Interviews & Features
PEN America produces a breadth of interviews and features throughout the year.
PEN Bangladesh: Protecting Digital Space From Raising Extremism
The PEN World series showcase the important work of the more than 140 centers that form PEN International. Each PEN center sets its own priorities, but they are united… More
The PEN Ten with Phenderson Clark
"I have been on the opposite end of a police officer’s drawn weapon on at least three separate occasions in three different American cities. I can still recall… More
The PEN Ten with Olivia Cole
"If we have a responsibility as writers—and I’m not sure we do—ours is to see ourselves as clearly as we think we see the world, to, in the pursuit… More
The PEN Ten with Morgan Jerkins
"Love. I know it's cheesy but I am obsessed with love and how it shapes a reality between two individuals, a reality that others sometimes cannot fully perceive but… More
The PEN Ten with Gabrielle Lucille Fuentes
"Censorship is not being allowed to speak your language, it is having your mother tongue beaten out of you, it is being told your experiences are worthless because they… More
The PEN Ten with Rebecca Carroll
"The collective purpose of writers might be keep us all sane, generous and accountable." More
Toni Morrison: On Censorship, Literacy, and Literature
"I come from a race of people for whom, at one time in this country it was illegal to be taught to read, it was illegal and punishable by… More
The PEN Ten with Peter Ho Davies
"What I try to resist is the self-censorship that stops us even trying to write something. That to my mind closes down the possibility too soon. The decision point… More
The PEN Ten with Oddný Eir
"The writer is responsible for what he writes. I'm old fashioned and think that the writer is responsible for making us more responsible and keeping words alive so we… More
PEN Estonia: Raising Popularity of Women’s Writing
The women writers are gaining ground. Books by women and girls are popular and writing is popular with women. We have many wonderful ones but let me introduce two… More