The PEN Ten: An Interview with Michelle Gallen
“The most important thing a writer can do is to live mindfully with curiosity and kindness, to participate in life, and to listen to—and observe—as many people as you… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Kiese Laymon
“I’m shamefully inspired by the reality of death—earning death, as Baldwin phrased it. . . So, when I don’t want to write and read, I remind myself that we… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Cynan Jones
“My ideas generally come from the landscape, then orbit each other in different states of readiness. When an idea finds form, it demands to be written.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Danielle Evans
“Characterization and narrative tension come from the tension between a character’s inner life and their exterior life, and I’m acutely aware—because being a Black woman compels me to pay… More
Break Out: An Interview with TheaterLab’s Lanie Zipoy
A conversation with Lanie Zipoy about her curatorial process for our 2020 “Break Out” awards celebration, the challenges of organizing a digital literary event, and finding connection amidst isolation. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Valzhyna Mort
“I write in English to make the Belarusian experience visible in it. . . [and] I write in Belarusian because, to put it briefly, it’s the most badass language… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Bryan Washington
“I wanted to write a novel where each character approaches those fears [of saying how they feel] and reaches toward the folks around them, from a place of love.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Connor Towne O’Neill
“We need enough of us to come to a common understanding of our past, one that squares up to the violence and inequity inflicted by the lie of white… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Jubi Arriola-Headley
“I’ve always thought of the process of writing poetry as one of exposure, as a laying bare, as an offering, even. . . So, once I write a poem,… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Yamile Saied Méndez
“My job as a writer is to tell my characters’ truth and hope that it will help the reader see the truth in themselves.” More
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PEN America On 
Jailed Vietnamese democracy advocate Tran Huynh Duy Thuc has launched a new hunger strike, his second in the last two months, demanding that his 16-year sentence for subversion be reduced in line with a law enacted after he was sentenced. https://bit.ly/3g2zqTE
Jimmy Lai, the founder of Hong Kong’s biggest pro-democracy newspaper, was denied bail on fraud charges on Thursday and ordered jailed until April by a court. https://nyti.ms/2JMGdo8