Press About Pen
Words On Trial
In the late spring of 1989, a few weeks before the killings of June 4, a slight, almost nerdish figure appeared in Tiananmen Square and began exhorting the students… More
A Great Chinese Writer, Behind Bars for One Year
One of the most courageous and visionary of modern Chinese writers is Liu Xiaobo, 53. He’s a strong supporter of democracy and something of a firebrand, as well as… More
PEN Alert: Free Liu Xiaobo
PEN American Center has written a letter to President Obama asking him to help pressure the Chinese authorities to release a Tiananmen dissident, writer, and activist. Read more about… More
Benefit Preview: A PEN America Program Teaches Writing to Prisoners
At WNYC’s Greene Space this coming Monday night, the PEN America Center has organized a showcase of work written by participants in the PEN Prison Writing Program. The event,… More
A Literary Night Out: Spelling Bee Humiliation…
Last night, the PEN American Center held a party to celebrate the latest issue (#11) of the PEN America journal, a bouillabaisse of fiction, poetry, essays and conversations among… More
Bearing Witness in Chechnya: The Legacy of Natalia Estemirova
PEN American Center - one of the world's oldest literary and human rights organizations - joins forces with the Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ),… More
RECKONING WITH TORTURE: MEMOS AND TESTIMONIES FROM THE “WAR ON TERROR”
Eight years ago, September 11th transformed New York City into a crowded hive of anxiety. Since then, there have been innumerable changes in our lives. The obvious ones include… More
Reading American Torture
On October 13, a sold-out crowd at New York’s Cooper Union listened for an hour and a half to readings by such prominent writers as Art Spiegelman, Don DeLillo,… More
PEN Protests German Publisher’s Exclusion from U.S.
PEN American Center yesterday issued a letter to Secretary of State Clinton and Secretary of Homeland Security Napolitano, urging them to review the decision to revoke the visa of… More
On 60th anniversary, China still crushing freedom
Congress should pass Resolution 151 to speak out on behalf of arrested dissident Liu Xiaobo. Washington - The People's Republic of China celebrated its 60th anniversary today with massive… More