Interviews & Features
PEN America produces a breadth of interviews and features throughout the year.
Local LGBTQ+ Reporters in Conversation: Darian Aaron
“It matters that a journalist reporting on Black LGBTQ+ stories understands the complexities and nuances of life in the South . . . those in which we’ve been included… More
Local LGBTQ+ Reporters in Conversation: Tammye Nash
“it is our job to make our community real to the larger society. LGBTQ media should put a human face to our community so that non-LGBTQ folks see us… More
The PEN Pod: On Threats to Journalists, Information Ecosystems, and Critical Race Theory
“The gag order—what it illustrates is just the breadth and the power that the Justice Department has had to silence and stifle inquiry.” More
The PEN Pod: The Other Black Girl with Zakiya Dalila Harris
“I’d always wanted to be a writer before working in publishing. . . . I was also feeling fatigued as the only Black woman on my floor and in… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Kristen Arnett
“Knowing Florida so intimately means that I write about it like I would a family member. Something I can sometimes love and sometimes loathe, but at the end of… More
How COVID-19 Vaccine Misinformation Uniquely Affects Communities of Color: A Conversation with Nora Benavidez
Misleading information, anti-vaccine propaganda, and conspiracy theories about the COVID-19 vaccine continue to threaten public health. This interview unpacks those issues. More
The PEN Pod: The Russian Key with Jeri Laber
“The human rights movement now is facing more problems than ever, and it’s more necessary than ever before. We have serious human rights problems in the United States.” More
The PEN Pod: On the Arrest of Raman Pratasevich and Free Speech on Social Media
“This disturbing trend of reaching across borders to nab people that regimes see as a threat. . . [is] a new demonstration of how far these governments are willing… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Iván Monalisa Ojeda, Translated by Hannah Kauders
“You come here as an immigrant to a foreign country, far away from your family, but there’s one thing that reminds you of home—and that’s the language. Language unifies… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Keiichiro Hirano, Translated by Eli K.P. William
“When a novel has compelling prose, brims with soul-shaking turns of phrase, features characters more intriguing than real people . . . I feel sad to have to finish… More
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