Take action to free María Cristina Garrido Rodríguez

To mark International Women’s Day 2023, PEN International features the case of Cuban poet and activist María Cristina Garrido Rodríguez, imprisoned since July 2021 for her criticism of the Cuban government, and for participating in the peaceful protests that saw thousands of Cubans taking to the streets around the country and demanding reforms. Take action today to free María Cristina Garrido Rodríguez.

You’re invited to the launch of Em Dial’s Virtual Poetry Exhibition THE BALL

In “The Ball,” poet Em Dial explores how the mythos of the overtly sexual and desperately self-loathing “quad***n” has been crafted by some of the most atrocious sides of science and history. Throughout this exhibition are poems, self-portraits, and artifacts through which an artist attempts to separate themself, their queerness, and their complex familial history from the disturbing resonance of the American imagination.

Q&A with Fareh Malik — New Voices Award winner

Fareh Malik is a spoken word poet from Hamilton, Ontario and the winner of the 2022 RBC/PEN Canada New Voices Award. His new book Streams that Lead Somewhere is available from Mawenzi Press. In its citation the New Voices Award jury praised Malik’s “tenderness and throat-grabbing use of imagery” and his “wide range of voices and tones to convey a nuanced spectrum of emotions and a laser sharp critique of Canada’s blatant and covert systemic racism.”

From Hollywood to Homer: Star Wars as epic poetry

On November 4, 2021 at 7-8 pm EST, PEN Canada invites you to a free online discussion with Jack Mitchell as he discusses his retelling of the Star Wars myth in iambic pentameter — the metre of English epics like Paradise Lost and The Prelude — with the novelist Colin McAdam.