In this Works of Justice episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Erika Cohn, Peabody and Emmy Award-winning director and producer. Her newest documentary, "Belly of the Beast," exposes modern-day eugenics and reproductive injustice in California women's prisons. 

This moving and informative interview followed a private screening of the film for our Prison Writing Mentor community. Erika and Mery Concepción, Prison and Justice Writing Volunteer Coordinator, spoke about the implications of forced sterilization behind bars, how incarceration is itself a tool for eugenics and population control, and the challenges of defining consent in a space characterized by its lack of autonomy. They also discussed what it means to produce a trauma-informed film, and how to navigate and think creatively about obstacles presented by censorship and lack of access to information.

This podcast episode was written and hosted by Mery Concepción and produced by Frances Keohane, with help from Caits Meissner and Robert Pollock.

Works of Justice 119 - Erika Cohn

To learn more about the importance of prison journalism and the challenges of reporting from behind bars during the COVID-19 pandemic, we spoke with Yukari Kane and Shaheen Pasha, co-founders and -executive directors of the Prison Journalism Project. In this episode, Kane and Pasha discuss the power of teaching journalism behind bars, particularly during a pandemic; the importance of integrating prison journalism into not only the larger field of journalism, but also broader conversations around criminal justice reform; the nuance of defining the genre of “prison journalism”; and the challenges of fact-checking, verification, and credibility in a space with limited access to the internet and outside sources.

This podcast episode was written, hosted, and produced by Frances Keohane, with help from Caits Meissner and Robert Pollock.

Works of Justice 120 - Yukari Kane & Shaheen Pasha

Postgraduate Fellow Emma Stammen talks with 2018-2019 Writing for Justice Fellow David Sanchez about his debut novel "All Day is a Long Time"—a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story encompassing addiction, mental illness, homelessness, incarceration, and sobriety.

Works of Justice 201 - David Sanchez on Addiction, Subjectivity, and Selfhood

Listen to Chinua Achebe and Susan Sontag in 1989 speak about how Art and Literature should be used to positively influence and alleviate oppression not only for the individual, but for humanity as a whole.

Susan Sontag and Chinua Achebe In Conversation

At this first dinner of the 1966 season, Arthur Miller and Susan Sontag are invited to give their thoughts about the current state of PEN and its activities. Miller is the head of PEN International, Sontag at that point has been a PEN member for eighteen months, and so they have correspondingly different perspectives on the organization. But they concur that changes are needed: Sontag argues that PEN should drop its cocktail parties and dinners, and become a "serious arena" for lectures and debates, and Miller challenges PEN to "defend literature as literature" and to pay attention not only to political repression abroad but also to the forces of the market in the US that limit and distort the voices being published.

PEN Dinner: Arthur Miller, Susan Sontag, Lewis Galantière, 11/7/1966

In a press conference at the International Congress of PEN in Korea, Susan Sontag calls public attention to the fact that although there has been progress in Korea in terms of authors's rights and freedom of expression, there is a lot more work to be done.

Press Conference: Susan Sontag on Korea, 9/22/1988

Joseph Brodsky, Les Murray, Richard Howard, and Derek Walcott discuss the poetry of the Australian poet, Les Murray, and the linguistic context of it.

Conversation with Les Murray, 10/23/1985

In a conversation that occurred just a year after "The Name of the Rose" was published in English—and in the midst of its international bestsellerdom—Susan Sontag and Umberto Eco discuss Eco's turn to fiction and other topics. They begin with their mutual interest in Roland Barthes and his works and move on to such subjects as interpretation, post-modernism, popular culture, Parsifal, Sherlock Holmes, the power of badly written novels, and much else, as one might expect from a discussion between two famed intellectual polymaths.

Conversations with Distinguished Authors: Umberto Eco and Susan Sontag, 10/24/1984

The Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe and Susan Sontag discuss, among other topics, Achebe's 1975 lecture about the racism in Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness," the questions that using the language of a colonizer raises for the writer of a formerly colonized land or people, and the relationship between literature and morality.

Conversations with Distinguished Foreign Writers: Susan Sontag and Chinua Achebe, 4/5/1989

Susan Sontag and Grace Paley, along with many other friends and colleagues, pay tribute to Don Barthelme following his passing in 1989 .

