Writing of Witness
US-Mexican writer Jennifer Clement’s work spans not only nationalities and territories but genres, including novels, memoir and poetry. Her award-winning novels of witness— A True Story Based on Lies, Prayers for the Stolen and Gun Love— are all based on years of research into the mistreatment of servants in Mexico, the stealing of girls in Guerrero, the trafficking of US guns into Mexico and Central America, and gun violence. Her memoir, The Promised Party: Kahlo, Basquiat & Me, has just been published on both sides of the Atlantic.
With fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, among others, and residencies from MacDowell, the Hermitage and Santa Maddalena, Clement is also known for her work in human rights. As President of PEN Mexico, she was instrumental in changing the law to make killing a journalist a federal crime. Under her subsequent leadership as President of PEN International, the groundbreaking PEN International Women’s Manifesto and The Democracy of the Imagination Manifesto were created. Most recently, she received the 2023 Freedom of Expression Honorary Title on World Press Day from the Brussels University Alliance VUB and ULB, in partnership with the European Commission, the European Endowment for Democracy and UNESCO.
Jennifer Clement lives between Mexico City and San Miguel de Allende.