Interviews & Features
PEN America produces a breadth of interviews and features throughout the year.
Interview: Zachary Redfearne
QUESTION: What was the spark that made you begin writing in prison? When did it occur?ZACHARY REDFEARNE: A writing workshop by Naropa University was a big motivational booster.Q: Can… More
Interview with Patricia Prewitt
QUESTION: What was the spark that made you begin writing in prison? When did it occur? PATRICIA PREWITT: When I was sent to prison in April of 1986, my five… More
Fatou Jaw Manneh: Dame of the Flaming Pen
Q: What motivated or inspired you to write?A: Political stagnation at that time, corruption and nepotism mainly motivated me. I also believe that no human being should sit on… More
Q & A with Larry Siems, Director, Freedom to Write and International Programs
In 1921, two years after the First World War, British writers (C. A. Dawson Scott and John Galsworthy) founded the first PEN (poets, playwrights, essayists, editors, and novelists) center… More
Our Town Downtown: Q & A with Larry Siems, Director of Freedom to Write and International Programs
Our Town Downtown, May 28, 2007—In 1921, two years after the First World War, British writers (C. A. Dawson Scott and John Galsworthy) founded the first PEN (poets, playwrights,… More
Open Destiny of Life
Let me put it this way: I went to school to poetry—that was where I learned how to write. People learn to write by doing various things. I suppose… More
Video Testimony of Guantánamo Detainee Moazzam Begg
Former Guantánamo detainee Moazzam Begg describes his experience at Guantánamo Bay. The original video was aired at the 2009 PEN event Reckoning with Torture: Memos and Testimonies from the… More
Video Testimony of Guantánamo Detainees Ruhal Ahmed and Shafiq Rasul
Former Guantánamo detainees Ruhal Ahmed and Shafiq Rasul describe their experiences at Guantánamo. The original video was aired at the 2009 PEN event Reckoning with Torture: Memos and Testimonies… More
Video Testimony of Guantánamo Detainee Omar Deghayes
Former Guantánamo detainee Omar Deghayes describes his experience at Guantánamo Bay. The original video was aired at the 2009 PEN event Reckoning with Torture: Memos and Testimonies from the… More
Alert Us
Are you an artist at risk or know someone who is?