Press About Pen
Could Donald Trump Ironically Be a Positive Influence for the Arts?
This last week, I counted nearly 50 public radio stations with on-air campaigns seeking to prevent cuts in the National Endowment for the Arts. In Santa Monica, California, our… More
At PEN Gala, Sargent Speaks to the First Amendment
The 2017 PEN Literary Gala, held on April 26 at the Museum of Natural History in New York, saw the publishing and nonprofit worlds come together in support of… More
Sondheim an honoree, Trump a target at annual PEN gala
Stephen Sondheim, whose fellow honorees at Tuesday night's gala for PEN America included an imprisoned Ukrainian filmmaker and the organizers of the women's marches in January, was in a… More
The Historic Women’s March After President Trump’s Inauguration Just Won a Prestigious Award
The worldwide women's marches that millions attended the day after President Donald Trump's inauguration are being honored at this year's PEN Literary Gala. PEN America told The Associated Press on… More
Debut novelist Imbolo Mbue wins PEN/Faulkner Fiction Award
Imbolo Mbue has won the 2017 PEN/Faulkner Fiction Award for her debut novel, “Behold the Dreamers,” about an immigrant desperate to become a U.S. citizen. The author Imbolo Mbue has… More
Syrian poet Adonis wins $50,000 lifetime achievement prize
Syrian poet and translator Adonis has won a $50,000 prize from PEN America for lifetime achievement. The literary and human rights organization also has handed out prizes for best… More
A Ukrainian filmmaker imprisoned in Russia just won a Freedom to Write Award
It's an honor that comes with a heavy dose of irony — PEN America just awarded its Barbey Freedom to Write Award to the acclaimed Ukrainian writer and filmmaker Oleg Sentsov,… More
At PEN Awards, A Scaled-Up Atmosphere and Political Bent
PEN America hosted its annual literary awards at the New School in Manhattan on March 27 in a ceremony the organization hoped would be "celebration of literature on par… More
Outrage as Belarus arrests authors, publishers and journalists in crackdown
Human rights organisations have called on Belarusian authorities to drop all charges immediately against writers, publishers and journalists who have been arrested following a wave of nationwide protests. The Committee to Protect… More
The Full ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Trailer Is A Dystopian Nightmare And A Call To Action
“I was asleep before. That’s how we let it happen,” Elisabeth Moss (as Offred) says in the official trailer for Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” an update to Margaret Atwood’s dystopian… More