Pen American Center Inc

Programs: Free expression programs: through its free expression programming, pen america fights for the maintenance of free expression norms and protections in the u. S. And abroad and acts to secure the liberty and safety of threatened and imprisoned writers and journalists worldwide. Pen america has the exceptional ability to mobilize an international advocacy network to challenge human rights violations against writers, and at any given moment is monitoring the cases of more than 1,000 writers in prison, on trial, or under threat in more than 90 countries. Pen america produces original research and engages media, policymakers, academics, counterpart human rights organizations, and the public on a range of u. S. And international free expression challenges. Pen america conducts programming exploring issues surrounding free expression at a range of public venues, campuses, and festivals.

pen world voices festival to further pen's mission to advance literature, defend free expression, and foster international literary fellowship, for one week each spring, the pen world voices festival of international literature showcases the work of international writers from across the globe in conversations, readings, performances, and panels together with their american counterparts for an exciting cross-cultural and truly international celebration of the written word. The festival has featured such luminaries as nadine gordimer, toni morrison, orhan pamuk, umberto eco, ian mcewan and mario vargas llosa. The 12th annual 2016 pen world voices festival held april 25, 2016 to may 1, 2016 highlighted mexico's rich and inspiring literature as well as a range of other contemporary themes. It brought together over 180 participants from 30 nations and featured such renown writers as boris akunin (uk/russia), elizabeth alexander (us), kwame anthony appiah (us), anne enright (ireland), gabriel orozco (mexico), and marlon james (us/mexico) as well as other writers important in their own countries but unfamiliar to most americans.

literary awardsthe pen literary awards is the most comprehensive such awards program in the country, offering over $300,000 each year to fiction writers, poets, translators, biographers, nonfiction writers, and playwrights. Each prize is conferred by a panel of writers, translators, editors, or members of the literary community who bring to the task their critical acumen and aesthetic sensibilities in order to select the annual honorees.

literary awards; public programs; membership; pen america journal; readers & writers; branches; prison writing; writers fund; open book.