PEN Canada envisions a world where
writers are free to write,
readers are free to read,
and freedom of expression prevails
Authors Margaret Atwood, Eugene Benson and Graeme Gibson brought PEN Canada to Toronto in 1984.
Kenneth J. Harvey’s thoughtful piece on the realities of his work as a minder, originally published in PEN Canada’s December 1994 newsletter.
In July 1990, a land dispute broke out between a Mohawk community and the small town of Oka, Quebec. Tensions mounted when the Mohawk community protested, creating road blockades. Then president of PEN Canada, John Ralston Saul, addressed the crisis in PEN’s September 1990 newsletter.
In late 2011, ten years after the arrest of PEN Canada Honorary Member Dawit Isaac, five writers read letters to imprisoned Eritrean journalists. Camilla Gibb read her letter to Dawit Isaac on stage at Ryerson University. She will present a documentary on March 3, 2014, as part of our PEN Picks series in partnership with Hot Docs.
Finding the Words: Writers on Inspiration, Desire, War, Celebrity, Exile, and Breaking the Rules