Over the last few months, college and university presidents have been given an Ivy League-quality education in jawboning. Hauled before congressional committees, leaders from some of the country’s most prestigious institutions have been publicly harangued over allegations of antisemitism on campus and their own responses to pro-Palestinian protests. Some resigned shortly thereafter. Others were propelled into disaster. Jeffrey Adam Sachs and Jeremy C. Young write that regardless of where one stands on these presidents and their decisions, we are witnessing the power of the bully pulpit.
The Free Narges Coalition condemned an Iranian revolutionary court for sentencing Narges Mohammadi to an additional year of prison on charges of “propaganda activities against the state” and is calling for her immediate and unconditional release. PEN America recently joined with Reporters Without Borders, Front Line Defenders, and the Narges Mohammadi Foundation to form the coalition.
Indian authorities advanced their case against Booker Prize-winning writer Arundhati Roy for comments she made about Kashmir in 2010. “Given her significant international stature, the case against Roy highlights our deep concern for free speech in India, especially as Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins his third term leading the world’s largest democracy,” said Karin Karlekar, Director of Writers at Risk at PEN America.
This week’s Member Spotlight features Choices: The Life of A Turkish Journalist and Finding Freedom in Exile by PEN America Member Sevgi Akarçeşme. Choices paints a vivid portrait of life as a devout Muslim woman growing up in rigidly secular modern Türkiye. The former journalist and editor-in-chief of a leading newspaper offers the less-heard perspective of a young woman who navigated realms of power from the presidential palace to the faith-based Gülen movement and ultimately faced government persecution and exile. Akarçeşme uses her experiences and observations to illuminate universal themes, such as discrimination and pressure to conform, integrity and abuse of power, questions of identity and human rights, disappointment in leaders, and finding happiness.
Join the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Women’s Media Foundation, and PEN America for a free webinar series that will help journalists prepare for covering the upcoming U.S. general election and election-related events. The series will provide safety guidance on assessing risk, bolstering digital safety and online abuse defense, ensuring physical safety when covering rallies and protests, understanding the legal rights of journalists, and addressing psychological safety and mental health.
SESSION 5: JOURNALIST SAFETY COVERING THE ELECTION: PROTESTS, POLICING AND CROWDS
July 9, 2024 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm EST
This training, led by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), equips journalists with knowledge to safely cover election-related protests, civil unrest, and crowded events. The training will focus on physical safety and include information on situational awareness, assessing risk, dealing with aggression, police tactics, personal protective equipment, and protest management weaponry.
SESSION 6: PROTECTING MENTAL HEALTH IN THE FACE OF ONLINE AND OFFLINE ATTACKS
July 30, 2024 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm EST
In an election year where journalists are facing intense pressure, how do we find ways to sustain ourselves from collective burnout? IWMF Next Generation Safety Trainer Rosem Morton will discuss how trauma affects journalists in this webinar on navigating mental health and self-care. The IWMF will also present resources available for journalists, including A Mental Health Guide for Journalists Facing Online Violence released in 2022. This resource was created with the needs of journalists in mind by mental health professionals specialized in working in trauma and the media.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the entire state arts budget — nearly $32 million in funding — without explanation, a decision that will affect up to 577 arts programs and 33 facilities. “A state with an emaciated arts sphere, where books are already banned and classroom dialogue is stifled, is one that is in danger of abandoning freedom of expression altogether,” said Katie Blankenship, director of PEN America’s Florida office.
For our latest PEN Ten, PEN America’s Membership Engagement Manager, Aleah Gatto speaks with Marcela Fuentes debut novel, Malas (Viking, 2024). At times a Márquezian saga spanning generations of a family, at others a modern teen punk romance, the story follows two tenacious female characters who are constantly at odds with the norm. Suffused with prose that masterfully glides between two languages, Fuentes delivers a vivid tale about identity, revenge, and womanhood.
Two Russian women face up to seven years in prison for writing and staging a play that serves as an indictment of terrorism. (New York Times)
Three graduate students founded Carabiner Collections, a queer nonprofit in Texas that allows readers to borrow books ranging from self-help guides to children’s fiction. The organization is a vital resource amid increasing book bans. (Rewire)
‘War how it truly is’: 2017 PEN America Freedom to Write honoree Oleh Sentsov turns accidental footage into a film (The Guardian)
Ex-LATers Dean Baquet and Sewell Chan will join several other journalists to be judges for the new Peter F. Collier Award for Ethics in Journalism. (NYU)
“When your story is not told the way you want it told, then say something – and say it loud, and say it everywhere you can.”
-Edwin Robinson, Faith in Texas, at a PEN America event about building relationships with journalists covering your community.
TRENDING @ PENAMERICA
The Free Narges Coalition is calling on Iranian authorities to immediately cease prosecuting Narges Mohammadi for her peaceful expression and advocacy.
PEN America- New York:
120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271 PEN America- Washington, DC:
1100 13th Street, NW, Washington, DC xxxxxx PEN America- Los Angeles:
1370 N. Saint Andrews Place, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
