Illustrated PEN
The Illustrated PEN aspires to be at the intersection of literature, journalism, and visual storytelling, where images and words come together in an ever-emerging and essential creative form. We feature fiction and nonfiction graphic narratives, comics journalism and illustrated reportage, stories of social justice, and personal stories that can’t be told through words alone.
Scott County Memories
Once, when I was living in Denver, my good friend Jon Pinnow became obsessed with the state of Kansas. . . . So we made plans to take a… More
That Night
Home is where I want to be. Pick me up and turn me round. I'm just an animal looking for home. Share the same space for a minute or… More
In Pieces: Someplace Which I Call Home
My son is almost four. We adore him. Of course, at the moment, his life is fairly simple. But the emotional & ethical road before him is a rough… More
How I Went From Being An Apolitical to A Little More Political Asian
That’s when I decided to march in DC. It would be my first march ever. It was both exhilarating and a little frightening, all at the same time. I… More
I’m Not Here
"Feeling is impossible if we feel today as we felt yesterday: To feel today the same thing we felt yesterday is not to feel at all. Today we are… More
Day & Night For It
They brandished torches—the tiki kind you can buy at any big-box store for backyard barbecue—the kind that hold a well of flammable oil. They shouted… More
If They Could Pay Us Less, They Would
But $15 is not such a high rate when you consider that, for example, from where I sit here in Australia, the base minimum wage for a casually employed... More
Lara Croft Was My Family
I often think about how, as a family, we watched dad play every Tomb Raider game? That was fun wasn't it?? "Please save after this please save please..." More
Support for the freedom to read with exclusive designs by Todd Parr, Mike Curato, Art Spiegelman, and more!
