San Miguel PEN at 2024 PEN International Congress, Oxford

View the full article here: https://chicagonetworkjp.org/writers-worldwide-call-for-freedom-of-expression-90th-world-congress-of-pen-international-oxford-england-24-27-september-2024/

Excerpt:

The eve of the PEN International Annual Congress, this time in Oxford, was chilly and sodden. I arrived at night. Flood alerts lighted up my phone. The theme of the conference, “Writers in a World at War,” and the dark and desolate plaza where the coach from Heathrow left me off, set the serious tone with hammering rain, little shelter and a troubling absence of taxis.

PEN is a global writing community whose long-standing mission is to protect freedom of expression, to celebrate the literary arts, and to foster solidarity among writers. It was born in 1921 in London, out of the turmoil of World War I. The acronym P.E.N. stands for “Poets, Essayists, Novelists,” but the membership has broadened over the last century to include journalists, broadcasters, artists, and other cultural professionals. Over 130 PEN centers dot the globe. The yearly congress usually takes place in different parts of the world. However, during the pandemic and again last year, the annual congress was held mostly online.