22 March 2012
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Online projects promote freedom to write
Writers' charity English PEN has launched two new digital projects supporting freedom of expression in the UK and abroad ...
Writers' charity English PEN has launched two new digital projects supporting freedom of expression in the UK and abroad
The first project is a relaunch of the PEN Atlas, an initiative from English PEN's Writers in Translation Programme. International correspondents will post regular news and comment about the international literary scene. New articles will be posted each Thursday.
'The amount of foreign literature published in English is far too low. We hope the PEN Atlas will inspire literature lovers to sample new writing from other countries, and encourage publishers to bring that writing to the British market,' said Ros Schwartz, chair of Writers in Translation.
The second digital initiative is Freedom to Write: A Users' Guide, which will consist of 14 weekly articles on the rights and restrictions of free speech commissioned from human rights lawyer Martha Spurrier. It will deal with such issues as libel, privacy and the public interest. 'The UK has strong tradition of free speech, but unfortunately any author who wants to a stir up the staus quo or speak truth to power must first negotiate the complex areas of criminal and civil law relating to expression. Our new guide will help writers navigate the current law, so they can write what they want to write with confidence. We hope this will embolden writers to tell their story,' said Jonathan Heawood, director of English PEN.
Website: www.englishpen.org
The first project is a relaunch of the PEN Atlas, an initiative from English PEN's Writers in Translation Programme. International correspondents will post regular news and comment about the international literary scene. New articles will be posted each Thursday.
'The amount of foreign literature published in English is far too low. We hope the PEN Atlas will inspire literature lovers to sample new writing from other countries, and encourage publishers to bring that writing to the British market,' said Ros Schwartz, chair of Writers in Translation.
The second digital initiative is Freedom to Write: A Users' Guide, which will consist of 14 weekly articles on the rights and restrictions of free speech commissioned from human rights lawyer Martha Spurrier. It will deal with such issues as libel, privacy and the public interest. 'The UK has strong tradition of free speech, but unfortunately any author who wants to a stir up the staus quo or speak truth to power must first negotiate the complex areas of criminal and civil law relating to expression. Our new guide will help writers navigate the current law, so they can write what they want to write with confidence. We hope this will embolden writers to tell their story,' said Jonathan Heawood, director of English PEN.
Website: www.englishpen.org
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