INTERNATIONAL PEN - DEFENDING THE FREEDOM TO READ AND WRITE SINCE 1921
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International PEN is a non-political UNESCO recongised body of international writers and their supporters who zealously guard free speech. Formed in London in 1921, our members have included George Bernard Shaw, H.G.Wells, Arthur Miller, Joseph Conrad, Margaret Atwook, Salman Rushdie, Vaclav Havel and many of Australia's leading writers. PEN has 145 centres in 104 countries campaigning on behalf of imprisoned writers and monitoring censorship.
In today's world it is more important than ever for Sydney PEN to continue its vital work protecting freedom of expression in our own country and elsewhere.
Sydney PEN (founded in 1931), an affiliate of International PEN, is an association of writers devoted to freedom of expression in Australia and in the world at large. In accordance with the PEN Charter it uses its influence on behalf of writers anywhere who are silenced by persecution, exile or imprisonment and acts as an authoritative source on matters of free expression. Through a range of community activities it promotes the written word in all its forms as a way to understanding and the free transmission of ideas.
David Malouf, a member of Sydney PEN's writer's advisory panel, explains why he supports PEN:
'As a writer who has the freedom to write without fear or constraint and for whom silence is a choice, I would feel ashamed if I did not speak up for a writer anywhere on whom silence is enforced with all the terrible machinery of the state.'
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International PEN is more than a good idea; it deserves your action and ongoing support. You can actually make a difference by supporting the writers equipped to speak out through words and in print. |
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