Interviews & Features
PEN America produces a breadth of interviews and features throughout the year.
The PEN Ten with Ishion Hutchinson
"You are naturally paying tribute to the dead and the living, because a poem is the vehicle of reciprocal tension between what came before and what is present." More
Art is a Form of Encryption: Laura Poitras in Conversation with Lynn Hershman Leeson
"There are certain people who don’t encrypt their e-mail, so we just create a coding system. Perhaps we are talking about having lunch at a certain restaurant, when in… More
The PEN Ten with Ming Di
"I don’t think it’s the responsibility of writers to do anything. We do it anyway—out of consciousness, not responsibility." More
PEN Mexico: A Flourishing Literary Scene Despite Ongoing Impunity
In the eighth PEN World Series feature, we speak to PEN Mexico about the free expression challenges facing Mexican writers and journalists. More
The PEN Ten with Stephen Graham Jones
Stephen Graham Jones is many things, among them an incredible writer and story teller, as well as a Blackfeet Indian. The momentum of his prose drags you through the… More
The PEN Ten with Shawn Vestal
"I can’t remember not wanting to be a writer. As a child I would write creative notes to my parents, and in school at an early age I would… More
The PEN Ten with E. Tammy Kim
"Writers are people, so we have political responsibilities that zigzag across the globe. If we are good at our craft, we have the additional burden of conveying information and… More
PEN Afrikaans: Rethinking a Language and its Legacy
In the seventh installment of the PEN World Series, we speak to PEN Afrikaans about the free expression challenges facing speakers of Afrikaans in South Africa. More
The PEN Ten with Ash Parsons
"As a writer for young adults it is my responsibility to tell the truth about the things I know and which I remember. Sometimes that means shining a light… More
The PEN Ten with Jean Guerrero
"Censorship of others is a form of violence. It is unacceptable unless the speech or information flow would somehow lead to worse violence." More
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