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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 the PEN World Voices 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
• a subscription to the PEN annual report
When you become a Member of PEN, you join over 3,300 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. 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.
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