You are not alone – 100 years of PEN International
A series of podcasts produced by ABC Radio National
Writers go to prison for the courageous pursuit of their craft and PEN has been working for decades to get them out. In this six part series Melbourne writer Arnold Zable tells the story of PEN International – from its creation out of the scars of World War 1 to bring societies together through their literature, to its growing human rights work across the globe, protecting freedom of speech and supporting imprisoned writers.
Spread across two separate programs/podcast feeds this series celebrates the idea that literature has no frontiers.
The History Listen – The history of PEN International – Including the voices of Margaret Atwood, John Ralston Saul and many others it tells the story of PEN’s work through World War 2 to today.
On the radio Tues 7 Sept 11am or online now
The History Listen – The history of PEN in Australia – From advocating for asylum seeking writers detained on our own shores to sending letters to writers imprisoned around the world.
On the radio Tues 14 Sept 11am or online 10 Sept
Earshot – Uyghur poets – Writers are disappearing into Chinese run detention camps – On the radio Sat 18 Sept 2pm or online Tues 14 Sept
Earshot – Ma Thida – Writer, meditator and prisoner of conscience in Myanmar – On the radio Sat 25 Sept 2pm or online Tues 21 Sept
Earshot – Stella Nyanzi – A Ugandan poet who dares to speak truth to power – On the radio Sat 2 Oct 2pm or online Tues 28 Sept
Earshot – Turkish writers – A country where free speech is gravely imperilled – On the radio Sat 9 Sept 2pm or online Tues 5 Sept
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People say that (writers) are pretty powerless: we don’t have an army, we don’t have a bureaucracy. But if that were true, then why would writers be arrested?... Because the spoken word is powerful.
