Melbourne PEN

Tracey Rigney at Melbourne PEN International Women’s Day Event, 18 March
Every year, the Melbourne Centre of PEN International celebrates International Women’s Day. This year, Tracey Rigney of the Wotjobaluk and Ngarrindjeri peoples, a playwright (Belonging) and film-maker (Endangered) who writes with an idiosyncratic voice, surefooted storytelling, and humour that shakes out complexities of identity and culture will discuss her work. Excerpts from her play Slow [...]
Liu Xiaobo – Nobel Peace Prize winner, writer, former PEN president, prisoner. Take Action
10 December 2011 (International Human Rights Day) marks the first anniversary of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to our colleague Liu Xiaobo, former president of the Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC). One year on, he and over thirty other writers remain in prison in China, and many more suffer ‘soft’ detention, surveillance, and [...]
15 November – Annual Day of the Imprisoned Writer
On 15th November 2011 PEN International, the worldwide association of writers, marks the 30th Annual Day of the Imprisoned Writer; an international day of action intended to recognize and support writers who have resisted repression of their basic human right to freedom of expression. This year PEN International is using the occasion both to commemorate [...]
Third PEN Quarterly of 2011: Language and Politics in Indigenous Writing
Download the Melbourne PEN Quarterly: Language and Politics in Indigenous Writing The third PEN Quarterly for 2011 Editor: Christine McKenzie Assistant Editor: Christina C Ratcliffe Copyeditor: Mary-Jo O’Rourke Desktop Publishing: Lynn Smailes

PEN Melbourne is one of 145 PEN centres in 104 countries worldwide.

PEN International campaigns on behalf of writers around the world who are persecuted, imprisoned, harassed and attacked for what they have written or simply for being a writer. It has committees representing writers in prison, women writers, translation and linguistic rights and a peace committee.

PEN Melbourne is active locally, regionally and internationally.

We hold literary events and provide opportunities to be involved in freedom of expression campaigns.