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Interviews & Features

PEN America produces a breadth of interviews and features throughout the year. 

The PEN Ten Interviews • Pen Pals Prison Writing

Leslie Jamison

The PEN Ten with Leslie Jamison

I’m also actively resisting both hopelessness and complacency—as well as the belief that art is irrelevant in politically troubled times. More

Sana Khan

The M Word Stories: Sana Khan

Being Muslim in America means belonging to a diverse group of people in regard to race, beliefs, careers, and backgrounds. This is a beautiful thing because Muslims contribute to… More

Fazian Kothari

The M Word Stories: Faizan Kothari

The M Word seeks to elevate, amplify, and celebrate the contributions of Muslim Americans to our country’s varied and inspiring cultural landscape. Today, we share Faizan Kothari’s story on being a… More

Luis Urrea

The PEN Ten with Luis Alberto Urrea

Writers are particularly dangerous...writing strikes the heart and mind so profoundly, in such a way that it can overturn prejudice or hidebound beliefs. More

The M Word Stories: Nasrin Akter

I grew up in a neighborhood of immigrants, where we all understood each other as multicultural and bilingual. We had questions about each other's cultures and customs, but we… More

The PEN Ten with Marcus Wicker

There will always be a special place in my heart for those of us who find ways to express our beliefs and life obsessions absent of politics and megaphones... More