Blog
Defend Expression
our work on issues at home and abroad:
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Grace Westcott
April 22, 2025More than ever, Free Expression Matters, a message from the PEN Canada president
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PEN Canada
February 24, 2025Book challenges in Canada: a Q&A with James L. Turk for Freedom to Read Week
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PEN Canada
December 18, 2024After Assad: five Syrian and Arab writers on what’s next
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Brendan de Caires
December 2, 2024The life of a surveilled citizen: what is Digital Transnational Repression?
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PEN International
May 3, 2024Türkiye: International Media Freedom and Human Rights Organisations Condemn Alarming Surge in Arrests of Kurdish Journalists
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PEN International
April 16, 2024Norway: Lack of justice for the attempted murder of PEN International Vice President William Nygaard
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Grace Westcott
March 28, 2024Online Harms Bill: the good, the balanced and the alarming
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PEN International
March 4, 2024Türkiye: Big tech should protect free speech and resist state censorship
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Jennifer Lanthier
February 20, 2024You can’t read that: Banning kids’ books in Canada and the United States
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PEN International
January 25, 2024PEN International joins CPJ and partners calling on the EU to help journalists in Israel-Gaza war
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Jean Teillet
September 30, 2023Reflections on Truth and Reconciliation
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Grace Westcott
August 8, 2023Meta silences Canadian journalism
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PEN International
June 19, 2023Declaration on the Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine | Writers for Peace Committee
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PEN Canada
May 20, 2023Not Just Words, a report from the Global Reporting Centre and PEN Canada
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S. Bear Bergman
March 31, 2023Book Bans and Justice of the Imagination
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PEN International
March 10, 2023Mexico: Pegasus Spyware used on Journalists and Citizens
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PEN International
March 9, 2023Guatemala: Authorities Must Stop Legal Harassment of Journalists
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PEN International
March 6, 2023Türkiye: Persisting crackdown on free expression
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PEN International
February 24, 2023Ukraine: A year of war crimes and resolve
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PEN Canada
August 9, 2022Q&A with Amber Bracken, Canadian photojournalist and 2022 Ken Filkow Prize winner
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PEN International
March 18, 2022PEN Centres Stand in Solidarity with Ukraine
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PEN Canada
November 18, 2021Q&A with Chris Tenove on Toxic Disinformation
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PEN Canada
August 24, 2021Q&A with Amy Lai, winner of the 2021 Ken Filkow Prize
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PEN International
May 25, 2021Belarus: Urgently end escalating crackdown on independent voices
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PEN Canada
March 31, 2021Meet the Judges for the 2021 Ken Filkow Prize
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Richard Stursberg
November 24, 2020Regulate Social Media – In a Way That Makes Sense
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PEN International
July 28, 2020Serbia: PEN International Joins Call for Protection of Journalists and Media Workers
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PEN International
July 21, 2020Zimbabwe: Cybersecurity Bill Falls Short of International Standards
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PEN International
July 14, 2020Singapore: Government Orders Removal of Critical Comments on Handling of COVID-19 Pandemic
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PEN International
June 29, 2020Russia: PEN Deplores Conviction of Theatre Maker Serebrennikov
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PEN Canada
June 29, 2020Virality and Surveillance: Protesting in the Digital Age
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PEN Canada
June 9, 2020USA: Authorities Must Condemn Violence Against Journalists and Safeguard Their Right to Work
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PEN International
June 9, 2020Turkey: PEN Joins Call for Greater Transparency from Turkey’s Public Ad Agency
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Philip Slayton
April 25, 2020Will we recover the freedoms we surrender to the fight against COVID-19?
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PEN International
April 21, 2020Turkey: 24 Groups Call on Authorities to Release Those Detained and at Risk of COVID-19
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PEN Canada
June 11, 2019Q&A with Filkow Prize Winner Tim Bousquet
Advocacy & Aid
our work for writers in peril and writers in exile:
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Anneli Andre-Barrett
August 22, 2025From the Archives: What I Have Learned from Exiled Journalists
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Hoda Karimi Sadra
August 13, 2025In Loving Memory of Joan, a Woman Who Wrote with Her Life, Not Just Words.
