Interviews & Features
PEN America produces a breadth of interviews and features throughout the year.
The PEN Ten with Kelly Forsythe
To consistently ask yourself “why” or “how” goes beyond the classroom and doesn’t belong to it exclusively; it is a tenet of critical thinking and literary exploration. More
The PEN Ten with Molly Crabapple
Be honest and brave and try to make the world a bit more beautiful, which is in no way the same as making it more pretty (though that is… More
The PEN Ten with Shani Mootoo
There are certain kinds of ideas and images that are hurtful, that I wish never existed, but censorship does not make them go away. It sends them underground. More
The PEN Ten with Garth Greenwell
A diverse and democratic society depends upon robust protections of free speech. Those protections require our vigilant commitment. More
The M Word Stories: Antonio De Jesus Lopez
To be Muslim in America is, by default, an act of resistance … As a Mexican and as a Muslim, my identity clashes in these beautiful, complex ways. More
The PEN Ten with Idra Novey
Translating the words of the writers I most admire has always felt more daring to me than coming up with words of my own. It is such a complex… More
The PEN Ten with Aleksandar Hemon
The role of the people in any democracy is to drive their leaders crazy with demands. Ask not what you can do for your country, but what it must… More
The PEN Ten with Rion Amilcar Scott
The only responsibility of a writer is to zealously chase his or her obsessions to every weird logical and illogical end. More
Interview with Vietnamese Journalist and Human Rights Lawyer Trinh Huu Long
One year after the Anh Ba Sam court decision, PEN America publishes its interview with Trinh Huu Long, a Vietnamese journalist and human rights lawyer who stepped in to… More
The PEN Ten with Marge Piercy
Even very dangerous books are worth reading, if only to know my enemy. I don’t think anybody has the right to censor another person’s ideas. More
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