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 Amanda Johnston
The closer our writing stays to uncovering a truth, the better we can understand the questions and answers. If we fall short of that, we lose vital pieces of… 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 Molly Crabapple
Be honest and brave and try to make the world a bit more beautiful, which is in no way the same as making it more pretty (though that is… 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 Rion Amilcar Scott
The only responsibility of a writer is to zealously chase his or her obsessions to every weird logical and illogical end. 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