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A Taste of Home for Narges Mohammadi
We are relieved that imprisoned Iranian writer and activist Narges Mohammadi is home for a temporary reprieve to recover from a recent complicated knee surgery. After returning home, Mohammadi, PEN America’s 2023 Freedom to Write Awardee, was able to speak to the committee that awarded her the Nobel Peace Prize and to her children on a video call for the first time in almost three years. In a video call yesterday, Narges thanked PEN America and our partners for our efforts securing her freedom, and emphasized the importance of international solidarity on her behalf while she has been in prison. We are urging a lengthier medical furlough as a next step.
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In Georgia, Writers Are on the Front Lines
As demonstrations in support of democracy, free expression, and human rights continue in the country of Georgia, writers find themselves playing a critical role. The following essay by poet Paata Shamugia , former president of PEN Georgia, provides a writer’s valuable perspective on the struggle ahead and the importance of solidarity.
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Preserving Independent Journalism from Late '90s Russia
Explore the first-ever digital archive of Russian magazine Itogi , an influential political weekly first published 1996 in partnership with Newsweek. Surviving only in print until digitized by the Russian Independent Media Archive (RIMA) [[link removed]] in collaboration with the Internet Archive, Itogi's archives [[link removed]] offer a glimpse into a key turning point in Russian history--from the wars in Chechnya to Vladimir Putin's rise to power--in what RIMA co-founder and journalist Anna Nemzer called "the faint terminal stage of Russian democracy."
Explore the Itogi [[link removed]] archive on RIMA [[link removed]] >>
Member Spotlight
This week’s Member Spotlight features Orpheus and Eurydice in New York [[link removed]] by PEN America Member Olena Boryshpolets, who fled her native Ukraine during the Russian invasion. Within each poem are simple, sometimes everyday things that keep a peaceful person on their land when enemy Russian shells are flying overhead. Boryshpolets’s bilingual poems are full of light, color, and love. [link removed] [[link removed]]
Check out Orpheus and Eurydice in New York >> [[link removed]]
View 2024 publications by PEN America Members here >> [[link removed]]
PEN America Reads
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The PEN Ten Interviews
In our latest PEN Ten interviews, award-winning Nigerian American journalist Rita Omokha spoke about her debut book, Resist: How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America , which chronicles the inspiring stories of young Black activists in the United States, and PEN/Bellwether prizewinner Fabienne Josaphat discussed the journey of belonging, freedom, and revolution in her newest novel Kingdom of No Tomorrow.
Read the Interviews >> [[link removed]]
Essential Aid for Writers
PEN America’s U.S. Writers Aid Initiative , part of the PEN America Writers Emergency Fund, offers grants for writers in the United States facing acute financial need following an emergency situation. Visit the application page for more information and to view full eligibility guidelines. The deadline to apply is January 10.
Apply today >> [[link removed]]
PEN America Events
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Thu. December 12, 2024
8:00 PM ET
Online
Join us for an evening of poetry and community. The four poets of the inaugural cohort of PEN Across America’s Poets Across Lines — Arlo Pate and Kevin L. Tarver in Birmingham and Kevin Sanchez and RuthAnn in Tucson – will read poems created during the program. The poems center around the themes of housing, immigration, and LGBTQIA+ identity, amplifying poets from communities underserved by the traditional literary establishment. Program mentors Erika Wade and Gabriel Dozal , and advisors Salaam Green and Ofelia Montelongo will give introductions and readings.
Register here >> [[link removed]]
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Fri. December 13, 2024
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Online
When and how should journalists react when they experience digital harassment? What legal tools are available to newsrooms and independent journalists when dealing with online threats? And what are the tangible ways to prepare for such attacks before they happen?
Join the National Press Club Journalism Institute for a free webinar covering:
* How to recognize the types of online harassment journalists face most often
* When to ignore online harassment and when to take action
* What to do when online harassment crosses into illegal territory
* Steps you can take right now to help protect your digital presence
Register here >> [[link removed]]
PEN America in the News
* Freedom to Read Program Director Kasey Meehan applauded the signing of New Jersey’s Freedom to Read Act by governor Phil Murphy. ( Publishing Perspectives [[link removed]] )


* Free Expression Programs Manager Henry Hicks wrote about his work bolstering resilience against disinformation, exploring how each of us can help family and friends resist the disturbing pull of disinformation online. ( Miami Herald [[link removed]] )


* Florida Senior Director Katie Blankenship explained our research, saying book bans in Florida are “no hoax.” ( WFLA [[link removed]] )


* Freedom to Learn Program Director Jeremy C. Young spoke about a climate of fear among university leaders over the Trump administration’s opposition to DEI initiatives. ( The Guardian [[link removed]] )


* Young , Freedom to Learn Senior Manager Amy Reid , and Florida Program Coordinator Sophia Brown spoke about the right-wing takeover of New College in Florida. Reid was among the faculty who left the college, and Brown is a graduate. ( In These Times [[link removed]] )


* Young raised concerns over proposed deletion of DEI from accreditation standards by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. ( Inside Higher Ed [[link removed]] )


* Madison Markham , Freedom to Read program assistant, joined a call for an end to the South Carolina Department of Education’s statewide book bans. ( Holy City Sinner [[link removed]] )
Quote of the Week
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“As history teaches us, change often begins when young people step up as torchbearers.”
— Rita Omokha
Trending on PEN America
Critically acclaimed author Ocean Vuong joined Freedom to Read Program Director Kasey Meehan for a recent panel discussion about the cost of defending books. "We are a country of contradictions, and it will never be smooth. It will never be easy. It will never be clear. But that is what literature affords us: complexity through dialogue." [link removed] [[link removed]]
[[link removed]] Check it out >> [[link removed]]
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