from wide array... More
Tell Imprisoned Writers: You Are Not Alone
This December, PEN America is collecting messages of solidarity to be delivered to imprisoned writers around the world. More
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"Reach out. With respect and care, reach out and tell the living writers who move you that you were there with them on the page and moved." We spoke with poet @GeffreyDavis about words that inspire him, what makes a piece of writing compelling & more: https://bit.ly/3eFkXeq
Music, like books, can connect humanity from a distance. This week, the @penworldvoices Just Press Play series invited novelist @emilyraboteau to curate a playlist of songs that power her through the week: https://bit.ly/3ckR6WT. #penworldvoices