90th Anniversary
PEN Founder Mrs. Dawson Scott
Originally founded in London in 1921 as a creative forum to unite international writers and promote literature and free expression, PEN International has been growing for 90 years and today has 144 Centres in 102 countries across the globe. Visit this page to see what different centres are doing to celebrate PEN’s 90th Anniversary and read about ways to get involved.
How PEN centres are celebrating around the world
PEN American Center: Reflections on PEN’s History
Throughout 2012, PEN American Center will be meeting with former presidents, staff, and Members to reflect on PEN’s past, present, and future, as well as posting archival documents, correspondence, and photos from PEN’s long and storied history. Check for video interviews and other releases here.
English PEN: Empty Chair sculpture, Witness, by Antony Gormley
In 2011, English PEN commissioned Gormley to create a sculpture of the empty chair for permanent exhibition at the British Library. For thirty years PEN has used the image of the empty chair to symbolise imprisoned writers. The cast-iron sculpture was unveiled in December to commemorate PEN’s 90th anniversary. Photo © Clare Kendall
English PEN: Writing Freedom Competition
In 2011 English PEN published The Book That Saved My Life, an output of its Readers and Writers programme. The programme was founded to promote literacy and literature among socially excluded children, young people and adults, and has been sending writers and their books into prison communities in the UK for over a decade. To celebrate the beginning of PEN’s 90th Anniversary year, the PEN Writing Freedom competition was launched and prisoners were invited to write about their lives or review a book that has been important to them, in the context of the theme ‘freedom’.
Share your information and photographs with us at communications@pen-international.org and we’ll promote your centre on our website, on the PEN International Blog and via Twitter
How to get involved
Members
Nominate your favourite piece of women’s writing for International Women’s Day – 8 March
In celebration of International Women’s Day (8 March) and PEN’s 90th anniversary, PEN International asks PEN members to nominate one piece of writing by a woman that has moved them, made a deep impression, or that they greatly admire. Nominations will be featured on our site as a tapestry of recommendations in recognition of literary achievements by women. Nominations may include women’s writing of any form, including poetry, essays, novels, short stories and speeches. Please email nominations to communications@pen-international.org stating your name, your PEN Centre, the writer and title of the text you are nominating, and a brief sentence explaining why you have chosen this piece of writing. Deadline for nominations 29th February.
And on International Women’s Day 8 March follow #womenwriters when @pen_int will be featuring quotes and news on women writers.
Individual Supporters
Are you passionate about literature and defending freedom of expression? Would you like to support the work of PEN International? Then
- make a donation
- raise funds on behalf of PEN International through sponsored events and fundraisers (contact fundraising@pen-international.org for more details)
- sign up to our regular PEN newsletters, follow us on Facebook and Twitter @pen_int to keep informed
- spread the word about PEN. Introduce PEN to your friends and contacts.
Funders and Partners
If you are interested in finding out more about PEN International or becoming an 90th Anniversary Partner please contact our Executive Director Laura McVeigh at laura.mcveigh@pen-international.org or +44 (0) 20 7405 0338 to discuss how we could work together.
