Contact us

Readers & Writers is the literature education programme of English PEN and is run by two members of the English PEN team.

Philip Cowell is the Readers & Writers Programme Manager. Philip got much of his training at the Arvon Foundation which runs week long creative writing courses for everyone in historic houses. As well as this, Philip is a poet-in-training and loves reading contemporary fiction and poetry. He is currently reading Colm Toibin's Brooklyn. Philip is interested in bringing people together to read and write and would love to hear from anyone who wants to do the same. If you are interested in Readers & Writers, contact Philip on philip@englishpen.org.

Irene Garrow is the Readers & Writers Prisons Officer. Irene is a film-maker, educator and writer and has been a writer in residence for two years at HMP Swaleside. Irene looks after the prisons programme at Readers & Writers for two days a week. Irene loves the plays of Edward Albee and the writing of John Cheever and is currently focusing her own writing on the short story form. If you are interested in bringing an English PEN writer to your prison - or if you're interested in our work with prisons - please get in touch with Irene on irene@englishpen.org