Through Sunday, Sept. 18 | 8pm – 10pm ET
Rockefeller Center
45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY
There's still time for you to catch the renowned artist Jenny Holzer's SPEECH ITSELF, a celebration of PEN America’s century-long defense of the written word. The facades of 30 Rockefeller Plaza and 610 and 620 Fifth Avenue will be lit with selected passages from gifted writers and artists who have supported PEN America’s vital work to protect free expression, including Ayad Akhtar, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Margaret Atwood, Ron Chernow, Henry Louis Gates Jr., Joy Harjo, Jhumpa Lahiri, Yoon Ha Lee, Toni Morrison, Alejandro Zambra, and Nadya Tolokonnikova of the performance art group Pussy Riot. Learn more ››
In this reading list, we chose to spotlight 78 of the most banned books across America. Every book on this list has been banned over 4 times in schools and libraries. And everywhere, it is the books that have long fought for a place on the shelf that are being targeted. Books by authors of color, by LGBTQ+ authors, by women. Books about racism, sexuality, gender, history. Read banned books, and fight for the right to read ››
The essential annual guide to the newest voices in short fiction, selected this year by Deesha Philyaw, Emily Nemens, and Sabrina Orah Mark. The stories collected in this anthology (on sale Tuesday, Sept. 20) represent the most recent winners of the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers, which recognizes twelve writers who have made outstanding debuts in literary magazines in the previous year. This event will include readings from: Catherine Bai, Erin Connal, Oyedotun Damilola, Yasmin Majeed, Emma Shannon, Cal Shook, Preeti Vangani, and Seth Wang. Register ››
Wednesday, Sept. 21 | 7:30pm ET The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author, playwright, and PEN America president Ayad Akhtar will deliver the Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy, a leading national forum for arts policy intended to stimulate dialogue on policy and social issues affecting the arts. Ayad Akhtar is a novelist and playwright. His work has been published and performed in over two dozen languages. He is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Edith Wharton Citation of Merit for Fiction, and an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Register ››
Sunday, Oct. 2 | 11am ET
Brooklyn Book Festival
249 Smith St #106 Brooklyn, NY
PEN America presents Mexican novelist and founder of DREAMing Out Loud Álvaro Enrique, poet and co-editor of Somewhere We Are HumanSonia Guiñansaca, and alum of DREAMing Out Loud and a contributor to Somewhere We Are Human t. jahan to celebrate new anthologies by undocumented or formerly undocumented migrants, refugees, Dreamers, and more. Moderated by PEN America’s Alejandro Heredia, this panel will discuss how literature—fiction to poetry, essays to playwriting—can shift the immigration debate. The DREAMing Out Loud program and annual anthology is possible thanks to the generous support from the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Register ››
Thursday, Oct. 20 | 7pm PT
Second Home Hollywood
1370 N St Andrews Pl, Los Angeles, CA
Number one bestselling author and Guggenheim fellow Celeste Ng joins PEN Out Loud to discuss her third novel, Our Missing Hearts. A suspenseful and heartrending novel about the unbreakable love between a mother and child, Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can pretend to ignore the most searing injustice. Ng will be in conversation with Gabrielle Zevin. ASL interpretation will be provided by Pro Bono ASL. This in-person program will be co-presented by Scripps Presents and Skylight Books, and is made possible in part by the support of the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture. Register ››
Tuesday, Oct. 25 | 7pm ET
Strand Book Store
828 Broadway (& 12th Street), New York, NY
Emmy Award–winning former co-host of ESPN’s SportsCenter and contributing writer for the Atlantic Jemele Hill joins PEN Out Loud to celebrate her long-awaited memoir, Uphill, an empowering and bold look at Hill’s journey growing up in Detroit, the fallout following her criticism of former President Trump, and what it means to be one of America’s most recognizable journalists. Hill will be in conversation with stand-up comedian, writer, producer, actress, and publisher of the imprint Tiny Reparations Books Phoebe Robinson. ASL Interpretive services are provided by Pro Bono ASL. Presented in collaboration with Strand Book Store. Register ››
The PEN Ten with the 2022 Emerging Voices Fellows:“As a part of my gratefulness and mindfulness practices, I remind myself that language far transcends the power of words and that I am in the spiritual, physical, and cultural lineage of people who did not always have access to or a means of creating ‘literature.’”
The PEN Ten with James Hannaham:“Don’t let a message get in the way of the truth, even when that truth is embarrassing, counterintuitive, or unpopular. I find myself increasingly bothered by people whose main message is to convince people of BIPOC humanity and, like, worthiness.”
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