What can writers and publishers do when cultural and political divides make public debate harder?
On the DAY OF THE IMPRISONED WRITER, PEN Perth has invited publisher and cultural leader Louise Adler AM for a conversation with South African–Australian author and activist Sisonke Msimang.
VENUE: State Library Theatre, Perth
DATE/TIME: Thursday, 12 November 2026, 6–7 pm
Writing and Publishing Across Cultural Fault Lines will consider the pressures facing writers, publishers and readers in a polarised society. Adler and Msimang will discuss whose voices enter the public conversation, how publishers make difficult decisions, and how writers can retain the freedom to challenge and provoke.
Louise Adler was CEO of Melbourne University Publishing for 17 years, and for more than 40 years has held senior roles in Australian publishing and literary institutions, including as Director of Adelaide Writers’ Week.
Sisonke Msimang writes about race, gender, democracy and belonging and is the author of Always Another Country and The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela.
We are living in dark times where autocrats and rapacious tech overlords collude to manipulate us, stifle our collective instinct for empathy and render us passive. We turn to writers for truth, for insight and for understanding. And so, it is incumbent upon all of us to defend writers and to honour their work.
— Louise Adler
Conversations across political and cultural lines have never been more important. As a writer who was shaped by apartheid in South Africa, I have a profound appreciation for the role of the writer and the power of the book — at their best, both challenge orthodoxies and make us more human.
— Sisonke Msimang
The Day of the Imprisoned Writer draws attention to writers who face imprisonment and persecution for their work. The Perth event invites audiences to consider how writing and publishing can keep lines of communication open across difficult debates.
Presented by PEN Perth. Supported by the School of Humanities at the University of Western Australia and Centre for Stories, with the State Library of Western Australia as venue partner.