Interviews & Features
PEN America produces a breadth of interviews and features throughout the year.
The PEN Pod: On Myths, Magic, and Intergenerational Narratives with K-Ming Chang
“There is so much that is inexplicable in myth. There’s so much magic and strangeness, and it doesn’t conform to conventional plot oftentimes—things turning into animals, or pumpkins.” More
The PEN Pod: On Attacks on Journalists, the Punishment of Professors, and Oscars Eligibility Requirements with Suzanne Nossel
“We have 200,000 Americans dead, and [President Trump] wants people to discredit the reporting on it—on the criticism of his handling of the pandemic, on the rifts between him… More
The PEN Pod: Resisting Political Violence and Dictatorship in Belarus with Hanna Komar
“I. . . and we as Belarusians fighting for our freedom, want the world to know that Lukashenko is not our president, because we didn’t vote for him.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Juan Felipe Herrera
“The poem can become the charter, the proclamation, the manifesto. It can contain key phrases, icons, master symbols, and condensed stories of the history before, during, and after the… More
The PEN Pod: Elevating Stories from Underreported Communities with Tina Vasquez
“The important distinction for me when it comes to movement journalism, in terms of how I see my work, is that I don’t see myself reporting on communities, but… More
The PEN Pod: Tough Questions with Suzanne Nossel
“We’re in a dangerous moment; I think there is no single solution to this. It’s up to all of us to have the tough conversations with people we know… More
The PEN Pod: Elevating Women’s Voices with Emily Ramshaw
“We’re working to level [the] playing field by providing a place where the stories that most deeply affect women’s lives are the main course and not a side dish.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Fariha Róisín
“For me, the relationship between truth, history, and dreams is that I listened to the truth. . . despite the trauma of my personal history to navigate and participate… More
The PEN Pod: On the Lines Between Fact and Fiction with Ayad Akhtar
“In a time of increased polarization and stridency, literature and literary conversation are almost by definition one of nuance, one of emotionally valiant, intellectually rigorous discourse.” More
The PEN Pod: Tough Questions with Suzanne Nossel
“We all need to be much more conscientious about [spreading misinformation] and also equipped to talk to one another and confront one another. The advice that we give is… More