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AI and free speech, creativity and democracy
In the hands of bad actors—whether public or private—generative AI tools can supercharge existing threats to free expression.PEN America’s...
The PEN Community mourns the passing of Nyi Pu Lay
The PEN community mourns the passing of writer and President of PEN Myanmar, Nyein Chan (henceforth referred to by his pen name, Nyi Pu Lay). On 21...
Jennifer Lawrence’s Bread and Roses documentary gives Afghan women a voice
Bread and Roses was secretly filmed with the use of multiple covert cameras in the weeks following the fall of Kabul. Picture courtesy of...
Tales of the Wind – A night of Uyghur poetry
On the 13th of July PEN Sydney hosted “Tales of the Wind,” an evening of Uyghur poetry, food and dance to help raise money for The World Uyghur...
Ann Patchett offered her bookstore as a place for solace and peace after school shooting
Ann Patchett on twitterWhen tragedy came to Nashville, when a person with a gun shot to death three children and three adults at a local school in...
Fishes swimming in the river and birds flying above it set the rhythms of the poet’s life
Robert Adamson on a wharf on the river. Photograph by Hazel JohnstonIn July of 2022, following a pattern of several decades, my family and I visited...
Words and images that escaped from prison
Behrouz Boochani made many public appearances and attend many events during his recent visit, including a dinner held by the Kurdish Youth...
Hefty new penalties now applied to protesters
Protesters support Coco Violet. Photograph by Kate Geraghty courtesy of The Sydney Morning HeraldDeanna “Coco” Violet wept with relief inside the...
The Black witness must be believed
The annual PEN Lecture at the Sydney Writers Festival. The Black Witness must be believed, insists Amy McQuire. Black Witnesses have been silenced...
‘We have poorer books as a result’: Why Australian publishers are silenced by fear.
Louise Milligan - Picture credit: Simon SchluterWriting and publishing a book about a controversial public figure is like diving into shark-infested...
Tibetan writer jailed for four years
A Tibetan writer arrested by Chinese police nearly three years ago has been confirmed to be serving four years in prison for “splittism and...
Sarah Malik on reading as a lifeline
It was just over 20 years ago that I walked through the front doors to do an arts and law degree. I was 18, a bookish and shy young Muslim woman...