Commemoration of The Day of the Imprisoned Writer at UTS Library on November 15, 2011 — 21.11.2011
Author Tom Keneally, who presented the 2011 PEN/Keneally Award and was MC
Sydney PEN would like to thank all speakers and attendees at this year’s International Day of the Imprisoned Writer event at UTS Library on Tuesday, 15th November. The International Day of the Imprisoned Writer, observed annually on 15 November, is a day to recognise and support writers who stand up for the basic human right to freedom of expression, and to commemorate writers killed an imprisoned during the previous year.
Speakers were Julian Disney, Professor and Director of the Social Justice Project at UNSW and Chair of the Australia Press Council; Katharine Gelber, Associate Professor in Public Policy at the University of Queensland and author of Speech Matters: How to Get Free Speech Right (UQ Press 2011); and Thomas Keneally, Australian author and Sydney PEN Life Member.
Dr Katharine Gelber was awarded the 2011 PEN/Keneally Award, which recognises achievement in promoting freedom of expression.
Dr Katharine Gelber, winner of the PEN/Keneally Award, with Professor Julian Disney
Dr Gelber spoke about the importance of social attitudes in securing freedom of speech, and provided some fascinating recent examples of freedom of speech under threat in Australia.
An edited version of Dr Gelber’s speech was published in the Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney PEN thanks Thomas Keneally and Random House for their generosity in supporting this prize.
Professor Gail Jones, winner of the 2011 Sydney PEN Award
Professor Gail Jones received the 2011 Sydney PEN Award, which acknowledges outstanding work in support of PEN’s aims. Professor Jones’ engagement with PEN has been at several levels – from letter-writing to a role on the Sydney PEN executive. The winner of the Sydney PEN Award is nominated and voted by Sydney PEN’s management committee. The prize is made possible by the generosity of Sydney PEN member Jane Morgan with the support of Mr Charles Wolf at The Pen Shop, Sydney.
Sydney PEN and Russian PEN member Tatiana Bonch read a statement from Russian PEN on the human rights situation in Belorussia, where a number of activists and writers are being persecuted.