We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one of our great writers, Zoë Wicomb.

Read a piece about her work on Africa is a Country here: africasacountry.com/2017/03/the-...

(Our sincere apologies about a previous version of this post that erroneously referred to the piece as Wicomb’s)

If you would like your name to be added to our list of signatories, please email [email protected]

PEN South Africa wishes to express solidarity with, and admiration for, the courageous individuals who have joined the Global Sumud Flotilla.

24 hours left to support our campaign and help protect persecuted writers.

In 2025, threats to writers are more urgent than ever. Across the globe, voices are being silenced, and your support today can offer the protection they desperately need.

www.justgiving.com/campaign/sum...

#Ukraine: Citizen journalist & HRD Iryna Danylovych was abducted in Crimea in 2022 & sentenced to 7 years on fabricated charges. She’s faced torture & denied medical care, causing permanent hearing loss.

PEN International calls for her immediate release.

#EmptyChair #Congress25

#Mexico: At its International Congress in Krakow, PEN condemns the legal harassment of Penguin Random House in Mexico. This attack undermines books & their authors, setting a dangerous precedent for editorial freedom and free speech.

Read more ⬇️

www.facebook.com/peninternati...

Please join us this Thursday at 17.00 SAST for the last event in our ‘Writing in Troubled Times’ series. We will be in conversation with Tetyana Teren about Victoria Amelina’s posthumously published work, Looking at Women Looking at War. As always, RSVP at [email protected] for the Zoom link.

Leila Aboulela, one of the contributors to the upcoming Literary Sudans instalment of our ‘Writing in Troubled Times’ series, has recently won the PEN Pinter Prize for her “writing on migration, faith and the lives of women”. Congratulations, Leila!
www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...

Please join us this Thursday at 17:00 SAST for the penultimate instalment of our ‘Writing in Troubled Times’ series. This week we’ll be engaging with several contributors to Literary Sudans, an anthology edited by Bhakti Shringarpure. As always, RSVP for the Zoom link at [email protected]

The Jakes Gerwel Foundation presents the Brussels tot Karoo residency for Flemish and South African writers. The goal is to grant writers 3 weeks of uninterrupted time to work on a manuscript - in any genre. Please email [email protected] for more information, or apply at the link shown in the poster.

Please join us this coming Thursday at 17:00 SAST for our next instalment of our ‘Writing in Troubled Times’ series. Contributors to the anthology Insurgent Feminisms: Writing War - edited by Bhakti Shringarpure - will be reading their work. RSVP for the Zoom link at [email protected]

youtu.be/RXXTXQwMdew
Click the link to watch the preview of The Art of Exile, which we are screening at Bertha House this coming Wednesday at 17.00. As always, please RSVP at [email protected] to secure your place. Entrance is free!

Please join us this coming Wednesday at 17.00 for a screening of The Art of Exile by Dara Kell and Veena Rao. The screening will be hosted by Bertha House. Their address is 67 Main Road, Mowbray. Entrance is free.

Please join us virtually this Thursday for a conversation with Athol Williams! RSVP at [email protected] for the Zoom link.

Please join us tomorrow at 17:00 SAST for the second instalment of our Writing in Troubled Times series! C.A. Davids will be in conversation with Nathi Ngubane about his educational colouring books, From the River to the Sea and Malcolm X in Gaza. RSVP: [email protected]

Please join us this coming Tuesday at 17:00 SAST for the second instalment of our Writing in Troubled Times series! C.A. Davids will be in conversation with Nathi Ngubane ahout his educational colouring books, From the River to the Sea and Malcolm X in Gaza. RSVP: [email protected]

Please join us tomorrow evening for a reading in solidarity with Gaza; RSVP for the Zoom link at [email protected]