Recognizing the vital role of booksellers in a thriving literary community, PEN Center USA has created an affordable annual membership for any person able to prove current employment through a bookstore, distributor or publishing house. While the rewards of PEN Center USA membership start with the knowledge that you are helping to free imprisoned writers around the world and to defend the First Amendment, you will also receive exclusive benefits and privileges within the literary community. Bookseller members of PEN Center USA can:

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

Student membership is open to anyone who supports the work of PEN Center USA and is currently enrolled in an
educational institution. While the rewards of PEN Center USA membership start with the knowledge that you are
helping to free imprisoned writers around the world and to defend the First Amendment, you will also receive
exclusive benefits and privileges within the literary community. Student members of PEN Center USA can:

Patron membership is open to anyone who supports the work of PEN Center USA. While the rewards of PEN Center USA membership start with the knowledge that you are helping to free imprisoned writers around the world and to defend the First Amendment, you will also receive exclusive benefits and privileges within the literary community. Patron members of PEN Center USA can:

Professional membership in PEN Center USA is open to professional writers, journalists, editors and translators who have a professionally published body of work. While the rewards of PEN Center 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 membership. As a member of PEN Center USA, you will receive exclusive benefits and privileges. Professional members of PEN Center USA can:

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If your membership has lapsed or is due to lapse soon, click below to download a renewal form for your level of membership. If you have questions about the status of your membership, please email membership@penusa.org or call (323) 424-4939. Information and instructions for renewing are listed on the renewal forms.

Becoming a Professional Member

Professional membership in PEN Center USA is open to professional writers, including poets, novelists, playwrights, journalists, editors and translators as well as writers for film and television, who have a professionally produced or published body of work.

Please read an important update about membership categories here.

PEN Center USA’s membership consists of over six hundred published and produced writers (Professional members)—novelists, journalists, poets, translators, playwrights, screen- and television-writers, and writers from academia.