Celebrating Pride Month 2019: A Roundup
In celebration of Pride Month, PEN America has curated a selection of the best poetry, interviews, readings, and more by LGBTQIA+ writers. More
“It is Our Duty to be the Voice of the Voiceless”: An Interview with Filmmaker Agnieszka Holland
"This is a moment when we cannot just lock ourselves in our comfort zone, in our bubble, and believe that we have to speak only on what concerns us." More
Romanian PEN Center: “We Are a Country of Poets”
"We also have many good poets; it is said that we are a country of poets. There is a proverb in Romania that says: All Romanians are born poets." More
The PEN Ten with Ian Bassingthwaighte
I can only write what I care about, and what I seek to know. I guess that means my identity and my writing are interchangeable. One so completely bleeds… More
The PEN Ten with Cinelle Barnes
We all already know that it is important to use literary techniques in creative nonfiction for the sole purpose of delivering facts, but I think as a collective, we… More
The PEN Ten with Marwan Hisham
I think misinformation, which we now see can lead to certain misconceptions and stereotypes, is the greatest threat to freedom of expression. People take many things for granted now and leave only… More
The PEN Ten with Leslie Jamison
I’m also actively resisting both hopelessness and complacency—as well as the belief that art is irrelevant in politically troubled times. More
The PEN Ten with Luis Alberto Urrea
Writers are particularly dangerous...writing strikes the heart and mind so profoundly, in such a way that it can overturn prejudice or hidebound beliefs. More
“We Have Not Lived Through the Peak of Our Hardships”: An Interview with Andrey Kurkov
Nowadays, 80 percent of young authors write politically engaged literature, trying to touch upon very painful topics, the topics of refugees, immigrants, the topic of responsibility for the future... More
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
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