‘Writers in a World at War’: PEN International’s 90th Congress in Oxford, UK
Image credit: Roberk Brooks & Wiktoria Bosc
Public events and initiatives during ‘Writers in a World at War’: PEN International’s 90th Congress in Oxford, UK
Oxford, UK – PEN International’s 90th Congress, themed ‘Writers in a World at War,’ will be held in Oxford from 24th to 27th September. Delegates from over 90 countries will gather against the backdrop of current global crises to discuss key questions, including the importance of the PEN Charter, explore literature's role ‘across frontiers’, and the future of PEN’s principles and solidarity mission.
PROGRAMME
24 September, 19:30 - 21:30, Blackwell Hall, Weston Library (Bodleian Libraries)
Opening Ceremony: Palestinian writer Adania Shibli will deliver the keynote address. Welcoming remarks by Burhan Sonmez (President of PEN International), Margaret Busby (President of English PEN), and Anthony Brewerton (Bodleian Libraries). The event, hosted by PEN International in partnership with English PEN, will be live-streamed on the Oxford University Vimeo channel and PEN International’s YouTube channel. Tickets are available to the public via Eventbrite.
25 September 10:00, online
Launch of EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE - The Challenges in Ensuring the Safety of Writers in Times of Crisis. PEN International will launch its learnings report, which highlights the difficulties in protecting writers during crises, focusing on emergency assistance and relocation efforts in Afghanistan, Belarus, Eritrea, Nicaragua, and other countries. The report underscores the growing threats to freedom of expression amidst global authoritarianism and calls for coordinated international protection for writers, who are often targeted by some of the same actors and for the same reasons as other at-risk groups, but operate without the same protections.
The urgent need for protection is sparking vital conversations, with many of those impacted joining PEN International’s 90th Congress for these discussions, including writers Samay Hamed (PEN Afghanistan President), Marko Vidojković (Serbia), Gioconda Belli (PEN Nicaragua), Awet Fissehaye (Executive Director of PEN Eritrea in Exile), and Taciana Niadbaj (PEN Belarus President).
25 September, 19:00 - 20:30, Headley Lecture Theatre, Ashmolean Museum
Power, privilege and equity of expression: ways of practicing global solidarity. Journalist Nedim Türfent, investigative filmmaker Mahi Ramakrishnan, and writer Gioconda Belli will discuss relationships between power and freedom, how global inequalities shape the free expression landscape, and how to foster equity through solidarity. The event, chaired by writer and filmmaker, Juliet Jacques, is hosted by English PEN in partnership with PEN International.
Tickets for in-person attendance and the Zoom Webinar live-stream are available via Eventbrite.
26 September, 19:00 - 20:30, Headley Lecture Theatre, Ashmolean Museum
Why the right to protest is a free expression issue. This panel, featuring writer Hanna Komar, academic and activist Miyo Peck-Suzuki, activist and filmmaker Sanaa Seif, and legal academic David Mead, chaired by Director of English PEN Daniel Gorman, will examine UK and global responses to protests, the state of free expression, and the paradox of ‘peaceful protest’. Hosted by English PEN in partnership with PEN International.
Tickets for in-person attendance and the Zoom Webinar live-stream are available via Eventbrite.
Note to Editors:
For media inquiries about the Opening Ceremony and PEN International Emergency Assistance report, or to arrange interviews with Sonmez, Brewerton, Busby, Belli, Hamed, Vidojković, Fissehaye or Niadbaj, please contact Sabrina Tucci, PEN International Communications and Campaigns Manager, at Sabrina.Tucci@pen-international.org
For media inquiries about English PEN events, please contact Sim Eldem, Head of Communications at English PEN, sim@englishpen.org
About PEN International’s 90th Congress
PEN International’s 90th Congress will:
Reaffirm the universal value of free expression as enshrined in the PEN Charter. In a world increasingly divided by political repression, misinformation, and global crises, literature and dialogue must remain unbounded.
Collaborate with writers on global challenges. Explore how writers can address global issues such as climate change, conflict, and systemic injustice, and seek to balance creative expression with activism, engaging both emerging and established authors in these critical conversations.
Navigate equity and free expression. Examine how power dynamics affect access to voice and representation, and discuss strategies for championing justice and protecting marginalised voices.
About PEN International
PEN International is the foremost and largest association of writers which stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression around the world. Founded in London in 1921, PEN International – PEN’s Secretariat – connects an international community of writers. PEN operates across five continents through over 130 Centres in over 90 countries. It is a forum where writers meet freely to discuss their work; it is also a voice speaking out for writers silenced in their own countries. https://www.pen-international.org/
About English PEN
English PEN is one of the world's oldest human rights organisations and the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers’ association with 130 centres in more than 90 countries. The charity works to promote literature and to defend freedom of expression in the UK and internationally. www.englishpen.org
