Interviews & Features
PEN America produces a breadth of interviews and features throughout the year.
The PEN Ten with Emily St. John Mandel
I sometimes used to describe my time in Montreal as an unmitigated catastrophe, but that was untrue. I got a novel out of it. More
The PEN Ten with Maxwell Neely-Cohen
I think that publishers and editors have a great deal of responsibility, but I’m not sure that writers do. Write the best book you possibly can. That’s it. More
The PEN Ten with Forrest Gander
Is the conscience the soul’s surveillance of the self? When are observations neutral? Does a writer, even without knowing, intend to “use” observations for the benefit of the writing… More
The PEN Ten with Amitava Kumar
I fear it is fashionable for many writers to think that they have to be right. I want to be wrong but true. Our task is to be human. More
2014 PEN Poetry in Translation Award: Four Questions for the Winners
"For me, there’s something about that in-between genre—part diary, part poem, part letter to the world—that felt both fascinating and important." More
The PEN Ten with Peter von Ziegesar
Writing about my family in a memoir was about as daring as it gets ... I was sure that when the book came out I was going to be… More
2014 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize: An Interview with the Finalists
Dear James Baldwin, How do you think psychotherapy would have changed your writing? More
The PEN Ten with Sean Wilsey
Suddenly seeing myself as a writer-of-facts changed the way I looked at reality—so it was sort of a double-edged occasion. Guaranteed impediment to having a good time: knowing you'll… More
The PEN Ten with Jean Kwok
After hearing from readers who told me how the book touched and influenced them, I realized that what I say does have an impact. Of course, I need to… More
The PEN Ten with Warren Adler
My obsession is to get it right, plot, characters, atmosphere, logic. I never go to sleep without figuring out what I will write tomorrow. More
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