Interviews & Features
PEN America produces a breadth of interviews and features throughout the year.
Two Interviews and a PEN Out Loud Playlist by Rion Amilcar Scott and Vinson Cunningham
"Books and their ideas gain so much more power when people come together to discuss them and think about them." More
Works of Justice: An Interview with Poet Louise K Waakaa’igan
"It is through and with my writing that I get to be who I am, a multifaceted Anishinaabekwe with a voice and a story to share." More
The PEN Ten: An Interview in Translation with Ha Seong-nan
"To me inspiration means to catch the words—random words with zero context—spewed by those living this moment with me." More
Works of Justice: An Interview with Prison Poet Laureate Eduardo “Echo” Martinez
"My responsibility is truth and awareness. I'm not attempting to push the envelope. I’m pushing the Post Office." More
“Be Versatile and Stay Curious”: A PEN Ten Interview with Zahra Hankir
"My interest was not so much in the challenges themselves, but rather, how the women felt about and responded to them." More
Works of Justice: Interview with Poet B. Batchelor
"Just because there is a wall between us and society doesn't mean that we aren't part of the American community" More
The PEN Ten: An Interview in Translation with Duanwad Pimwana
"Try taking a look at yourself, at society and life again through the world of literature. Maybe you’ll find a truer reality and see why people need stories." More
“Stories Help Expand Our Boundaries”: A PEN Ten Interview with Maaza Mengiste
"We know the world is more than we can sense or experience in one lifetime; stories help expand our boundaries." More
Creating Meaning: A PEN Ten Interview with Ling Ma
"Making narrative is the act of organizing information into a coherent system of cause and effect. In this way, it is the act of creating meaning." More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Author and Translator Stefania Heim
"Translation is a practice. It can also be a rich and humbling way of participating in the world." More