Interviews & Features
PEN America produces a breadth of interviews and features throughout the year.
The PEN Pod: Remembering Terrence McNally with Jesse Green
“I think it taught him that he could do something in the theater that few people have an opportunity to do, which is to change people's minds forever.” More
The PEN Pod: Debunking Disinformation with Jane Lytvynenko
“Ultimately, it is all of us that are spreading this misinformation, and I think it’s really important to acknowledge that all of us are going to fall for it.” More
The PEN Pod: On the Importance of Hopeful Thinking and Magic with Chip Rolley
“Look at the program that we put together. Look at the writers who were there. Search out their books; their books can still be bought.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Diana Marie Delgado
“I think the best writing is where the writer makes the reader uncomfortable, maybe even worried. But the wish to take it back—never.” More
The PEN Pod: Practicing Social Solidarity with Alexander Chee
“We really do participate in these communities, and they do matter to us. They're part of our intellectual life, they’re part of our livelihoods, and they're part of how… More
The PEN Pod: Jennifer Finney Boylan Wants You to Protect Your Heart
“This is a good time to remember, now that we can't do it, just how important we are to each other and how important community is.” More
The PEN Pod: Four Questions with Suzanne Nossel
“There has been a politicization of the truth, a desire to whitewash and kind of varnish the truth to minimize the political impact of this pandemic.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Vanessa Hua
“I searched for answers by reading books and through observation, following where my curiosity led me. That double-consciousness underpins my writer’s identity.” More
Free Speech 2020: An Interview with Cecile Richards
PEN America asked Cecile Richards to talk about what freedom of speech and expression mean to her, what freedom of speech and expression mean in 2020 specifically, and the… More
PEN Out Loud Talks: Bernardine Evaristo and Safiya Sinclair
“I cannot imagine living in a society where I do not have the kind of creative freedom I’ve taken for granted all my life.” More