PEN Canada defends freedom of expression, aids writers in peril, and celebrates the power of the written word.
PEN Canada defends freedom of expression, aids writers in peril, and celebrates the power of the written word.
Defend Expression
our work on issues at home and abroad:
In an Era of Book Bans, this Organization is Giving Them Away
March 30, 2026
The Children’s Book Bank provides free books and literacy programs to children across Toronto.
Nominations open for 2026 Ken Filkow Prize
February 17, 2026
This prize recognizes anyone whose work has advanced freedom of expression in Canada.
We Are Writers: Collective Freedom and the Cost of Its Defense
January 29, 2026
How a 1994 manifesto marked a decisive moment in the institutional memory of Iranian literary resistance.
The Ken Filkow Prize recognizes an individual or institution in Canada who has advanced freedom of expression in Canada, and shown courage in freeing information and ideas from restraint or interference.
Writing where silence breaks
April 29, 2026
Onder Deligoz on his PEN residency and the students he met along the way.
Nominations open for 2026 Marie-Ange Garrigue Prize
February 17, 2026
An award recognizing those who provide significant help to writers or journalists in danger outside Canada.
Iran’s detainees at high risk amidst communications blackout
January 14, 2026
Iran is facing one of the most severe periods of repression in its recent history.
Reading Rupi in Lethbridge
April 30, 2026
A message from the PEN Canada President, Ira Wells.
Meet the jury for the 2026 New Voices Award
April 17, 2026
The award encourages new writing and provides a space for unpublished writers.
Call for participants: A Newcomer's Guide to Publishing in Canada
March 30, 2026
Learn where should you start if you want to get your writing published in Canada.
Events
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