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PEN Canada
July 8, 2025From memory to manuscript, Writers in Exile tackle personal stories during workshop
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PEN Canada
June 11, 2025A conversation with Robina Aryubwal, recent Marie-Ange Garrigue Prize winner
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Kim Echlin
April 30, 2025Canada: A second Ukraine? Reflections from the Writers for Peace Committee Meeting
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Arzu Yildiz
April 23, 2025We Start from Scratch, but We Don’t Come from Nothing
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PEN Canada
January 27, 2025Q&A with Tala Motazedi, PEN Writer-in-Residence at George Brown College
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Madeleine Thien
November 12, 2024Madeleine Thien writes to Jimmy Lai | Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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PEN International
September 4, 2024Türkiye: Decision upholding prison sentence for journalist Bülent Mumay condemned
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Blog
July 9, 2024Poetry, fairy tales and political oppression — a Q&A with Maria Saba
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Luis Horacio Nájera
May 1, 2024A Question of Trust: reporting on Ciudad Juárez’s serial killings
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Marcello Di Cintio
April 8, 2024A Climate of Sorrow
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PEN International
February 26, 2024PEN International: As the appeal hearing of Julian Assange ends, PEN reiterates calls for his immediate release
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PEN Canada
February 16, 2024Don Gillmor leads workshop for PEN’s Writers in Exile
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PEN International
February 6, 2024PEN condemns China’s suspended death sentence of Yang Hengjun
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PEN International
January 22, 2024Iran: additional retaliatory sentence against writer and Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi must be quashed
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Mother Mushroom
December 19, 2023Mother Mushroom, Why I Support PEN
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Dieu Cay
December 19, 2023Dieu Cay, Why I Support PEN
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Grace Munene
December 12, 2023Grace Munene, Why I Support PEN
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Gezahegn Mekonnen Demissie
December 12, 2023Gezahegn Demissie, Why I Support PEN
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Sharlene Lazin
December 5, 2023Sharlene Lazin, Why I Support PEN
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Shams Erfan
December 5, 2023Shams Erfan, Why I Support PEN
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Dilan Qadir
November 28, 2023Dilan Qadir, Why I Support PEN
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Tsering Yangzom Lama
November 17, 2023Tsering Yangzom Lama writes to Gosher Gyatso | Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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PEN International
October 12, 2023India Lays Charges Against Arundhati Roy
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PEN International
May 1, 2023Over 100 Nobel Laureates sign open letter in support of Ales Bialiatski
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PEN International
March 3, 2023Belarus: Nobel Peace laureate sentenced to prison
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Arzu Yildiz
February 23, 2023Arzu Yildiz—featured writer for FTRW 2023
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Anneli Andre-Barrett
February 15, 2023What I Have Learned from Exiled Journalists
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Anna Porter
November 24, 2022Anna Porter writes to Server Mustafayev | Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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Peter Showler
November 24, 2022Peter Showler writes to José Rubén Zamora Marroquín | Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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El Jones
November 23, 2022El Jones writes to Tsitsi Dangarembga | Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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Siri Hustvedt
November 22, 2022Siri Hustvedt writes to Narges Mohammadi | Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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Fereshteh Molavi
November 15, 2022Resisting Iran’s Theocracy
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Aaron Berhane
November 9, 2022Farewell, Asmara
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John Ralston Saul
October 3, 2022The world must stand with Salman Rushdie and writers like him
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Ava Homa
October 3, 2022By burning their head scarves, Iranian women are restoring their voices
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Grace Westcott
October 3, 2022After the attack on Salman Rushdie, we must continue to speak out
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Judith Abitan
September 14, 2022Seeking Justice for Dawit Isaak
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PEN Canada
September 6, 2022Shams Erfan chosen for 2022 PEN Residency at George Brown College
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PEN Canada
August 18, 2022Watch CODENAME SALLY
