Sydney PEN Young Writers

In September 2006, Sydney PEN set up 'Sydney PEN Young Writers' to support young Australian writers and to ensure that young people are involved in PEN's work. Members included Bonny Cassidy, Nick Landreth, Alli Barnard, Hugo Bowne-Anderson and Richard Renshaw. The group represented Sydney PEN at the International PEN’s annual congress 2007, the SMSA Civil Liberties Freedom of Speech seminar, National Young Writers’ Festival, and the City of Sydney/Pine Street Centre Creative Industries talks. They also took opportunities to spread awareness of PEN at the Sydney Writers’ Festival and Tom Collins House writers’ residence, as well as assisting with organization of Sydney PEN events such as the successful “3 Writers” events commissioned in 2007.


The Young Writers committee finished in 2008, however Sydney PEN remains interested in attracting younger members and audiences who have an interest in non-profit volunteering and activism. We are looking for younger members of Sydney PEN to volunteer for flyer-dropping and assisting with future live events. If you’ve friends in other states, let them know that they can join Sydney PEN Centre too. We are also looking for societies, groups and collectives who feel that their members would be interested in learning more about PEN. This year we have appeared at the National Young Writers' Festival and the University of Sydney Verge Arts Festival. Members of Sydney PEN's Management Committee, which include younger writers and academics, are pleased to attend meetings, panels or talks where we can represent Sydney PEN and encourage awareness of its work.

Inquiries may be made to the PEN office on 1300 364 997 or sydney@pen.org.au  
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Sydney PEN at National Young Writers

Sydney PEN at National Young Writers Festival 1 October

Shooting the messenger From Iran to Afghanistan and back to our own shores, censorship, resistance, dissenting voices, persecution: hear first-hand accounts from refugee writers, social activists and experts on the ways in which governments inhibit our most basic human right, freedom of speech.  Presented by Sydney PEN and chaired by Hugo Bowne-Anderson, this discussion features authors Abdul Hekmat,  Mohsen Soltany Zand, Sarah Maddison, Zanny Begg who have experienced direct censorship. It looks at the current state of press freedom both internationally and closer to home, and what happens to dissenting voices in Australia.  2007 National Young Writers Festival 27 Sept-1 Oct: visit www.nywf.org.au  for full details.

Sydney PEN presented a session on 30 September 2006 at the 2006 National Young Writers’ Festival, held in Newcastle from 28 September to 2 October 2006 as apart of the This is Not Art Festival.

The NYWF is Australia's largest gathering of young and innovative writers who are working in traditional and contemporary forms of writing.  Visit www.nywf.org.au for full details.

PEN's session featured Ivor Indyk, Martin Harrison and Miri Jassy, and was followed by a masterclass, also presented by PEN,  led by Ivor Indyk and Martin Harrison to workshop innovative writing with publication potential. Click here for further details.  Chair of the Young Writers , Jeff Errington, organised a PEN stall at the Zine Fair at the This is Not Art Festival on 1 October 2006/