If you haven’t already guessed by the title, the P stands for period. So if the very concept of a period leaves you feeling uneasy, put off or disgusted, then this blog is most definitely for you. ‘Did she just say the P-word?’ My first period arrived one beautiful summer day. The summer before I […]

Following the PEN International and ICORN conference in Lillehammer, Scottish PEN board member, Jane Archer shares her thoughts on the profound and necessary gathering to defend free expression

The work of Scottish PEN’s Writers in Prison Committee (WIPC) is often more frustrating than satisfying. We campaign on behalf of imprisoned and persecuted writers, many of whom have been jailed for talking about their governments in much the same way that many of us rage about David Cameron’s old Etonian Cabinet or the bedroom tax or Tony Blair’s promotion of war. […]