100+ writers. 35+ events. +20 countries. The 2024 PEN World Voices Festival Festival is here! For the love of books, join us to celebrate great international writing and the strength of powerful storytelling from May 8-11 in NYC and May 8-18 in L.A. Find out more at pen.org/festival

Our DREAMing Out Loud community is mourning the loss of Anastassiya Maximenko. Anastassiya was a terrific, creative soul and bright student who loved and appreciated writing. She is profoundly beloved and is deeply missed. Below is an excerpt from Anastassiya's WVF reading.

For this week’s #PENTen with PEN America Natasha Santana, we divulge in Michael Arceneaux third collection of essays, #IFinallyBoughtSomeJordans . Arceneaux discusses race, loss, and the moments of his life that have guided him through a patriarchal society.

pen.org/michael-arcene…

For this week’s #PENTen , Maura Cheeks debut #ActsofForgiveness imagines a US in which reparations legislation is passed. With PEN America Jared Jackson, Cheeks discusses system inequalities, archival research, and whether forgiveness can be political.

pen.org/maura-cheeks-t…

With @PENAmerica Lili Stern, Literary Awards Coordinator, for this week’s #PENTen , Hisham Matar - author of #MYFRIENDS - discusses the figure of the writer, life in exile, and the “emotional country” that friendship becomes when you cannot return home.

pen.org/hisham-matar-t…

On Tuesday, Jan. 23, join Ai Weiwei and Mira Jacob for the launch of Weiwei's new graphic memoir  #Zodiac ⚖️, presented by PEN America & The Town Hall.
thetownhall.org/event/pen-out-…

Ai Weiwei (艾未未 Ai Weiwei) Will Do One US Event for Memoir

Weiwei will appear at The Town Hall to discuss Zodiac, praised by Kirkus Reviews as “a welcome introduction to the life and work of an exemplary artist.”

Weiwei will be interviewed by author Mira Jacob. kirkusreviews.com/news-and-featu…

We're sorry to hear news that poet Lev Rubinstein is in critical condition & currently hospitalized. We send our strong hopes for a healthy recovery. A 2017 World Voices Festival participant, Rubinstein is a co-founder of the Moscow Conceptualism movement

twitter.com/meduza_en/stat…

January 23rd in NYC! Join legendary artist 艾未未 Ai Weiwei in conversation with @mirajacob at The Town Hall to celebrate his new graphic memoir Zodiac.

Tickets are available now: pen.org/event/the-town…

Author Ann Patchett of Parnassus Books had two books among the nearly 700 banned from schools in Orange County, Florida.

It’s another disastrous outcome of Florida’s laws restricting “sexual content.”

See the full list: pen.org/books-banned-o… #BannedBooks #FreeTheBooks

surprise! I'm going to be speaking at #AWP24 in the below session with Nic Stone and PEN America. I'm so excited to be returning to Kansas City this upcoming February!!

🧵PEN America announces today the election of Jennifer Finney Boylan, the celebrated breakthrough author and LGBTQ rights advocate, as president of PEN America.

Boylan succeeds Ayad Akhtar, the Pulitzer-winning playwright, novelist, and screenwriter. pen.org/press-release/…

For this week’s #PENTen , Zahra Hankir reveals the history of eyeliner and its role in cultures throughout the world. From intimate interviews and extensive research, #Eyeliner explores this powerful tool for free expression. With @PenAmerica Sarah Dillard

pen.org/zahra-hankir-t…

Tonight (12/6!) in Brooklyn.

Applications are open for @PENAmerica’s 2024 season of DREAMing Out Loud, a paid, tuition-free writing workshop for young undocumented and immigrant writers in NYC this spring. Submit yours today!

pen.org/dreaming-out-l…

Congratulations to Lọlá Shónẹ́yìn writer & founder of Aké Arts and Book Festival on her feature written by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in The FT’s 25 most influential women of 2023
ft.com/content/48ea02… via @ft

Read this fantastic article on: How Cave Canem Has Nurtured Generations of Black Poets Cave Canem nytimes.com/2023/11/27/art…

For #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth , Oscar Hokeah, winner of the 2023 PEN/Hemingway Award, recommended a reading list highlighting Native American literature that speaks to the experience of indigenous populations in the United States. Get here: pen.org/native-america…

Thank you, PEN America, for asking for some recommendations for Native American Heritage Month! Brendan Shay Basham, kelli jo ford, Richard Van Camp (He/him), Chelsea T. Hicks, and Brandon Hobson

pen.org/morgan-talty-r…

The application for The New School MFA in Creative Writing is now live! Submit your materials by the priority deadline, January 15, to have the best chance of joining them in Fall ‘24

Learn more: newschool.edu/writing/