The PEN Ten Interview Series
The PEN Ten is on the pulse of literary culture to help you discover your next great read. In this interview series, we ask authors 10 questions about their latest work and art.
The PEN Ten with Ian Bassingthwaighte
I can only write what I care about, and what I seek to know. I guess that means my identity and my writing are interchangeable. One so completely bleeds… More
The PEN Ten with Cinelle Barnes
We all already know that it is important to use literary techniques in creative nonfiction for the sole purpose of delivering facts, but I think as a collective, we… More
The PEN Ten with Marwan Hisham
I think misinformation, which we now see can lead to certain misconceptions and stereotypes, is the greatest threat to freedom of expression. People take many things for granted now and leave only… More
The PEN Ten with Leslie Jamison
I’m also actively resisting both hopelessness and complacency—as well as the belief that art is irrelevant in politically troubled times. More
The PEN Ten with Alicia Kopf
In Spanish there is an expression—specifically a verb—used to refer to the act of translating, of “pouring” a book from one language into another...It seems to me to be… More
The PEN Ten with Behrouz Boochani
I have been living my whole life under a system that wants to define my identity in a certain way and to dictate “who I am.” More
The PEN Ten with Khadijah Queen
I wanted to say that my identity determines my opportunities to make a living, how much or little time I get to spend writing, and what I write about.… More
The PEN Ten with Luis Alberto Urrea
Writers are particularly dangerous...writing strikes the heart and mind so profoundly, in such a way that it can overturn prejudice or hidebound beliefs. More
The PEN Ten with Marcus Wicker
There will always be a special place in my heart for those of us who find ways to express our beliefs and life obsessions absent of politics and megaphones... More
The PEN Ten with Mychal Denzel Smith
What we are compelled to believe is based on our relationship to power…my work navigates truth by understanding it as a struggle to reshape power. More
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