PEN USA

PEN is an international organization of professional writers founded in 1921 by Catherine Glasworthy Scott, Joseph Conrad, John Glasworthy and George Bernard Shaw to foster understanding among men and women of letters in all countries. Members of PEN work for freedom of expression wherever it is endangered. Today, PEN is composed of 141 centers, with a total membership of 15,000. PEN USA center strives to promote and defend freedom of expression nationally and internationally, to stimulate interest in the written word, and to foster a sense of community among the diverse writers living in the western U.S.