Turning Sentences Around
In this Works of Justice exclusive, Robert Lee Williams reflects on how PEN America's "The Sentences That Create Us: Crafting a Writer's Life in Prison" (Haymarket Books, 2022) helped… More
“Do you really want to know why the caged bird sings?”: On Marlon Peterson’s Abolitionist Memoir
Emma Stamen reviews Marlon Peterson’s Abolitionist Memoir Bird Uncaged (Bold Type Books, 2021) More
Online Conversation March 16 on Access to Books in Prisons and the Use of E-Readers
With 2 million people in prisons and jails across the country, restricting reading could have profound ramifications for the men and women cycled through the criminal legal system and… More
Literary Coalition Asks New York Leaders to Prevent Lyrics From Becoming Evidence In Criminal Trials
Today PEN America and the Literary Action Coalition sent a letter signed by 21 key New York City literary organizations to New York State legislators in support of “Rap… More
Open Letter: New York Literary Organizations Support ‘Rap Music on Trial’ Legislation
On behalf of New York City’s literary community and supporters, we express our strong support of the proposed “Rap Music on Trial” legislation. More
The PEN Pod: Spotlighting the Readers of New York with Uli Beutter Cohen
“My goal was to document voices that were not heard the same way that others were, and I wanted to make sure to hand a mic to my local… More
The Legacy of 9/11: A Reading List
Adam Wilson, author of Sensation Machines, provides books that explore the lasting ways in which 9/11 shaped the cultural attitudes of an entire generation of Americans. More
The PEN Pod: On Platforms, Policing, and Protests with Suzanne Nossel
“As a defender of free speech, I believe those protections shouldn’t stop at the locker room door, and that athletes should be entitled to voice their opinions.” More
Local Journalist Heroes: Zainab Iqbal
“As long as people keep reading, we won’t stop reporting. It’s not always easy, but our immense love for the communities we cover keeps us going.” More
Support for the freedom to read with exclusive designs by Todd Parr, Mike Curato, Art Spiegelman, and more!
