A. L. Bardach
A. Scott Berg
Leo Braudy
William Broyles, Jr.
Sandra Cisneros
Sandra Dijkstra
Janet Fitch
Stephen Gaghan
Jonathan Kirsch
Eric Lax
Jack Miles
Michael Parks
Richard North Patterson
Kit Rachlis
Richard Reeves
Carolyn See
Mona Simpson
April Smith
Janet Sternburg
Scott Turow
Steve Wasserman

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About the Emerging Voices Rosenthal Fellowship Program

Emerging Voices is an intensive eight-month program for writers in the early stages of their literary careers. The program includes free classes at UCLA Extension Writers’ Program; a one-on-one mentorship with a professional writer; Q&A evenings with professional writers, publishers, editors, and agents; Master classes by genre with a published PEN author; Day-long work shops on various elements of publishing; a $1,000 stipend.  The program culminates with a public reading and reception.

While you may not be a published author yet, you can still support and become a vital part of a literary community. Benefits of Student membership include:

While you may not be a published author yet, you can still support and become a vital part of a literary community. Benefits of Associate membership include:

While the rewards of PEN USA membership start with the knowledge that you are helping to free imprisoned writers around the world and to defend the First Amendment, your writing career also directly benefits from your PEN USA membership. Benefits of Full membership include:

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Full
If your membership has lapsed or is due to lapse soon, click below to download a renewal form. If you have questions about the status of your membership, please email membership@penusa.org. Information and instructions for renewing can be found on the form.

Becoming a Full Member

Full membership in PEN USA is open to professional writers, journalists, editors and translators who have a professionally published body of work.

Anyone interested in becoming a Full member must submit an application in addition to a résumé of published work and the Full membership fee of $79. The membership committee meets to determine whether the writer is eligible for Full membership. Applications are accepted throughout the year.

Full membership form

PEN USA consists of over eight hundred published authors (Full members), as well as a number of burgeoning writers (Associate members), and students who support our mission (Student members). All members share a commitment to the betterment of the literary community and advocacy of the freedom of expression both internationally and domestically. The annual dues of membership, which vary by type, provide significant financial support that allows our members to carry out the work of PEN USA.

Sarah Balcomb holds a BA in Art History from Vassar College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University. Her short fiction has appeared in various literary journals in print and online. At PEN USA she helps coordinate a variety of programs and edits the biweekly newsletter electricPEN. A native New Yorker, Sarah is in exile in Los Angeles and loves it.