We have all watched in horror the suffering of those affected by Hurricane Katrina and the tragic delays in relief efforts. It is our hope that PEN can effectively channel our collective outrage and also provide some financial aid for those writers, translators, editors and agents most in need.

PEN has organized two ways in which members can respond. First, the PEN Writers' Fund has earmarked an initial amount of $15,000 to provide immediate emergency grants of up to $500 to literary professionals from the affected areas with urgent needs. We seek your help in identifying and locating persons who might benefit from such grants, and we also invite your contributions of additional amounts that could augment the size of this fund. We have been heartened by the outpouring of support and sympathy we have already received from PEN centers and their members in a number of other countries and expect that this will result in donations. The need is, of course, very great and will be ongoing over the months to come as those affected begin to rebuild their lives. Your generosity will help ensure that PEN can help our colleagues now and months from now. Feel free either to pass names and contact information along to us or to direct victims to our web site, where instructions and an application form can be found. Approval time for grants of up to $500 has been shortened to a few days. You may also donate to the PEN Writers' Fund on our web site. Questions about the PEN Writers' Fund may be addressed to Andrew Proctor, Membership Manager.

We also invite you to contribute to the PEN Members Speak Out section of our web site. Previously devoted to featuring published work by members on issues related to the Core Freedoms Campaign, the upsurge of articles, essays, and reactions published in recent weeks suggests the need for a special edition of PEN Members Speak Out devoted to this domestic emergency. By collecting these pieces in one place it is our hope that each voice will amplify the others. To submit a published piece, contact Bridget Cross, Communications Associate.

Sincerely,

Salman Rushdie                                  A. M. Homes
President                                           Chair, PEN Writers' Fund