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 Luis Alberto Urrea
Writers are particularly dangerous...writing strikes the heart and mind so profoundly, in such a way that it can overturn prejudice or hidebound beliefs. 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 Carmen Maria Machado
Government censorship is never acceptable. Private organizations have the right to dictate what sorts of ideas they want to host or sponsor, and should be held accountable for those… More
The PEN Ten with sam sax
I do have more to say about what a good writer is and ought to do, which I think carries many of the same qualities as a good person.… More
The PEN Ten with Laura Swearingen-Steadwell
At its heart, the emotional truth of a poem matters the most. In nonfiction, a fact is a fact is a fact. The end. More
The PEN Ten with Jimin Han
I think about how censorship of writers and other creative artists is one of the first actions of a totalitarian government. It speaks to the power of individual voice... More
The PEN Ten: Banned Books Edition with Alex Gino
Writers both expose what is happening in society and give escape from it. We share reality and explore alternatives. More
The PEN Ten: Banned Books Edition with Juno Dawson
I see myself as a storyteller. I think it’s a universal language we all speak, and stories have the power to unite us as a race. More