An excellent article in the Scotsman (April 19th 2007) called Writing the Wrongs, on PEN and imprisoned writers, and writers in exile here in Scotland, can be found below.
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/features.cfm?id=598992007
Information about Scottish PEN, recent activities and 80th anniversary
International PEN is a worldwide writers organization. Individual countries have their own PEN centres, and organize their own activities. Scottish PEN has been active since 1927, when it was founded by Hugh McDiarmid, Edwin Muir, Naomi Mitchison, Helen Cruikshank, and other leading writers. In 2005 we were delighted to be offered premises by City of Edinburgh Council and we now have a base in the Writers Museum from which to operate. All published writers in any genre, including academic and journalism, as well as editors and translators, are welcome to apply for membership.
Scottish PEN has a wide range of activities. As well as working to promote literature and Scotland’s writers, we uphold freedom of expression and particularly support and campaign for the release of writers imprisoned for expressing their beliefs and political convictions. We also work to support and encourage writers in exile, women writers, translation and linguistic rights and writers for peace.
Scottish PEN sends delegates to International PEN conferences and to its annual congress, which in 2006 was in the united Germany for the first time. Literary dialogues on the topic of women writers’ contribution to society took place with the French PEN centre in Paris.
The spring of 2006 saw a continuation of 2004’s ‘create:understand’, a second translation event where PEN members and Artists in Exile Glasgow collaborated on translations of AIEG writers resident in Scotland, writing in such diverse languages as Arabic, Farsi, Albanian, Italian and French. PEN members’ work was also translated from English into these languages. Resulting from the 2004 event, Survivors Press published the multi-lingual booklet ‘Exile’ and from the 2006 one, the multilingual pamphlet ‘Between’ was produced, as well as illustrated poemcards featuring all the AIEG members’ poetry.
At the Edinburgh Book Festival, in 2006, we invited James Meek to give our annual PEN lecture, which focussed on a writer imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay. The full text of this compelling lecture can be seen on our website. In association with the Edinburgh Bookfringe, an Alternative Arts Breakfast event was held in August 2006 , chaired by Mike Russell. Such fascinating speakers as Donald Smith of the Scottish Storytelling Centre, and Lesley Riddoch among others, provoked a lively debate in which the audience enthusiastically participated.
Scottish PEN’s innovative work in schools, the Penpower project, has been to the fore in 2006 with ten school visits under the Live Literature scheme dealing with the role of the writer in society, censorship, freedom of the expression and citizenship. Workshops were also held under the Edinburgh Book Festival schools programme.
Scottish PEN is working with others to enable Edinburgh to join the worldwide network of cities, known as Cities of Refuge, that provide asylum for exiled writers, often in emergency situations.
In November 2006 the annual Naomi Mitchison Memorial lecture was held in Glasgow, where Isobel Murray of Aberdeen University gave a fascinating talk on the work of Jessie Kesson and Naomi Mitchison.
Also in November 2006 the annual writers-in-prison day event was held in Glasgow in homage to Anna Politskayava.
And in the spring of 2008 Scottish PEN will host International PEN’s biennial Writers-in-prison conference in Glasgow.
The end of 2006 brought excellent news for Scottish PEN member Ayad Alhiatly. Ayad and his family have lived in Scotland since 2000 and have been waiting since then for a Home Office decision on their right to remain here. This was finally granted in November 2006, ending a long and difficult period in the lives of Ayad and his family. Ayad’s moving comments can be found on our website.
2007 marks Scottish PEN’s 80th anniversary.
To celebrate this event, a banner display giving information on Scottish PEN’s history and current involvements will be on display in different parts of the country. (for details and to view banner information and images see News/Noticeboard)
A CD featuring extracts of the work of twelve PEN writers – Border Crossings –is due for release. The CD, along with accompanying material on the selected writers, will be distributed to all secondary schools throughout Scotland.
For International Women’s day, on March 8th, Scottish PEN members read from their translations of women writers. The featured writers originate from such diverse places as, Catalonia, France, Italy, India, former East Germany, Scandinavia, Switzerland and Wales.
Three Scottish PEN members attended the Bled Writers for Peace Conference, March 28 – April 01. A report can be found on the relevant section of the website.
For further details and information on other events, please see our website.
www.scottishpen.org
Morelle Smith