Stay ConnectedAs an organization that’s all about the literary community, PEN America knows that the ongoing health crisis is hitting our Members and friends particularly hard. The PEN Pod is meant to provide regular updates and conversations about literature and free expression, and provide an outlet for literary celebration as in-person events remain few and far between.
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On today's edition of The PEN Pod, we talk to curator Tyree Boyd-Pates at Los Angeles' Autry Museum about a new project to collect artifacts from the COVID-19 era. Then, we mark what would have been Octavia Butler's birthday.
Children's' and YA book author Elizabeth Levy shares more on her new book about Nixon, as well as her thoughts on truth and government in a conversation with writer Fatima Shaik. Then we look at a number of new books out around criminal justice.
On today's edition, we dive into the deep dark world of internet disinformation with investigative journalist Alex Kasprak of Snopes.com. Then, a reading list celebrating debuts from Black LGBTQIA+ authors for this pride month.
On this edition of The PEN Pod, we talk to author Lisa Ko about what the current crises demand of writers, and how her work might be read now amid the pandemic. Plus, a federal judge allows the publication of John Bolton's memoir to proceed.
Today, we mark this Juneteenth with a conversation with historian Quraysh Ali Lansana. The Tulsa-based writer discusses the weekend's planned Trump rally, the legacies of anti-Black racism in Oklahoma, and how writers are coming together in solidarity. Then, we turn to free expression threats amid the election, liability for social platforms, and John Bolton's book with our CEO Suzanne Nossel for our Friday TOUGH QUESTIONS segment.
On today's episode, we talk to poet Vincent Bristow, part of the Open Doors arts and justice collaborative here in New York City that works mainly with people impacted by street violence. He speaks about how COVID has impacted his community and shares an original poem. Then, we listen in on a conversation from our These Truths podcast between writers Alexis Okeowo and Ishmael Beah.
On this edition of The PEN Pod, we talk with author of ORDINARY GIRLS: A MEMOIR Jaquira Diaz. She highlights how the stories of Black and Brown girls, especially those of color, were so hard to come by in her childhood, and the erasure of Black Puerto Ricans in the historical memory. Then, John Bolton is sued by the White House.
We talk to writer and scientist Ainissa Ramirez about how eight inventions have shaped humanity, which she explores in her book THE ALCHEMY OF US. We talk about the often unheralded women and people of color who are part of the story of technology in recent centuries and how tech is influenced by our own biases.
Today we open submissions for the 2021 PEN America Literary Awards, one of the most diverse literary award lineups in the country. But how do awards help shape and diversify the literary canon? And how can we view awards in the context of all the crises happening across the country. PEN America's own Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf and poet Ruben Quesada help us understand all of it, plus Quesada shares an original poem
It's Friday, which means it's time to pose tough questions about free speech and free expression to PEN America's CEO Suzanne Nossel. This week, while protesters are making major change, we ask the hard question: Is free expression back on its heels? We talk about The New York Times op-ed debacle, the president's selective affinity for the First Amendment, and how the publishing industry is impacted by this moment.
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