As an organization of writers, readers, and those who believe that words can transform lives, PEN America is committed to the quest for common truths, social progress, and a more just world.Westand in solidaritywith writers, artists, and the literary community at large in the fight to confront anti-Black racism and to end police violence.
History has proven that interest in Black literature surges during periods of social unrest. But the canon of Black literature did not suddenly appear in these moments. Black literature is American literature. This week's reading list features a mix of classic and contemporary works from Black authors that we feel are in conversation with one another, inform one another, and celebrate one another. Read more »
This week, we spoke with The Washington Post's Karen Attiah about intersections between the public health crisis and our ongoing crises of democracy and injustice.
Episodes to revisit:
› Bernardine Evaristo, on creating "as many black British female protagonists as I could get away with” in her book, Girl, Woman, Other.
› M. NourbeSe Philip, who has written extensively on the experiences of the African diaspora and whose work issues searing indictments of oppressive structures.
› N.K. Jemisin, on writing in the midst of a pandemic and the viral plague of injustices that disproportionately affect Black Americans like gentrification.
› Franklin Leonard, on how to support marginalized creators and stories.
Our Brilliant Friends After Lunch Book Club Tuesday 6/23, 4 PM ET
An exclusive advance reading from Elena Ferrante’s forthcoming novel, The Lying Life of Adults (coming September 1) and a celebration of the translator’s craft. All proceeds will benefit the PEN America Writers’ Emergency Fund, for writers in need of funds, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
Human Rights Watch Film Festival Thursday 6/11 - Saturday 6/20
Tune in for stirring films that reflect a resounding, global, rallying cry: the will of the people shall not be ignored. Films include Radio Silence, a film about Mexican journalist Carmen Aristegui, and Coded Bias, a film about MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini, who discovered the inherent prejudices of facial-recognition software.
PEN AMERICA LITERARY AWARDS AND GRANTS
› The deadline for the PEN/Heim Translation Fund Grants is June 15, 2020. Submissions for the PEN/Phyllis Naylor Grant for Children’s and Young Adult Novelists and the PEN/Jean Stein Grant for Literary Oral History will close August 1, 2020. Learn more here.
