What is PEN Ukraine?

The International PEN Club was founded in 1921 in London at the initiative of writers John Galsworthy and Catherine Amy Dawson-Scott. Galsworthy became the organization's first president, and its first members included Herbert Wells, Bernard Shaw and Joseph Conrad.

PEN became one of the first international human rights organizations, as well as the first international writers' association. The main values of PEN are enshrined in its Charter, which was ratified in 1948. PEN opposes all forms of discrimination and restrictions on freedom of expression, promotes understanding between peoples, and protects the cultural heritage of mankind.

In the 21st century, PEN centers have stopped using the word "club" in their names, which indicates the closed nature of the organization. That is why today the correct names are International PEN and PEN Ukraine

Today, there are 146 national PEN centers in the world. The International PEN Headquarters, which coordinates and advises other centers, is located in London.

Priorities in the activities of national PEN centers can be determined by the cultural and political situation in a particular country.

Every autumn, the International PEN organizes a PEN Congress in one of the world's countries, bringing together leaders and members of other national PEN centers to re-elect international leadership and adopt PEN human rights resolutions. In 2017, the International PEN Congress was held for the first time in Ukraine (Lviv).

PEN Ukraine was founded in 1989 and accepted into the International PEN in 1990. The first president of PEN Ukraine was Mykola Vingranovsky (1989-1993), later the organization was headed by Yevhen Sverstyuk (1993-2010). In 2010, with the election of Myroslav Marynovych, a human rights activist and publicist, PEN Ukraine began to conduct systematic literary and human rights activities in Ukraine and abroad. In 2014, Mykola Ryabchuk was elected president of PEN Ukraine, and in December 2018, Andriy Kurkov was elected. In November 2022, Volodymyr Yermolenko became the president of PEN Ukraine.

Since the founding of PEN, when it included only writers, the circle of potential members of the organization has expanded. The main criteria for joining PEN are sharing the values of the organization listed in its Charter, and having the desire to engage in the development of literature and protect freedom of speech in Ukraine and worldwide. Therefore, PEN Ukraine today includes not only writers, but also human rights activists, translators, journalists, humanities scholars, publishers, cultural managers, playwrights, and screenwriters - a total of over 170 members.

According to the Statute of PEN Ukraine, the decision to admit new members is made by the Executive Board. Following their invitation, each new member must submit their bio- and bibliography, a letter of motivation, and two recommendations from other full members of PEN Ukraine. The final decision of the accession of new authors is made by all PEN members.

You can inform about your wish to join PEN Ukraine at ukraine.pen@gmail.com, sending also your bio- and bibliography

The activities of PEN Ukraine are aimed primarily at protecting freedom of speech and copyright, promoting the development of literature and international cultural cooperation. PEN in Ukraine organizes human rights campaigns, initiates the writing of open letters and appeals related to the violation of the rights and freedoms of authors. In addition, PEN Ukraine is the founder or a co-founder of four annual awards: the Yuri Shevelyov Prize for the best Ukrainian essay book; the Vasyl Stus Prize for authors’ special contribution to Ukrainian culture and persistence of public stance; the Drahomán Prize for translators from Ukrainian into world languages; the George Gongadze Prize for Ukrainian journalists. PEN Ukraine also established Kharkiv Literary Residency, PEN Center Discussion Club, Lacework project; it organizes the annual Regional Meeting of PEN Centers in Ukraine, Propysy ("Practice Writing") Workshop Festival for beginning authors, Essays Days Festival etc.

Every year, on November 15, Pen Ukraine conducts international events and informational campaigns timed to the Day of the Imprisoned Writer (Empty Chairs Day).

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the organization had to redesign its main priorities which became:

• Informing international audiences about Russia’s war against Ukraine
• Documenting Russia’s crimes against Ukrainian media and culture
• Preserving the memory of Ukrainian journalists and cultural activists taken away by the war
• Documenting the experiences of the people of Ukraine at a time of the full-scale war​
• ​​​​​ Restoration of cultural life in Ukraine
• Support of Russia-damaged Ukrainian libraries

PEN Ukraine’s newest initiative – literary volunteering trips to frontline and liberated territories of Ukraine – started in June 2022. Each month, Ukrainian and foreign authors join every trip.

Within the Unbreakable Libraries program, PEN Ukraine collects and sends hundreds of books in Ukrainian language to libraries. In 2023, PEN received 25,000 new books in the English language for Ukrainian libraries from the Book Aid International foundation.

In November 2022, PEN initiated the program In Solidarity With Ukraine to regularly host authors from Europe, Asia, America, and Africa.

In summer 2022, PEN Ukraine Space was opened in Kyiv. There, discussions, presentations, poetry readings, literary and music home performances, cinema screenings, and exhibitions take place weekly, including monthly meetings of DocuDays Film Club and PEN Book Club.

Since February 24, 2022, PEN Ukraine has been tracking the list of losses among Ukrainian media workers and cultural activists taken away by Russia’s war against Ukraine.

PEN Ukraine Library series is one more organization’s long-lasting project. It includes books published with PEN Ukraine’s organizational or curatorial support, especially such as I Am Transforming… Diary of the Occupation. Selected Poetry by Volodymyr Vakulenko-K., Amidst Sirens: New Poetry of the War, Words and Bullets, Dialogues on War etc.

Among the initiatives launched by PEN Ukraine after February 24, 2022, there are also The Free Voices of Crimea, People of Culture Taken Away By the War, REQUIEM, Proper Names etc.

No, PEN Ukraine does not publish nor translate books. Yet the organization supports translation activities and launches particular translation projects. Thus, in 2018, together with the Renaissance Foundation, PEN Ukraine announced a program of mini-grants PEN Ukraine Translation Fund Grants, which supported the translation of a short story book of Oleg Sentsov in English, German, and Polish. PEN does not publish its own books, but gives the stamp "PEN Ukraine Library" to works published with its organizational or curatorial support.

PEN Ukraine is a non-profit organization that exists through the contributions of its members and the support of individual donors and grantors.

The main criterion for joining PEN is not the number of published books, nor even the recommendations of colleagues, but a statement in which the future member of the organization promises to adhere to the principles listed in the PEN Charter. By joining PEN, its members undertake to do everything possible to develop literature and resist all forms of oppression of freedom of speech and expression in Ukraine and worldwide. The main question at PEN is "What can I do for others?", not "What can PEN do for me?" Therefore, unlike other professional organizations, PEN is based primarily on common values.