We’ve reached our final event of #LBF26! Sami Abu Wardeh, Bolu Babalola, Joelle Owusu and Zoey Dixon discuss Joy Against Despair: Publishing, Hope, and Entertainment Amid Rising Authoritarianism.
Now at English PEN at the Salon #LBF26: Kit Fan, Mary Glenn, Arabella Pike and @dnlgorman.bsky.social discuss publishing through a human rights lens.
I was honoured to chair this standing room only panel this morning -some really rich conversations and collaborations are emerging!
Join us now at #LBF26 for What We Lose if We Lose Small Presses: Independent Publishing, Risk and Survival, with Will Eaves, @rachelmayquin.bsky.social, Jack Thompson and @katiefr3.bsky.social.
Happening now at English PEN at the Salon #LBF26! Freedom to Read in the National Year of Reading, with Louis Coiffait-Gunn @cilip.bsky.social, @junodawson.bsky.social, Louisa Joyner @faberbooks.bsky.social and @alisonhicks0.bsky.social.
Our first session of #LBF26 is happening now with Selina Brown, @suchmayer.bsky.social, @nikeshshukla.bsky.social and Josie Dobrin discussing Power, Equity of Expression, and Rejecting Attacks on EDI.
We’re at #LBF26 today for English PEN at the Salon, featuring five events exploring pressing free expression issues for the literary sector.
Explore our full programme below and join us if you’re around.
www.englishpen.org/posts/events...
#Iran: PEN International condemns all breaches of international law amid escalating hostilities across the Middle East and is gravely concerned by mounting civilian casualties in Iran and across the region.
Read our full statement ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/iran-pe...
'I was locked in my cell 23 hours a day, and I had no choice but to do what I loved. I wasn’t going to let the system take my creativity from me.'
Today in #PENTransmissions, Hannah Branston and Ade Adedeji on art and activism.
pentransmissions.com/2026/03/05/i...
We are proud to join the @togetheralliance.bsky.social, a coalition made up of hundreds of civil society organisations representing over 7 million people.
Join us in London on 28 March in the Artists against the Far Right bloc.
Sign-up for updates at togetheralliance.org.uk.
#Together
📣 We're looking for new Trustees!
English PEN is recruiting for three Trustees to support us in our mission to protect the freedom to write and the freedom to read around the world.
🗓️ Apply by 23 March 2026.
Read more and apply here ⤵️
www.englishpen.org/jobs/vacancy...
'I had imagined today many times, since February 29 became mama’s day of leaving. I had been afraid of looking for a twenty-ninth day and not finding one.'
Today in #PENTransmissions, @jasmine-hongyu.bsky.social on precious memories with her mother.
pentransmissions.com/2026/02/27/l...
‘This was a major concern while creating the book: how to write about the violence without reproducing it.’
In #PENTransmissions, Michelle Steinbeck and Jen Calleja on fascism, femicide, and ghosts.
pentransmissions.com/2026/02/19/n...
Apply & share! @englishpen.bsky.social writing residencies for "writers currently based in England who identify as experiencing displacement – including (but not only) refugee writers, writers seeking asylum, and writers in exile."
www.englishpen.org/posts/campai...
#UK: Today, the High Court ruled that the proscription of Palestine Action was unlawful.
Read our previous joint statement with @englishpen.bsky.social ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/united-...
We welcome the High Court's decision finding the proscription of Palestine Action to be unlawful. Overly broad counter-terrorism legislation can pose a serious threat to the safeguarding of civil liberties.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
English PEN at the Salon is returning to the London Book Fair this year on Wednesday 11 March, featuring five events exploring pressing free expression issues for the literary sector.
Discover the full programme and book tickets to #LBF26 ⤵️
www.englishpen.org/posts/events...
We believe that art, including music, should be protected as a form of freedom of expression. We're proud to sign Art Not Evidence's letter to the Justice Secretary calling for limits on the use of art as criminal evidence.
Read more ⤵️
www.justice.org.uk/news/rapper-...
We’ve opened applications for two short residencies for writers in the UK who are currently experiencing displacement.
Find out more and apply ⤵️
www.englishpen.org/posts/not-ra...
China – Hong Kong: A 20-year sentence for #JimmyLai is a chilling act of repression. At 78, after years in solitary confinement and with failing health, this punishment is cruel and unjust. PEN International calls for his immediate release. www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...
We’re delighted to announce that 18 titles from 14 publishers, 12 languages and 16 regions have won #PENTranslates awards.
www.englishpen.org/posts/news/p...
‘I think of memory as finite. It’s personal. Once you’re gone, that memory goes with you. Myth, by contrast, lives beyond you.’
Today in #PENTransmissions, Vaddey Ratner on memory, narrative history, and storytelling as a means of survival.
pentransmissions.com/2026/01/29/k...
#Iran: We are deeply concerned about the deadly crackdown on anti-government protests. Iranian authorities should end the use of deadly force and arbitrary detention, respect freedom of expression, and restore internet services immediately. @penmena.bsky.social www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cj...
We’re delighted to announce that award-winning writer Max Porter will deliver the 2026 PEN Lecture in partnership with @newwritingnorth.bsky.social & @nclanews.bsky.social.
Join us for the #PENLecture on 29 April, 6pm, Curtis Auditorium, Newcastle.
Book now ⤵️
www.englishpen.org/posts/events...
We are hugely relieved to welcome the news that British-Egyptian writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah has now been reunited with his family in the UK. This long-awaited moment is a testament to their unwavering advocacy and resilience.
#Georgia: We welcome @echr.coe.int's landmark judgment in the case of Tsaava and Others v. #Georgia on the policing of protests and the protection of journalists, citing our joint intervention with PEN Georgia & English PEN.
Read our joint statement ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/georgia...
#Belarus: As we welcome the release of PEN members Ales Bialiatski, Maksim Znak and Aliaksandr Fiaduta with immense relief, we urge justice for the violations they suffered, including their forced exile.
Read our statement ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/belarus...
#Iran: PEN International condemns the violent and arbitrary arrest of Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi on 12 December. We are gravely concerned for her health and safety and call for her immediate and unconditional release.
Read our statement ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/iran-au...
#HongKong: Yesterday, we have joined @englishpen.bsky.social, @hongkongwatch.bsky.social & over 30 other civil society organisations in an open letter to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, urging him press for Jimmy Lai's release.
Read the letter below ⬇️
www.pen-international.org/news/china-h...
Together with @peninternational.bsky.social, we condemn the guilty verdict against Jimmy Lai & urge the UK government to act immediately and decisively on his behalf.
Read our statement & send a message of solidarity to Jimmy Lai through #PENWrites. #FreeJimmyLai
www.englishpen.org/posts/campai...
