English PEN Writers at Risk Residency

Since 2022, the Goethe-Institut London and English PEN have been cooperating in a residency programme for international authors. As part of the Writers at Risk programme, we facilitate residencies that provide time, space and financial support for participants to recover and work on their own projects. We also support further writing residencies that are part of English PEN's literary programmes.

The residency is aimed at writers who are facing major challenges in their home countries and offers them a supportive environment for reflection, creativity and a break from everyday life. The partnership has already welcomed two international writers to London.

English PEN is one of the world's oldest human rights organisations and the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers’ association with 130 centres in more than 90 countries. The charity works to promote literature and to defend freedom of expression in the UK and internationally.
 

Founded in 1960, English PEN’s Writers at Risk Programme is one of the world’s longest running campaigns for freedom of expression. We campaign on behalf of writers, literary professionals, journalists, artists, cartoonists and musicians who are unjustly persecuted, harassed, imprisoned, and even murdered in violation of their right to freedom of expression. We strive to raise awareness and the funds to support them – from sending appeal letters to the relevant authorities to writing messages of solidarity and staging fundraisers, vigils and events.