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Character Development: A National Novel Writing Month Pep Talk

BlogOctober 19, 2022

Writer William Myrl Smitherman writes a pep talk for incarcerated writers for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). More

Introducing I am climbing the stairs that I create with these words all the way to the top: A NaPoWriMo Zine

Blog
By: Sophia Ramirez | July 21, 2022

PEN America's Sophia Ramirez introduces our newest Prison Writing poetry zine, "I am climbing the stairs that I create with these words all the way to the top," for… More

Introducing ‘Love Lay Dormant’: A 2021 Prison Writing NaNoWriMo Zine

Blog
By: Sophia Ramirez | February 15, 2022

Our Greater Constellations zine springs from the inspired poetic work created by members of our PEN America Prison Writing community during National Poetry Writing Month. More

Facing the Page: PEN America’s Prison Writing Program Takes on NaNoWriMo 2021

Blog
By: Sophia Ramirez | November 15, 2021

In our third year of collaboration with NaNoWriMo, we are supporting 15 incarcerated writers taking on the daunting challenge: to write 50,000 words of a novel in just 30… More

person using laptop

Works of Justice: How to Write a Novel in a Month (During a Pandemic)

Blog

This year, the PEN America Prison Writing team had 10 incarcerated writers participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). More

Works of Justice: How to Write a Novel in a Month (While in Prison), Week 3

By: Caits Meissner, Robert Pollock | December 3, 2019

Updates from week 3 of our NaNoWriMo challenge. Four currently incarcerated fiction writers are working as peer facilitators with writing groups in the prisons where they live. More

Works of Justice: How to Write a Novel in a Month (While in Prison), Week 2

By: Caits Meissner, Robert Pollock | November 15, 2019

Updates from week 2 of our NaNoWriMo challenge. Four currently incarcerated fiction writers are working as peer facilitators with writing groups in the prison where they live. More

PEN America Prison Writing Program and NaNoWriMo logos side by side

Works of Justice: How to Write a Novel in a Month (While in Prison)

By: Caits Meissner | November 1, 2019

This November, we are proud to partner with National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) to pilot a new aspect of our mentor program that takes the concept of mentorship out… More

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  • What's New
PEN America Welcomes NY Corrections Department Decision to Rescind “Unjustifiable” Proposal to Limit Free Expression for Incarcerated Writers
Decision Not to Renew Lone US History Professor’s Contract at New College of Florida— in Effect, Firing Him— Is “An Affront to Academic Freedom,” Says PEN America
PEN America Opposes New York State Proposal Limiting Incarcerated Writers Ability to Publish
“Unjustified” Mass Arrests at Hong Kong Gathering for Tiananmen Square Massacre Anniversary

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