from Rhapsodia
Do the wings itch as they sprout? / When from the belly’s opening / you first raised your head / and pushing from the pain / sprang into the… More
from The Essential Yosano Akiko: The Ripening Years
Hello my happiness— / the words said themselves / when we met / that second time, the time / I was ready to die for More
Iran: Arrest followed by an enforced disappearance of poet
PEN condemns the enforced disappearance of poet Mohammad Bamm who was arrested by members of the Iranian security forces on December 31, 2017 while on his way home in the city… More
The PEN Ten with Khadijah Queen
I wanted to say that my identity determines my opportunities to make a living, how much or little time I get to spend writing, and what I write about.… More
The PEN Ten with Marcus Wicker
There will always be a special place in my heart for those of us who find ways to express our beliefs and life obsessions absent of politics and megaphones... More
The PEN Ten with Kamilah Aisha Moon
Facts seem immutable, but they are used to construct reality and serve experience, which varies so widely and seems inextricably tied to what one believes. More
Israel: Court rejects Dareen Tatour’s appeal to end her house arrest
PEN condemns the decision of the Israeli court in Nazareth, on December 4, 2017, to reject the appeal of Palestinian poet Dareen Tatour to end her house arrest. Consequently, Tatour… More
Dareen Tatour Reads “A Poet’s Hallucinations”
Loneliness came in, taking me by surprise / Without knocking on my door / Like an impolite guest. / It sat at my desk / Picked up my pen… More
The PEN Ten with Natalie Graham
I find myself thinking the responsibility is to reveal a thing the most beautiful way. Beauty is a trap, but I can't think of what else the writer is… More
The PEN Ten with Carlina Duan
There is a responsibility that I owe to myself, and to a lineage of my loved ones and those who came before us to actively resist, to protest, to… More