PEN Canada envisions a world where
writers are free to write,
readers are free to read,
and freedom of expression prevails
European Parliament President Antonio Tajani (middle) presents the award to Oleg Sentsov’s cousin Natalia Kaplan and his lawyer Dmitriy Dinze From PEN International Today, Ukrainian writer and filmmaker Oleg Sentsov was awarded the prestigious European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. Currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in Siberia on trumped-up terrorism charges, Oleg […]
President Enrique Peña Nieto’s six years in office have been the most violent on record for Mexico’s journalists.
From PEN International: PEN International is deeply saddened by the passing of our friend, colleague and fearless defender of free expression, Judith Rodríguez. PEN International President, Jennifer Clement, said: ‘The news of Judith’s death is not just heartbreaking for PEN and its members, but also for me personally. I have lost a dear friend and confidant. Judith […]
PEN Canada pays tribute to the life and work of Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson in a conversation with Rick Mercer. Join PEN Canada as we honour literary power couple Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson, founding members and past presidents of our centre. We’ll engage them in conversation about their early days with PEN — they […]
For PEN’s 2018 Day of the Imprisoned Writer, Michael Redhill writes a letter to the Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov.
For PEN’s 2018 Day of the Imprisoned Writer, Toronto writer Rui Umezawa writes to the imprisoned Eritrean journalist Dawit Isaak.
For PEN’s 2018 Day of the Imprisoned Writer, we asked PEN members and supporters to send a message to a jailed writer. Marina Nemat writes to Nasrin Sotoudeh.
From PEN International 12 November 2018 – PEN International and PEN Uganda are deeply concerned by the recent arrest and ongoing trial of the prominent Ugandan academic, writer and activist, Dr. Stella Nyanzi. Nyanzi was arrested on 2 November 2018 and charged with “cyber harassment” and “offensive communication” following messages she allegedly posted on Facebook about President Yoweri […]
Goddard College has announced a $10,000 scholarship available to members of the three PEN North American centres for their MFA in Creative Writing. “The Goddard/PEN North American Scholarship, now in its third year, is the result of a partnership between Goddard’s low-residency MFA in Creative Writing Program and PEN America, PEN Canada, and PEN Mexico, which together comprise the North […]
Released on the final day of PEN’s 84th annual congress, PEN’s report warns of “a rising tide of violence, impunity, extended pre-trial detentions, and surveillance” under the Modi government, of “punitive defamation laws [that] mute criticism”, nervous publishers who “have asked journalists to be less critical of authorities” and universities where a “climate of fear” has curbed student activism, rescinded invitations to controversial professors, andpurged textbooks that are deemed offensive.
Finding the Words: Writers on Inspiration, Desire, War, Celebrity, Exile, and Breaking the Rules