Interviews & Features
PEN America produces a breadth of interviews and features throughout the year.
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Danielle Evans
“Characterization and narrative tension come from the tension between a character’s inner life and their exterior life, and I’m acutely aware—because being a Black woman compels me to pay… More
The PEN Pod: Combating Ideological Exclusion with Julia Rose Kraut
“What’s really the focus though is this tremendous absolute power and discretion held by the executive, and that doesn’t go away.” More
Break Out: An Interview with TheaterLab’s Lanie Zipoy
A conversation with Lanie Zipoy about her curatorial process for our 2020 “Break Out” awards celebration, the challenges of organizing a digital literary event, and finding connection amidst isolation. More
The PEN Pod: The Power of Writing in the Now with Rhonda Mitchell
“If you’re not vulnerable, people don’t resonate with your experience—unless they can walk in your shoes, they can’t connect. That’s the power of how we’re telling stories now.” More
The PEN Pod: On Staying Patient through the Count with Suzanne Nossel
“The currency of truth has been degraded in this country—particularly in relation to certain pockets of the population who’ve really put themselves beyond the reach of credible journalism.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Valzhyna Mort
“I write in English to make the Belarusian experience visible in it. . . [and] I write in Belarusian because, to put it briefly, it’s the most badass language… More
The PEN Pod: From Trauma to Transcendence with Alice Randall
“Black joy is particularly radical, and [the book] helps you achieve some Black joy right now—it helps all people achieve some honorable, honest joy.” More
The PEN Pod: What to Expect on Election Day and Beyond with Nora Benavidez
“Voting is essential to all the ways that we express ourselves and the way we, frankly, imagine what our future looks like together.” More
The PEN Pod: What to Expect in the Final Days Before the Election with Suzanne Nossel
“It’s going to be extremely important for people to remain patient, not to jump the gun or jump to conclusions.” More
The PEN Pod: The Power and Immediacy of Poetry with Kevin Young
“I often say that poems are the best form of transport. They change us, they move us, and they move us across time and space.” More