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Grace Westcott
August 17, 2022An attack on one writer is an attack on us all
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PEN International
July 25, 2022Myanmar: PEN Centres around the world condemn the execution of writer Kyaw Min Yu
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Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights
July 21, 2022RWCHR files complaint to UN on behalf of Dawit Isaak and his colleagues
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PEN International
July 19, 2022India: Detention of writer and human rights defender, Teesta Setalvad, is latest assault on civil society
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Irwin Cotler
November 18, 2021Irwin Cotler writes to Dawit Isaak: Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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Deepa Rajagopalan
November 18, 2021Deepa Rajagopalan writes to Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken: Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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Yann Martel
November 16, 2021Yann Martel writes to Selahattin Demirtaş | Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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Ken Whyte
November 16, 2021Ken Whyte writes to Rahile Dawut: Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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Em Dial
November 15, 2021Em Dial writes to Maykel Osorbo: Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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PEN International
November 11, 2021Turkey: PEN International Vice President Orhan Pamuk under investigation for his writings
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PEN Canada
October 14, 2021Q&A with Turkish journalist Arzu Yildiz, 2021 recipient of Humber College Scholarship
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PEN International
September 4, 2021Statement: Abducted Syrian Activists’ Whereabouts Remain Unknown
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Samay Hamed
August 31, 2021“For The Last American Soldier”, a poem
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Gioconda Belli
July 16, 2021Daniel Ortega and the Crushing of the Nicaraguan Dream
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Omar Mouallem
July 16, 2021The gratitude gap: What does Canada owe refugees, and what do they owe us?
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PEN Canada
June 16, 2021Empowering Arab Voices: A Q&A with Abdulrahman Matar
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PEN International
May 20, 2021OPT/Israel: freedom of expression in OPT and Israel must be respected without discrimination
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PEN Canada
May 19, 2021Remembering Aaron Berhane
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PEN International
April 8, 2021Myanmar: Zarganar’s arrest highlights junta’s efforts to silence critics
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PEN Canada
March 11, 2021Q&A with Ava Homa, inaugural PEN/Humber College Writers-in-Exile Scholar
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PEN Canada
February 17, 2021Bangladesh’s Embattled Bloggers
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PEN Canada
January 19, 2021Q&A with Maria Saba, 2020 PEN/Humber College Writers-in-Exile Scholar
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Abdulrahman Matar
November 9, 2020The Silence After Khashoggi
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PEN International
August 6, 2020Zimbabwe: Drop Charges Against Writer Tsitsi Dangarembga
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PEN International
July 9, 2020United Kingdom: Release WikiLeaks Publisher Julian Assange
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PEN International
June 29, 2020Turkey: PEN and Global Organisations Deplore Block of Özgürüz and Can Dündar Harassment
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PEN International
June 25, 2020Turkey: Immediately Release Political Prisoners
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PEN International
June 16, 2020Philippines: Maria Ressa Sentence a Threat to Media Freedom
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PEN Canada
May 29, 2020The Burden of Exile, an interview with Aaron Berhane
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PEN International
May 14, 2020Yemen: Over 150 NGOs Appeal For Death Sentences of Four Journalists to be Overturned
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PEN Canada
April 30, 2020Telling a Story Differently
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Blog
April 14, 2020Mexico: PEN Condemns the Murder of Journalist María Elena Ferral
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PEN International
April 3, 2020Turkey: Rights Groups Call for Release of Imprisoned Journalists at Risk of COVID-19
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Onder Deligoz
March 27, 2020Turkey: The Burden of Freedom
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PEN International
February 28, 2020UAE: Appeal for Free Expression to be Tolerated as Hay Festival Begins
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PEN International
February 25, 2020Uganda: Academic, Activist and Poet Dr. Stella Nyanzi Released; Conviction Quashed
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PEN International
February 21, 2020Turkey: Cruel New Charges Against Osman Kavala Must be Dropped
