English PEN is recruiting for a new Chair of Trustees to support us in our mission to protect and promote the freedom to write and the freedom to read in the UK and around the world.

English PEN is one of the world's oldest human rights organisations, championing the freedom to write and the freedom to read around the world. We are the founding centre of PEN International, a worldwide writers' association with 130 centres in more than 90 countries.

With the support of our members - a community of writers, readers, and activists - we exist to defend and campaign on behalf of writers, literary professionals, journalists, and artists who are unjustly persecuted, harassed, imprisoned, and even murdered in violation of their right to freedom of expression. We campaign to change legislation to best protect fundamental human rights in the UK, and we work to increase the plurality of writers being read and platformed in the UK.

We celebrate contemporary international writing through our online magazine, PEN Transmissions, and we award literary grants for translating new works into English.

We bring together outstanding writers, readers, and translators for unforgettable conversations and we celebrate courageous writing with our annual literary prizes.

We are looking for a new Chair of Trustees to take over from Ruth Borthwick who will step down in December 2026 after five years.