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.
Questions From My Mixed-Race Son
Who taught him to dance? What is the Jackson Five? Is his skin like my skin? Is his hair like my hair? More
You & A Bike & A Road
I was having trouble with wanting to not be alive. But I feel good when I'm bicycling. More
The Art Class is a Sanctuary City
In art class everyone is encouraged to be who they are and make art about what they care about. More
“Zoned” and “Red Tape”
Before your clothes get recycled, dumped in the landfill, or even purchased—at the thrift store or the mall—they're packed up at warehouses and brought in overland by trucks. More
Black History in Its Own Words
“In the end anti-black, anti-female, and all forms of discrimination are equivalent to the same thing, anti-humanism.” More
The Best We Could Do
I think a lot of Americans forget that for the Vietnamese the war continued, whether America was involved or not. More
Nat Turner
"And about this time i had a vision—and I saw white spirits and black spirits engaged in battle, and the sun was darkened—the thunder rolled in the Heavens, and… More
Mumia and the Multitudes
A graphic short story by new Illustrated PEN guest editor Seth Tobocman on the case of Mumia Abu Jamal, who was sentenced to death in 1982 for the murder… More
Incognegro
In the early 20th century White went undercover, posing as a white man in the deep south to investigate lynchings. More
Support for the freedom to read with exclusive designs by Todd Parr, Mike Curato, Art Spiegelman, and more!