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PEN International
February 19, 2020Turkey: Aslı Erdoğan and Necmiye Alpay Acquitted
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PEN International
February 7, 2020Turkey: Acclaimed Writer Aslı Erdoğan Facing Lengthy Prison Sentence in Impending Verdict
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Blog
January 28, 2020Writers for Peace: Freedom of Expression and Hate Speech
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PEN International
January 27, 2020PEN International Launches Database on Over 110 Journalists Imprisoned in Turkey
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PEN International
January 27, 2020Stella Nyanzi Wins Oxfam Novib/PEN International Award 2020
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PEN Canada
December 20, 2019Alperen Yeşil: The Beginning of the End of His Life in Turkey
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PEN Canada
December 17, 2019Raihan Abir: The Rhetoric of Resistance
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PEN Canada
December 17, 2019Önder Deligöz: Fiction, Feelings and Freedom
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PEN Canada
December 16, 2019Bushra el-Fadil’s Theory of Everything
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PEN Canada
August 21, 2019Unveiling of the Empty Chair
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PEN Canada
August 14, 2019Liu Xiaobo Memorial Unveiled
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PEN Canada
July 17, 2019Q&A with Onder Deligoz, Winner of the 2018 Humber-PEN Writers-In-Exile Scholarship
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Rui Umezawa
November 15, 2018Rui Umezawa writes to Dawit Isaak | Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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Oleg Sentsov
November 15, 2018Michael Redhill writes to Oleg Sentsov | Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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Marina Nemat
November 15, 2018Marina Nemat writes to Nasrin Sotoudeh | Day of the Imprisoned Writer
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Wendy Funes
November 23, 2017Unacknowledged Victims | 2017 Escribir sin Miedo Prize
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Blog
May 26, 2016Ariel Torres Funes wins 2016 Escribir sin Miedo award
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Blog
June 25, 2015Honduras: The Process of American Remilitarization and the Failure of the War on Drugs | 2015 Escribir sin Miedo Prize
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Blog
May 25, 2015Canadian and Honduran PEN centres award inaugural prize for investigative/public interest journalism
Celebrate Writing
conversations with writers:
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PEN Canada
August 20, 2025Read the poetry and stories of the 2025 New Voices Award cohort
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PEN Canada
July 3, 2025A conversation with Ira Wells, president of PEN Canada
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PEN Canada
May 9, 2025News and books from previous New Voices Award winners
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PEN Canada
April 10, 2025Meet the jury for the 2025 New Voices Award
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PEN Canada
September 13, 2024The history behind the Graeme Gibson Talk
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PEN Canada
July 11, 2024Read the poetry and stories of the 2024 New Voices Award cohort
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Kern Carter
May 30, 2024Writers and The World | Kern Carter writes for the Tomorrow Club
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Bruce Walsh
May 24, 2024An Adventure Like This | remembering Alice Munro
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Fareh Malik
May 6, 2024Only Connect | Fareh Malik writes for the Tomorrow Club
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PEN Canada
February 22, 2024Reading list: Black Bodies, White Spaces
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PEN Canada
August 30, 2023Q&A with 2023 New Voices Award Winner Christine Wu
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PEN Canada
August 3, 2023Read the poetry and stories of the 2023 New Voices Award cohort
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PEN Canada
April 12, 2023Meet the jury for the 2023 New Voices Award!
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PEN Canada
September 14, 2022Q&A with 2022 New Voices Award Winner Fareh Malik
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PEN Canada
May 1, 2022Meet the Jury for the 2022 New Voices Award
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PEN Canada
February 27, 2022Q&A with Noor Naga on the New Voices Award Mentorship with Anne Michaels
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PEN Canada
September 20, 2021Q&A with 2021 New Voices Winner Deepa Rajagopalan
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PEN Canada
April 20, 2021Meet the Jury for RBC PEN Canada’s 2021 New Voices Award
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PEN Canada
October 27, 2020Q&A with New Voices Winner Em Dial
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PEN Canada
June 27, 20182018 New Voices Award: Q&A with Jaclyn Desforges
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Naben Ruthnum
April 6, 2017Naben Ruthnum on Salman Rushdie’s ‘Shame’
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Blog
March 31, 2016Ellen Seligman: In Tribute