About My Mother (and Other Things in Parentheses)
Norman Erikson Pasaribu on a mother’s choice and how writing saved them
Essays
Articles
Written on the Bodies: The Language of the Hostile Environment
Rogelio Braga on the politicisation of black and brown migrant bodies and the intersections of political persecutions and the UK's hostile environment.
Ghana and the Literary Industry
Elizabeth Johnson on the literary scene in Ghana, who's building it, and the value of publishing on the continent.
For Malorie
Dapo Adeola on his illustration marking Malorie Blackman winning the 2022 PEN Pinter Prize
An Endangered Species in Uganda
Stella Nyanzi on dissident writers and free expression in Uganda.
Salman the Wordsmith
By Zadie Smith.
Books, Books, Books
Julian Barnes on collecting books, reading books, and annotating books.
The Freedom and Right to Share Our Stories: Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai on Decolonising Literature
Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai on decolonising literature about Việt Nam by writing in the language of the coloniser.
On Translation
Astrid Alben on language, childhood, photographs and translation.
I Want to Be Commissioned to Review Love Island
June Bellebono on the pigeonholing of identities, being commissioned on topics other than that which you embody, and Love Island.
I Do Not Want You to Escape the Real World
Yara Rodrigues Fowler on material as a part of reading, the making of zines, and writing there are more things.
Osman Kavala and the Life of the Mind
Thomas de Waal on sending Osman Kavala books to read in Silivri Prison.
From Ajdabiya to Rome
Najwa Bin Shatwan on her geographic and writerly journey. Translated by Sawad Hussain.
Delhi’s Educational Underbelly
Anandi Mishra on Mukherjee Nagar and her journey to writing.
Something Shadowless, Like You: Nedim Türfent Writes Back to Ai Weiwei from Prison
Kurdish poet and journalist Nedim Türfent writes to Ai Weiwei, who has sent a postcard to Türfent as part of the PENWrites campaign.
My Character, My Pseudonym, and Me
Fatima Daas on names. Translated by Lara Vergnaud.
All My Languages
Ariel Saramandi on Mauritius, identity, and the languages in which she writes, thinks and dreams.
Dwelling in and ‘Writing’ the City
Daniela Hodrová on the city. Translated by Elena Sokol.