Continuing our Amplify Black Voices series, Mario Relich, Trustee of Scottish PEN and member of the Writers for Peace Committee, shares a profile of Amercian writer Ralph Ellison and his famous essay collection, Shadow and Act.

Karen Campbell, James Robertson and Helen Boden first published these pieces as part of the Declarations on Freedom for Writers and Readers project. We hope you enjoy reading them here.

As part of our Amplify Black Voices series, Caroline Whitham, Finance & Administration Worker at
Scottish PEN, shares her reading recommendations.

Scottish PEN Writers for Peace Committee has been invited to participate in the campaign for the release of imprisoned Kurdish writer Ilhan Sami Comak (pr. Chomak). PEN members are encouraged to use the campaign booklet and resources below to support Ilhan’s fight for justice.

Caroline Stockford shares a long-read essay and poetry outlining her work to support poet Ilhan Sami Çomak, who has been imprisoned in Turkey for 26 years.

Gary Younge is an award-winning author, broadcaster and academic whose work serves as a great jumping-off point and deep dive into matters of race in Britain, the United States and beyond, as well as delving into a range of subjects that include knife crime, gay marriage and Brexit.

On Thursday 23rd July 2020, Scottish PEN sent the following letter to Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India and the High Commission of India, in support of imprisoned writer, Varavara Rao.

Scottish PEN has submitted a response to the Scottish Parliament Justice Committee’s call for views on the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill. While the implications of the Bill are varied, our response focuses on the rights of writers to express themselves freely and without fear.