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 Kristen Radtke

We owe a lot to one another as human beings, but I don't know if we can always apply that debt to our work without crushing the work entirely.… More

The PEN Ten with Kelly Forsythe

To consistently ask yourself “why” or “how” goes beyond the classroom and doesn’t belong to it exclusively; it is a tenet of critical thinking and literary exploration. More

The PEN Ten with Shani Mootoo

There are certain kinds of ideas and images that are hurtful, that I wish never existed, but censorship does not make them go away. It sends them underground. More

The PEN Ten with Garth Greenwell

A diverse and democratic society depends upon robust protections of free speech. Those protections require our vigilant commitment. More

The PEN Ten with Idra Novey

Translating the words of the writers I most admire has always felt more daring to me than coming up with words of my own. It is such a complex… More

The PEN Ten with Aleksandar Hemon

The role of the people in any democracy is to drive their leaders crazy with demands. Ask not what you can do for your country, but what it must… More

The PEN Ten with Marge Piercy

Even very dangerous books are worth reading, if only to know my enemy. I don’t think anybody has the right to censor another person’s ideas. More