Bristol Student PEN is Bristol’s only branch of the charity English PEN which campaigns for the freedom to write and the freedom to read.
We campaign to defend writers and readers in the UK and around the world whose human right to freedom of expression is threatened.
Our primary focus is on writers at risk: bloggers, journalists, poets, and novelists across the globe, who have been prosecuted or are in danger as a result of their work. We work to raise international awareness of their unjust treatment and apply pressure on the governments responsible. We achieve this via public demonstrations and campaigns, writing letters of appeal to the offending authorities and letters of support to the writers and their responsibilities.
Our meetings vary between letter writing, screenings of banned films and discussions on issues surrounding the right to freedom of expression. Other events include activities such as a fundraising pub quiz, empty chair readings of banned work and demonstrations for writers at risk.
Find us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BristolPEN
Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/BristolPEN/