PEN Oakland

PEN Oakland is a branch of PEN, an international literary and human rights organization.[1] PEN Oakland was founded in 1989[2] by Ishmael Reed and co-founders Floyd Salas, Claire Ortalda and Reginald Lockett. PEN Oakland annually sponsors the PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award,[3] named for the late poet and faculty member of U.C. Berkeley’s English Department. The award honors well-known and emerging Bay Area and international authors for excellence in multicultural literature.[4] Past and present PEN Oakland board members include: Ishmael Reed, Floyd Salas, Robert Mailer Anderson, Tony R. Rodriguez, Lucha Corpi, John Curl, Elmaz Abinader, Al Young, Jack Foley (poet), Kim Addonizio, Opal Palmer Adisa, Gerald Nicosia, Ntozake Shange, Lucille Lang Day and Gary Soto.[5] PEN Oakland is based in Oakland, CA.[6][7]