Sponsored by Ruth Maguire MSP and introduced by First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP

On November 15th, alongside PEN International and other PEN centres, Scottish PEN will mark the Day of the Imprisoned Writer by promoting literary culture, celebrating the freedom to write, and calling for justice and freedom for persecuted, imprisoned and murdered writers across the world. For many years, this day has been an annual opportunity for human rights defenders to speak out on behalf of writers at risk, to read their work and hold vigils in memory of those who have lost their lives.

In 2018, Scottish PEN and Amnesty International Scotland will bring together leading writers based in Scotland to read the work of at-risk or imprisoned writers around the globe to stand in solidarity with them and ensure their voices cannot be silenced. Reading the work, others want censored, is a powerful way to combat violence, imprisonment and censorship and we hope you will join us as we call for at-risk writers to be protected and celebrate the power and courage of the written word across the globe.

We are honoured that this year, the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon will join us for this important occasion and will give a short introduction to the event which will be followed by leading Scotland-based writers reading work of imprisoned or at-risk writers, who include Dr Claire Askew, Jenni Fagan, Nadine Aisha Jassat, Chitra Ramaswamy, James Robertson and Louise Welsh. We are delighted that Sara Sheridan will also chair this event.

This will be a powerful occasion to stand in solidarity with at-risk writers across the globe and defy those attempting to silence or censor the voices of writers, wherever they are.