Memorial Service for Donald Barthelme

Wolf Biermann sings and plays his songs, including "Deutschland im Herbst", "Und als Wir ans Ufer kamen", "Die hab Ich satt", "Das Hölderlin-Lied", "Ich leb mein Leben, sagt Eva-Marie". In discussion, he explores how song, free expression and culture are related and necessarily important.

Wolf Biermann

This is an interview with James Baldwin by Frank Schatz regarding John Brown. Mr. Baldwin furthers the discussion to the legacy of slavery, a nation in perpetual decline, and the American tendency to ‘destroy history.'

Adirondack Oral Biography Collection: The James Baldwin Interview

A Celebration of Yukio Mishima – A 20th Century Masters Tribute: This tribute event was sponsored by PEN American Center and Lincoln Center and included photographs and a presentation by Eikoh Hosoe, dramatizations of Mishima’s novels from Paul Schrader’s film “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters,” and presentations by Mishima’s translator John Nathan, writers Jay McInerney, William Vollmann and Hortense Calisher, and opera director Chen Shi-Zheng.

A Celebration of Yukio Mishima: A Twentieth-Century Masters Tribute

The PEN American series “The Writer, The Work,” was a series of programming started by Susan Sontag, in which she would have a one-on-one conversation with a featured writer. Due to her being out of town for the planned conversation with writer W.G. Sebald, she asked literary critic James Wood to step in for her. The following conversation is about Sebald’s book “The Emigrants” and the process of writing memory/fabricating memory. Recording includes the conversation, readings, and Q & A from the evening.

PEN America: The Writer, The Work: W.G. Sebald

Celebrating the legacy of Vladimir Nabokov at the 20th Century Masters Tribute Series, James Mason open the PEN America event by reading the iconic opening lines of Lolita.

Opening Lines Of Lolita, Read By James Mason

Christopher Hitchens speaks on “Crucibles: Past and Present” followed by a conversation with PEN World Voices Festival Chair, Salman Rushdie. Hitchens replaces Sherman Alexie who was previously scheduled.

Christopher Hitchens Freedom to Write Lecture

Chinua Achebe Reads from Things Fall Apart at Faith & Reason, part of the 2006 PEN World Voices Festival.


Chinua Achebe Reads from Things Fall Apart

Toni Morrison reads from Paradise at Faith & Reason, part of the 2006 PEN World Voices Festival.


Toni Morrison Reads from Paradise

Sam Shepard reads "Lines", "The Eternal Dice" and "Have You Anything to Say in Your Defense?" by César Vallejo at A Tribute to César Vallejo, part of the 2007 PEN World Voices Festival.


Sam Shepard Reads César Vallejo

Toni Morrison discusses language and literature, the pervasive “denigration of black speech” in American literature, and the lasting impression that Chinua Achebe's literature had on her, followed by a reading of “English and the African Writer” by Chinua Achebe at PEN’s Tribute to Chinua Achebe.


Toni Morrison Reads “English and the African Writer” by Chinua Achebe

A conversation between Umberto Eco, Salman Rushdie, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Leonard Lopate at the event The Three Musketeers Reunited: Umberto Eco, Salman Rushdie, and Mario Vargas Llosa, part of the 2008 PEN World Voices Festival.


Conversation: Umberto Eco, Salman Rushdie, and Mario Vargas Llosa

Edwidge Danticat reads the poems “Tourist” and “Boat People” by Felix Morisseau-Leroy (translated from Haitian Creole by Jack Hirschman) at the event Evolution/Revolution, part of the 2009 PEN World Voices Festival.

Edwidge Danticat Reads Poems “Tourist” and “Boat People” by Felix Morisseau-Leroy

Jeffrey Eugenides reads from “Trousers” by Robert Walser at the event A Tribute to Robert Walser, part of the 2008 PEN World Voices Festival. 


Jeffrey Eugenides Reads from “Trousers” by Robert Walser

Toni Morrison

Amiri Baraka reads “Rhythm Travel” at the 2008 Beyond Margins Celebration.


