Tsitsi Dangarembga is the voice of Zimbabwe

Winner of the PEN Pinter Prize she has been arrested for her peaceful protests. Her novels chronicle  the corrosive effects of colonialism.

Words in a war

What place does language have in war? Tetiana Gubii is a Russian-speaking Ukrainian and fears her mother tongue is being silenced in the conflict.

Yang Henjung trial deeply flawed

Australian PEN Centres deeply condemn suspended death sentence handed to Australian writer imprisoned in China.

Freedom to write
freedom to read

PEN Sydney has been protecting freedom of expression for more than 90 years. We also defend writers here and around the globe who are at risk of being silenced.

With the support of our members – a community of writers, readers, translators and activists – we celebrate writing in all its forms through our public conversations, publications and activism.

We are an affiliate of PEN International and are inspired by their charter, which states Literature knows no frontiers.

News & Media

The PEN Sydney magazine has compelling articles about freedom of expression, the imprisonment of writers and journalists, the literary world and original fiction and poetry.

It’s published twice a year in print and online and distributed for free to PEN Sydney members and at writers’ festivals and bookshops.

FROM OUR WRITERS

PEN Sydney works to free writers who are at risk of being silenced. Their words and courage give us the motivation to continue.

“We are aware that promoting freedom of expression in a place like Iran has a price to pay. But it does not mean we accept such an unjust verdict voluntarily. We expect all writers around the world to pay attention to this issue and to not allow writers to go to jail very easily.”

Reza Khandan Mahabadi

A prolific author, researcher and leading member of the Iranian Writers Association, he was imprisoned in 2019. Partly through the work of PEN Sydney and PEN America he was released in February 2023.

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Join our community of writers, readers, translators and activists and help us protect the basic human right to freedom of expression. 

You’ll receive; the PEN Sydney magazine and newsletter, early tickets to our events and the opportunity to participate in our activities, such as letter writing campaigns. 

Your annual membership is tax deductible.

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help us make a difference

Why support PEN Sydney?

We’ve been celebrating the written word and defending freedom of expression for 90 years, and we want to continue to do that for many more to come. But our work can only continue thanks to the generosity of our donors, whose support allows us to keep going.

Every day writers are detained, harassed or even killed for their work.  With your help, we’ll continue to stand up for writers facing persecution around the world, work to ensure that everyone has the right to share their ideas and views and champion Australian and international writing.

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