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I am a PEN Member because in a profession practiced in isolation, it’s invigorating to be a contributing member to the larger community of writers. Because PEN’s activities support the fundamental right to free expression—to write one’s hopes, dreams, desires, and fears. Because there is good comfort in the company of fellow travelers.
—A. M. Homes |
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For me, PEN has always meant a welcome escape from the enforced solitude of a writer's life and the solipsism that all too often goes with the territory. I think it's critical for writers to be invested, not just in a career, but in a larger literary community, and PEN remains the best and quickest path for doing that. It also transcends national boundaries at a time when we are often estranged from the rest of the world; no other literary organization, to my mind, so effectively bridges that cultural chasm. —Ron Chernow |
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When you sign up for Membership in PEN, you join over 3,000 of this country’s most distinguished writers, translators, and editors as part of a global community of literary professionals from more than a hundred nations. Your membership provides vital support in our work to advance literature, defend free expression, and foster international literary fellowship.
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Membership
>> Download an application form
The standard qualification to become a Member of PEN is publication of two or more books of a literary character or one book of exceptional distinction (i.e. winning a major national prize). Also eligible for Membership: editors who have demonstrated commitment to excellence in their profession (usually construed as five years' service in book editing); translators who have published at least two book-length literary translations; playwrights who have had two productions of their work mounted in professional theaters of 250 seats or more; and literary essayists whose publications are extensive even if they have not yet been issued as a book.
Member benefits include:
• a subscription to PEN America, our award-winning journal
• access to medical insurance at group rates (not available in all states)
• use of our web site's e-bulletin boards: Member News, Events, and Publications
• discounts to our ticketed public programs, including PEN World Voices: The New York Festival of International Literature
• invitations to exclusive Member-only receptions including the PEN awards ceremony at Lincoln Center
• reciprocal privileges in PEN American Center branches and in foreign PEN Centers for those traveling abroad
• discounted access to the online database Grants and Awards Available to American Writers, the most comprehensive directory of its kind
• subscription to the PEN annual report
Members participate in the work of PEN by sitting on committees, conducting campaigns, and writing letters in connection with freedom-of-expression cases, participating in programs that bring literature into underserved communities, and judging PEN literary awards.
Annual dues are $100.
Candidates for Membership may apply using the application form found on this page. Current PEN Members may nominate a Member online.
For more information, please contact Andrew Proctor, Membership Director:
(212) 334-1660, ext. 101
aproctor@pen.org
>> Download an application form
>> A note on Membership dues
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Associate Membership
>> Become an Associate Member today
Associate Membership is open to everyone who supports PEN's mission and provides a vital base of volunteers for PEN's programs and campaigns.
Benefits include:
• a subscription to PEN America, our award-winning biannual journal
• discounts to our public programs, including PEN World Voices: The New York Festival of International Literature
• select invitations to exclusive Member-only receptions
• discounted access to the online database Grants and Awards Available to American Writers, the most comprehensive directory of its kind
• access to the Associate Member Exchange, an e-bulletin board on the PEN web site where Members can share links, blogs, and homepages.
Annual dues are $40 ($20 for students).
>> Become an Associate Member today
Please note: Associate Membership is a nonvoting category of Membership and does not qualify for health insurance. Due to high international postal rates, we cannot send postal mail or the PEN America Journal to Associate Members living outside of the U.S.
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