PEN International

28/08/2026

This week marked the anniversary of the mass displacement of the Rohingya, nine years since the 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine State forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.

We're sharing a poem by Ro Hefzu', from his debut book Still I Breathe, written for a community still fighting to be heard.

Read more about the book:https://www.pen-international.org/committee-news/still-i-breathe-launch

26/08/2026

: On Sunday, 23 August, Cairo’s Second Terrorism Circuit postponed the trial of Egyptian poet Galal El-Behairy in case No. 21763/2025 until 14 October to hear witness testimonies.

Imprisoned since 2018, El-Behairy faces multiple unfounded charges across different cases in retaliation for his poetry.

PEN International continues to call for El-Behairy’s immediate and unconditional release, and for all charges against him to be dropped.

25/08/2026

Author Tahmima Anam joins the panel in reflecting on how, as creatives, we can learn from and inspire one another to imagine a more hopeful future.

In moments of uncertainty, storytelling becomes more than reflection, it becomes a way forward.

25/08/2026

Speaking after our event at Edinburgh International Book Festival, Dr Sabin Hasbun reminded us that today's writers carry a responsibility that goes beyond the page.

She spoke of a role that bridges the gap between thought and action, and helps build the communities that can carry that action forward.

25/08/2026

This month, PEN International and our Young Writers Committee - PEN supported the Cox's Bazar launch of Still I Breathe, the debut book by young Rohingya writer Ro Hefzu.

Our youngest board member, Ege Dündar, gave a speech celebrating Ro's commitment to storytelling despite immense adversity.

Read it here ⬇️

by Ege Dündar

25/08/2026

Today, Viv Groskop sits down with Sabrin Hasbun and Tahmima Anam at Edinburgh International Book Festivalto discuss the vital role of writers in contemporary society.

Together, they will explore the power of writing in times of crisis, and how it can be used to challenge injustice, defend truth, and help us imagine more humane and peaceful futures.

Stay tuned.. we'll be sharing more from this conversation soon.

21/08/2026

This week's recommendation under the theme Women in Translation is Planet of Clay by Samar Yazbek, translated into Arabic by Leri Price.

Set against the backdrop of the Syrian Civil War, Yazbek's extraordinary novel follows Rima, a young girl whose imagination becomes a place of refuge amid the devastation around her.

Winner of the English PEN's Translates Award (2021), Planet of Clay is a beautiful exploration of innocence and the power of imagination.

21/08/2026

Galal El-Behairy is an Egyptian poet and lyricist, imprisoned since 2018 for his writing.

While behind bars, Galal wrote his poem "Alone" — and writers around the world have since read its lines aloud in solidarity, refusing to let his words be silenced.

His next hearing is on 23 August. Join us in calling for his freedom, and stand with writers everywhere who are punished for what they write.

20/08/2026

: Five years after the fall of Kabul, a young Afghan writer publishing under the pen name Roya reflects on a future stolen.

Her essay, translated for PEN/Opp, is a testament to how words become shelter when everything else is taken away.

Read Engineer of Dreams: After the Fall of Kabul:

Until 2022, I never thought that one day I would write stories.

19/08/2026

In a few weeks, it will be 25 years since 12 Eritrean writers and journalists were imprisoned — and the world has heard nothing since.

No trial. No charge. No contact with their families. No proof they are even alive.

Over the coming weeks, we're going to introduce you to them — who they are, what they wrote, and why their silence should not be ours.

Join PEN International, PEN Eritrea in Exile and PEN Centres worldwide in demanding proof of life for Eritrea's disappeared journalists and writers.