The PEN Ten with Luanne Rice

"But in this case I was writing about people crossing the border, dying in the desert or living in fear, undocumented in Boyle Heights, and it was inspired by… More

The PEN Ten with Matt Bell

"The best books probably weren't written for presidents. The most important books will probably always be written for people who are afraid of what the presidency might become." More

The PEN Ten with Don Mee Choi

"My politico-aesthetic stance and practice as a poet and translator is 'illegal' and will likely remain so. I will let you know if and when an arrest ever happens." More

The PEN Ten with Saeed Jones

"I'm obsessed with manhood as a brutal and artful performance. My mind always finds its way back to the crossroad where sex, race, and power collide." More

The PEN Ten with Lisa Lucas

"I [ ] think that there’s something to how hard it is to write, to tell the truth, to publish, and to make a living doing so that brings… More

The PEN Ten with Laila Lalami

[W]riters have to write, even under threat. I think often of Tahar Djaout’s words: “If you speak, you die / If you are silent, you die / So speak… More

The PEN Ten with Forrest Gander

Is the conscience the soul’s surveillance of the self? When are observations neutral? Does a writer, even without knowing, intend to “use” observations for the benefit of the writing… More