Congress

The International PEN Congress is the annual gathering of PEN Centres from around the world. In legal terms, it is the annual general meeting of the London headquarters, but the role it plays in strengthening the community of writers and celebrating the literature of the host region is of equal significance.

The Congress has an annual theme and includes the Assembly of Delegates, meetings of the standing committees of International PEN and a literary programme. The Assembly of Delegates is composed of representatives of all PEN Centres who debate and vote on the issues fundamental to the governance and strategic direction of the organisation. The Assembly decides matters such as the election of the Board of Trustees of International PEN, their elected representatives who oversee the management of the organisation by the Secretariat between Congresses. Committee meetings include those of the Translation and Linguistic Rights Committee, Writers for Peace Committee, Writers in Prison Committee, Women Writers’ Committee and the Exile Network. The literary programme is commonly an opportunity to celebrate the work of great writers from the host Centre.

Each year a different Centre hosts the Congress in partnership with International PEN. The staging of a Congress is a significant undertaking, which requires several years of planning and development. Centres interested in staging a Congress should contact the Secretariat to develop an understanding of the responsibilities involved and to develop an outline proposal, which must be endorsed as viable by the Board, before it can be presented to the Assembly to vote on.