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: An Interview with Deena Mohamed
To me, the function of speculative fiction and magical realism, the joy of inserting fantasy in mundane urban reality, is to consider the implications of how it might function… More
The PEN Ten: 12 Days of Writing Advice
PEN America has been in conversation with authors, poets, and other artists from its inception. This holiday season, we are sharing 12 pieces of writing advice. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Rešoketšwe Manenzhe
I think art, in general, is important for society, to nurture the softer aspects of what makes us human. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Kimberly Nguyen
I believe that fiction is a mask, and the truth lurks somewhere underneath. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Kavita Das
I’ve encountered people who are unhappy and uncomfortable with the revelations in my work but they are usually interested in maintaining the status quo and so therefore are not… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Kristín Ómarsdóttir
I was inspired by our contemporary times and the growing possibility of this world's end. The story is told from some distance, from the future. It tells of events… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Cynthia Dewi Oka
To question something is to refuse its inevitability; to me that is one way we exercise our humanity in the face of inhumane conditions. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with John Weir
It’s terrible to be turned into a human interest story on the nightly news, particularly when the story is about fear and hatred and death and survival. More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Helen Benedict and Eyad Awwadawnan
Perhaps the easiest and yet one of the most valuable things we can all do is to be kind to newcomers in our land—offer them a seat on a… More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Cheryl Boyce-Taylor
It has always been my intention to give my readers truth and offer them permission to be truthful without judgment in their own lives and work. More
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