Amiri Baraka Reads “Rhythm Travel”

May 1, 2010 | The Great Hall, Cooper Union | New York City

With Toni Morrison and Marlene van Niekerk; moderated by K. Anthony Appiah

Marlene van Niekerk is best known for her novel Triomf, a darkly comic and controversial depiction of post-apartheid South Africa, written in her native Afrikaans. Of her latest novel, Agaat, Toni Morrison has said, “I was immediately mesmerized.… Its beauty matches its depth and her achievement is as brilliant as it is haunting.” On this special occasion, the Nobel Prize-winning author of such novels as Beloved, Sula, Song of Solomon, and most recently A Mercy, talks with her South African colleague about politics, language, literature, and more. K. Anthony Appiah, PEN American Center president and the author of Cosmopolitanism and many other books, conducts the conversation between these eminent and engaged writers.

Toni Morrison and Marlene van Niekerk in Conversation with Anthony Appiah

This excerpt is part of the Twentieth-Century Masters Tribute to James Baldwin, sponsored by PEN American Center and Lincoln Center, with The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and The New Yorker. Excerpts from the event appear in PEN America 2: Home & Away.


Amiri Baraka: Our Man Jimmy

This Twentieth-Century Masters Tribute to James Baldwin was sponsored by PEN American Center and Lincoln Center, with The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and The New Yorker. Excerpts from the event appear in PEN America 2: Home & Away.


Tribute to James Baldwin: Entire Event

Celebrating the release of the 2019 PEN America Prison Writing Awards Anthology, PEN America and The Poetry Project present an evening of exceptional work from currently incarcerated writers, staged by a series of dynamic authors, actors and activists.

Part 2 of 2


Charlotte Jones Voiklis and Eric Berryman read The Letters of Madeleine L’Engle and Ahmad Rahman (00:00)
Cecilia Gentili reads "Poker Face" by Heather Jarvis (17:07)
Cortney Lamar Charlston reads "All Of Us, In Prison" by Jevon Jackson  (38:35)
Rachel Eliza Griffiths reads "As I Hear The Rain" by Douglas Weed (40:46)

TASCAM DR-40

Works of Justice 011 - Break Out 2019 PEN America Prison Writing Awards Part 2

Normally, this is the time for the EV Spring Reading. Friends, loved ones, and the local literary community all gather to meet the fellows and to hear them perform. With the shelter in place orders in effect, we aren't able to host the 2020 EVs in public, so they're reading on the podcast instead! In addition, Amanda talks to Megan, Damien, Claire, Shannon, and M. about the uncertain times we are living in, a Tongva arts journal, who should play you in your movie, unusual superpowers, roommates, and writing sex, proving that even virtual connections can be life-affirming, and that stories are powerful beyond measure.
To learn more about the 2020 Fellows, visit pen.org

PEN America Emerging Voices Podcast Special: The 2020 Fellows

Andre Aciman reads his essay Quantum Memory at The Big Umbrella Reading Series at 2A on March 12, 2013. 

Andre Aciman Reads Quantum Memory

Reif Larsen reads The Generosity of a Matchstick at The Big Umbrella Reading Series at 2A on March 12, 2013.

Reif Larsen Reads The Generosity of a Matchstick

Kathryn Harrison reads from Enchantments at The Big Umbrella Reading Series at 2A on March 12, 2013.

Kathryn Harrison Reads from Enchantments

Listen to The Lucas Brothers(Netflix/On Drugs, FOX/Lucas Bros Moving Co, 22 Jump Street), Keith and Kenny, two of the freshest, most dynamic faces in comedy and leaders in exposing the insidious nature of our criminal justice system. The brothers peak about their lives and engage in a Q&A with young people from POPS (Pain of the Prison System) the Club and other organizations across the country who support our underserved youth.

Intro by Nicolette Natale
Hosted by Robert Pollock
Video at http://bit.ly/popslucasbros
Read the Lucas Bros Vulture Essay at https://www.vulture.com/article/our-brother-kaizen.html

Works of Justice 112 - The Lucas Brothers

To learn about how local officials within the criminal justice system can be actors—if unlikely ones—in expanding the rights of justice-involved individuals, we spoke to Lucy Lang.

The former director of John Jay’s Institute for Innovation in Prosecution and a candidate in the race for Manhattan district attorney, Lang has a reputation for being a leader in reform. In this episode, she helps us understand the scope and significance of the district attorney’s work—particularly in the era of COVID-19, when the leadership of criminal justice officials is paramount in ensuring the safety of individuals behind bars and of their communities on the outside. In doing so, Lang reminds us of the importance of voting in local elections. Echoing our own mission at PEN America, Lang also speaks about the intersection of public policy and writing: how storytelling can be a tool for advocacy and empowerment.

