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 Laila Lalami
[W]riters have to write, even under threat. I think often of Tahar Djaout’s words: “If you speak, you die / If you are silent, you die / So speak… More
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
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
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
The PEN Ten with Harvey J. Kaye
My lifelong hero—ever since I was a boy—is Thomas Paine, the American Revolutionary and radical-democratic pamphleteer. I would love to be identified with his words, words such as “The… More
Support for the freedom to read with exclusive designs by Todd Parr, Mike Curato, Art Spiegelman, and more!
