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  • Tales of the Wind – A night of Uyghur poetry

    The Turkish Cultural Centre 33 Gelibolu Parade, Auburn, NSW, Australia

    Join PEN Syden and the Uyghur community for a celebration of poetry, music and food. Guests include: Ahmatjan Osman, Fatima Seyyah and Mamtimin Ala Money raised goes to the World Uyghur Writers Union.

  • Words In A War – Writers on the Russia Ukraine War

    Alexandria Town Hall 73 Garden St, Alexandria, NSW, Australia

    Where is freedom of speech in the Russian Ukraine war? Has truth been a victim of the conflict? How are Russian and Ukrainian writers, journalists and poets responding to the war?

  • Day of the Imprisoned Writer

    Home 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh, NSW, Australia

    When Behrouz Boochani became the Voice of Manus he revealed the chaos and cruelty of a secret regime and made a nation take notice. But five years on from finding freedom in New Zealand who is Behrouz Boochani now?

  • Ma Thida

    PEN Lecture: Writing from Prison in Myanmar

    Home 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh, NSW, Australia

    Sean Turnell and Ma Thida both survived incarceration in Myanmar's notorious Insein prison. What hope do these important players in Myanmar’s government and politics hold for the return of democracy three years after the military seized power in a coup? In conversation with Catherine Renshaw.

  • Day of the Imprisoned Writer 2024

    Zoom

    How safe is it to blow the whistle in Australia? Recent high-profile prosecutions of whistleblowers - Witness K, David McBride, Richard Boyle have shown that blowing the whistle can land you in jail. And journalists who protect their whistleblowing sources risk gaining a criminal record. What is the cost to our democracy? Keeping the bastards honest has never been more dangerous for whistleblowers and the journalists who bring their stories to light.
    Former Senator Rex Patrick – Advocate for whistleblowers
    Anneliese Cooper - Lawyer with the Whistleblower Project
    Moderator - Journalist Michael West
    With more speakers to be announced

  • Shankari Chandran hold her chin in her hand as she looks at the camera

    Shankari Chandran at Sydney Writers Festival

    Carriageworks 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh, NSW, Australia

    We live in an era of unprecedented access to information, yet power and authority often present fiction as fact.

    As a writer and lawyer, Shankari Chandran recognises fiction’s limitations in delivering justice. But her interviews with survivors of Sri Lankan genocide inform her novels, which provide a powerful opportunity to explore and reveal stories, history, war and injustice. Fiction is a crucial space for truth-telling, especially when official channels are blocked.

    In this lecture, hear the Miles Franklin Literary Award winner speak to her use of fiction as a living, communal archive.

  • Cheng Lei on China and Freedom

    Gleebooks 49 Glebe Point Rd, Glebe, NSW, Australia

    PEN Sydney in collaboration with Gleebooks will host an event marking the Day of the Imprisoned Writer. 



    Journalist Cheng Lei and writer Benjamin Law will discuss Lei’s three years and two months spent in a Beijing prison where she was falsely accused of espionage.

    Her book, “A Memoir of Freedom”, is harrowing, fierce and darkly humorous. It is about the power of the human spirit; bravery in the face of cruelty and pettiness; the consolations of letters, music and books; and how unexpected friendships and the love of family can unlock the courage we all have within us to prevail.

  • How Free is Free Speech

    State Library of NSW 1 Shakespeare Pl, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Freedom of expression is front and centre in Australian public conversation.

    Yet how free are journalists to express themselves, particularly if their ideas are considered contentious or satirical? How do we responsibly maintain the rights of journalists to report the truth, whilst also fostering mutual understanding and empathy between communities?

    As commentary becomes more tribal and viewpoints more siloed, how free are journalists and writers to express unorthodox, controversial or nuanced positions?