Hosted  and produced by Nicolette Natale
with support from Frances Keohane and Robert Pollock

Works Of Justice 113 - Lucy Lang

In this mini-Works of Justice episode, we spoke with celebrated poet Kaveh Akbar, who will be performing Terry Hedin's poem "El Reno" in our "Break Out" Event on November 17th. Terry's piece won Third Place this year in PEN America's Prison Writing Contest. 

Kaveh spoke honestly and poetically about the privilege and responsibility of holding another person's writing in one's own mouth, and about the importance of poetry as a tool for empathy and connection—especially in our time of unprecedented isolation and increased threats to free speech.

Hosted and produced by Frances Keohane
with support from Caits Meissner and Robert Pollock

Works of Justice 114 - Kaveh Akbar

Founder and CEO of WE GOT US NOW, a nonprofit advocacy organization that amplifies the stories of and challenges faced by children and young adults with incarcerated parents, Ebony Underwood is a leader in the fight to expand awareness of and rights for the millions who have experienced parental incarceration.

In this podcast episode, Underwood speaks intimately and powerfully about her dad’s incarceration and its effects on her various and intersecting identities: advocate, social entrepreneur, actionist, daughter, and writer. She also details the impact of COVID-19 on the recent efforts of WE GOT US NOW. 

Hosted and produced by Nicolette Natale
with support from Frances Keohane, Caits Meissner, and Robert Pollock

Works of Justice 115 - Ebony Underwood

In Part II of our Family Through The Walls series, we meet Dunasha Payne through an intimate and moving conversation about parenting behind bars. Dunasha is an alumna of Rehabilitation Through The Arts, which provides extensive arts access behind the walls of six New York State correctional facilities. There, she proved herself a talented writer, actor, and singer. She is now the Program Coordinator of the Young Women’s Initiative at Drama Club, a non-profit organization that provides theater programming and mentorship to young, justice-involved individuals in New York City. 

In her current work, Dunasha pulls from her intersecting experiences—as a justice-involved woman, as a mother, and in the arts—to mentor and connect meaningfully with the young people she teaches.

Hosted by Caits Meissner
Researched and written by Frances Keohane and Nicolette Natale with guidance from Robert Pollock

Works of Justice 116 - Dunasha Payne

In this episode of our Works of Justice series, we had the pleasure of speaking with Maurice Chammah, a journalist and staff writer at The Marshall Project whose reporting on the criminal justice system has been published by The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Esquire, and Mother Jones, among others. His first book, Let the Lord Sort Them, was just released. Haunting and absorbing, Let the Lord Sort Them traces the rise and fall of the death penalty in the United States by focusing on Texas as a microcosm of our country's preoccupation with capital punishment. 

In this interview, in addition to sharing his professional and writing trajectories through and beyond the book, Maurice spoke in depth about his experience as a Writing for Justice mentor for Fellow Thomas Bartlett Whitaker, and about how his relationship with Thomas impacted his own work.

Hosted by Frances Keohane
Researched, written and produced by Frances Keohane with guidance from Caits Meissner, Robert Pollock, and Stephen Fee

Works of Justice 117 - Maurice Chammah

In this Works of Justice episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Bruce Western, a professor of Sociology and Social Justice and codirector of the Justice Lab at Columbia University. A leader in the field of criminal justice reform, Dr. Western has conducted extensive research on various issues within mass incarceration, including reentry, the effects of fines and fees, solitary confinement, and more. During the pandemic, he has worked alongside other experts in publishing the report "Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19", as well as the whitepaper "Recommendations for Prioritization and Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccine in Prisons and Jails".

In this episode, Dr. Western discussed decarceration strategies that could improve public health outcomes for all, challenges with vaccine distribution inside correctional facilities, and the importance of harboring compassion and empathy particularly in times of crisis.

Hosted and produced by Nicolette Natale
with support from Frances Keohane, Caits Meissner, Robert Pollock

Works of Justice 118 - Bruce Western

PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world.  Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.


PEN America

Pinned to spotlight

Popular tracks