General

  • Members receive a welcome letter, voting rights at the English PEN Annual General Meeting, monthly membership e-newsletter, exclusive monthly membership events featuring special guest writers and translators for discussions on freedom of expression and literature, early release tickets, event discounts, and book giveaways.
  • By joining English PEN, members sign up to the PEN Charter our guiding and unifying principles.

 
Eligibility

  • Members must be 16 or over.
  • Members are eligible for a concessionary membership if they are: retired; a student; in receipt of Jobseekers’ Allowance, Disability Benefits, Income Support, or Working Tax Credits; low-waged (earning less than the UK Living Wage or London Living Wage); or unwaged.
  • Members applying for an Under 35 membership are required to submit date of birth upon sign up to verify eligibility.
  • Under 35 membership is valid until 36th birthday. Members will be notified and invited to renew via email one month prior to expiry. Members will have one month to do so, at which point the membership will expire if it has not been renewed.
  • English PEN is not obliged to accept an application for membership.

 
Payment

  • Monthly membership payments are protected by the UK Direct Debit Guarantee.
  • English PEN cannot cancel standing orders on behalf of members. If a member wishes to cancel their Standing Order, they must do so with their bank.
  • Annual payments by credit card are covered by the Consumer Credit Act. Annual payments by debit card do not get this protection.
  • English PEN reserves the right to change membership fees. Members will be notified of change in fees via email and given one months’ notice to cancel.

 
Termination

  • If a membership is cancelled or expires, the member no longer receives membership benefits and communications.
  • English PEN reserves the right to terminate membership if the member commits a material breach of this agreement, for example by not paying monthly direct debit, and fails to remedy that breach within four weeks of receiving notice from English PEN notifying it of the breach and requiring remedy.

 
Gift membership

  • English PEN will endeavour to notify the recipient of gift membership as close to chosen date as possible. This may not be possible when date falls on a weekend or bank holiday or any other date no member of English PEN is able to activate it.
  • Gift membership is valid for one year. One month before expiry, members will be notified and invited to renew via email. Members will have one month to do so, at which point the membership will expire if it has not been renewed.
  • The responsibility lies with the Gift Recipient to activate the membership. If membership is not activated, recipient will not receive membership benefits or communications.
  • If membership is cancelled during the year, or membership expires, the gift recipient will no longer receive membership benefits or communications.

 
Complimentary membership – Silver PENs

  • Silver PEN complimentary membership is open to new starters within Silver PEN partners companies.
  • Members applying for a complimentary Silver PEN membership are required to use their company email address upon sign up to verify eligibility.
  • Silver PEN complimentary membership is valid for one year. One month before expiry, members will be notified and invited to renew via email. Members will have one month to do so, at which point the membership will expire if it has not been renewed.
  • If membership is cancelled during the year, or membership expires, the member will no longer receive membership benefits or communications.
  • If member’s employer terminates its Silver PEN partnership, all complimentary memberships associated with this partnership will also be terminated.

 
Miscellaneous

  • Membership is non-transferable.
  • English PEN will not share members’ personal data with third parties without their consent unless it is for one of the reasons listed within the English PEN Privacy Policy.