AustLit

Australian PEN Centres is a national forum for the various PEN Centres and Branches around Australia. These comprise Melbourne PEN Centre, Sydney PEN Centre, Canberra PEN Centre, PEN Australia North and Perth PEN Centre. Australian PEN Centres are each part of the international PEN network.

'International PEN, the worldwide association of writers, was founded in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual cooperation among writers everywhere; to emphasise the role of literature in the development of mutual understanding and world culture; to fight for freedom of expression; and to act as a powerful voice on behalf of writers harassed, imprisoned and sometimes killed for their views. International PEN is a strictly non-political non-governmental organisation, and the only writers organisation in consultative relations with the United Nations (with Special Consultative Status with the conomic and Social Council of the UN and in formal consultative elations with UNESCO).'

(Source: Sydney PEN website, http://www.pen.org.au/index.php?category=Home)