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January 27, 2026

PEN launches Joan Leishman Memorial Fund, creating opportunity and support for writers in exile

Joan Leishman was a remarkable journalist, humanitarian, and cherished mentor to members of the PEN Canada Writers in Exile group. Created in her honour, the fund is the organization’s first fund dedicated to providing critical assistance and creating opportunities for writers living in exile in Canada.

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News & Statements

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Events

Read the Room: Can Canada Survive Without a National Literature?

March 31, 2026

Publishing has collapsed in Canada — what’s at risk when a nation loses the infrastructure that sustains its stories?

Voices of Freedom reading at Emmanuel College

March 18, 2026

Save-the-date for an evening of inspiration and storytelling from the PEN Writers in Exile.

Freedom to Read: Why Society Needs Intellectual Risk

February 25, 2026

A timely conversation about the freedom to read and why intellectual risk is necessary in society.

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Legacy Event: the Graeme Gibson Talk

023 PEN Canada Graeme Gibson Talk 20230924 HC 735x400

An annual conversation between writers with expert knowledge of an urgent political, social, cultural or economic issue.

Previous speakers include John Vaillant (Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast), Catherine Abreu (global climate policy expert), Maria Ressa (Nobel laureate), Ron Deibert (Citizen Lab founder), Omar El Akkad (One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This) and Margaret Atwood.

The Latest

PEN launches Joan Leishman Memorial Fund, creating opportunity and support for writers in exile

News & Statements

PEN Canada strongly condemns the intimidation of journalist Rachel Gilmore

Call for nominations for board of directors, Fundraising & Events Chair

Applications open for 2026 PEN Canada-Humber Polytechnic Writers-in-Exile Scholarship

PEN launches Joan Leishman Memorial Fund, creating opportunity and support for writers in exile

PEN deeply concerned by the guilty verdicts in the trial of writer and publisher Jimmy Lai

Events

Read the Room: Can Canada Survive Without a National Literature?

Voices of Freedom reading at Emmanuel College

Freedom to Read: Why Society Needs Intellectual Risk

Legacy Event: the Graeme Gibson Talk

An annual conversation between writers with expert knowledge of an urgent political, social, cultural or economic issue.

Blog

In an Era of Book Bans, this Organization is Giving Them Away

Call for participants: A Newcomer's Guide to Publishing in Canada

Call for submissions: 2026 RBC/PEN Canada New Voices Award

Call for Applications: year-long online writing workshops for PEN Writers in Exile

Nominations open for 2026 Ken Filkow Prize

Newsletters

The latest at PEN Canada

The latest at PEN Canada

Big, bright news from PEN Writers in Exile