Day of the Imprisoned Writer

November 15 · Level 5 · #1166 of 2238

This day stands up for writers, poets and journalists who are jailed or persecuted for what they have written. It is run by the writers' organisation PEN International, as a reminder that free speech depends on real people who pay a real price for it.

How it is celebrated: PEN centres around the world hold public readings of work by imprisoned authors, write letters of support and call for their release. Organisers usually name specific writers, so the cause has faces and not just statistics.

The name PEN originally stood for Poets, Essayists, Novelists. The organisation was founded in London in 1921.

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