Hege Newth Nouri new Secretary General in Norwegian PEN
Press Release
Norwegian PEN hires new Secretary General
The Norwegian PEN board has engagedHege Newth Nouri as new Secretary General. She comes from the position as national coordinator for the Norwegian Cities of Refuge for Persecuted Writers and has worked for Norwegian PEN since November 2013. She succeeds Carl Morten Iversen who reaches the official Norwegian retirement age on 1. May 2015. Iversen will continue to work for Norwegian PEN in a reduced position.
Newth Nouri is educated in literature and creative writing and has a varied and extensive background as a writer, editor and project manager for various literary- and free expression related projects. She has worked for the Norwegian Forum for Freedom of Expression, with the censorship database «Beacon for Free Expression», as well as festival director for the literary festival Bjørnsonfestivalen in Molde, Norway, where she also served as coordinator for the visiting writers. Prior to working for Norwegian PEN she was engaged as secretary general of the Norwegian Library Association.
In her new position, the Secretary General will strengthen the efforts for freedom of speech in Norway at a time of major changes – from global and national commercialization, new political tensions and changed communication technology – to a new cultural diversity.
Hege Newth Nouri will officially assume the position on 4. May 2015.
Oslo, 15th December 2014
