Arrest of Vietnamese Writer is Escalation in Attempts to Quash Independent Political Thought
"Knowing the power of her work, Trang has firmly upheld her belief in human rights principles, even amidst constant judicial and physical retaliation from the Vietnamese government." More
Iran Unjustly Jails Three Writers Amid Pandemic
"Forcing Baktash Abtin, Keyvan Bajan, and Reza Khandan-Mahabadi behind bars while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep through Iran’s prisons is not only a blatant and appalling violation of… More
PEN to Paper: Authentic Voices with James Hannaham
Our final PEN to Paper episode features multidisciplinary artist and PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novelist James Hannaham on how to write authentic characters. More
The PEN Pod: On the Inequities of Survival with Megan Giddings
“Our healthcare system in this country is so deeply inequitable and hostile toward the people it’s supposed to serve.“ More
The PEN Pod: Everywhere You Don’t Belong with Gabriel Bump
“What I hope that we can gain from this moment and the Black Lives Matter movement in general is that all Black lives matter.” More
PEN to Paper: Hot Tips from Mona Simpson
Novelist Mona Simpson believes writing is a constant practice, and to help you nurture yours, she shares five tips, plenty of helpful anecdotes, and even some musical inspiration in… More
The PEN Pod: How We Write Our Survival with Lisa Ko
“Even when the future does feel uncertain, like right now, it feels important to. . . imagine a future for ourselves as well as our characters.” More
Ahmed Naji | Status: In Exile | Egypt
Ahmed Naji was temporarily released from prison in Egypt on December 22, 2016, after his two-year prison sentence for “violating public modesty” was suspended by an appeals court on… More
PEN to Paper: Writing the Landscape with Janet Fitch
Janet Fitch, the best-selling author of White Oleander, reminds us why it is so important to create a world that readers can enter. More
PEN to Paper: The Discipline of the Haiku with Mark Nowak
Poet Mark Nowak shares a haiku exercise he developed for reckoning with the pandemic at the Worker Writers School, PEN America’s writing program for low-wage workers. More