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WRITERS RESIST: #LouderTogether

New York Public Library, 476 Fifth Avenue (42nd St and Fifth Ave), New York, NY, 10018


Sound starts at 00:02:00

PEN America hosts the flagship New York City event of a national rallying effort under the banner of WRITERS RESIST. This literary protest will bring together hundreds of writers and their fellow New Yorkers on the steps of the New York Public Library in a collective stand to defend free expression, reject hatred, and uphold truth in the face of lies and misinformation.

Coinciding with the birthday of Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr., this family-friendly event will feature readings and performances by some of the biggest names in arts and literature. Award-winning authors Andrew Solomon, Masha Gessen, Laurie Anderson, Rosanne Cash, Jeff Eugenides, Amy Goodman, Jacqueline Woodson, Monica Youn, A.M. Homes, Moustapha Bayoumi, Alexander Chee, Michael Cunningham, and others will read from a curated set of diverse writings and seminal texts that embody the ideals of democracy and free expression including excerpts from the Constitution, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sermons, George Orwell’s 1984, the Federalist Papers, and other prose and poetry selections. Broadway Kids Against Bullying will perform the new single ‘I Have a Voice.’

As the rally comes to a close, participants and audience members will deliver PEN America’s pledge to defend the First Amendment—signed by more than 150,000 individuals, including all past U.S. Poets Laureate—to the transition team of President-elect Donald J. Trump, who will take office just five days later on January 20.

Family-friendly, Free, and Open to all.

Registration is encouraged but not required. Register here.

Can’t make it out? Watch LIVE via Facebook

Featuring (In Formation): Meena Alexander,Indran Amirthanayagam, Laurie Anderson, Moustafa Bayoumi, Erin Belieu, Amy Brill, Rosanne Cash, Alexander Chee, T Cooper, Michael Cunningham, Eisa Davis, Mónica de la Torre, Alex Dimitrov, Rita Dove, Charlotte Druckman, Melanie Dunea, Eve Ensler, Storm Ervin, Jeffrey Eugenides, Angela Flournoy, Masha Gessen, Allison Glock, Amy Goodman, Jeff Gordinier, David Haskell, Tom Healy, A.M. Homes, Brad Hoylman, Siri Hustvedt, Mary Karr, Michael Klein, Jaime Manrique, Colum McCann, Jill McDonough, Rick Moody, Honor Moore, Morley, Kathleen Ossip, Robert Pinsky, Robert Polito Maria Popova, Francine Prose, Kevin Prufer, Sofia Quintero, Jason Reynolds, Jess Row, Esmeralda Santiago, Hirsh Sawhney, Bob Shacochis, Brenda Shaughnessey, Deborah Solomon, Andrew Solomon, Art Spiegelman, Terese Svoboda, Craig Teicher, Charlie Vazquez, Jonathan Wells, Meg Wolitzer, Zachary Wood, Jacqueline Woodson, Monica Youn, Emanuel Xavier, Peter Zilahy, and more to be announced.

Our PARTNERS (SO FAR) include: Arts & Democracy, Asian American Arts Alliance, Authors Guild, Bowery Poetry, Bronx Writers Center, Cave Canem, Center for Fiction, Community of Literary Magazines and Presses, Courage Campaign, Daily Kos, Dennin Arts Management, Dramatists Guild of America, Free Press, New York Writers Coalition, Theater Communications Group, The Nation, The Other Stories Podcast and Tin House.
 

Sign the free expression pledge!

After the readings and performances, a group of PEN America leaders and any who wish to join will walk the blocks to Trump Tower together to present PEN America’s free expression pledge on the First Amendment signed by over 110,000 individuals to a member of the President-elect’s team. We are confident the reading at the library and the subsequent march, as two distinct but powerful events to uphold free expression and human rights for all, will be powerful.

 

Join a national campaign!

PEN America is thrilled to be working with a group of organizers, including poet, feminist activist, and VIDA co-founder, Erin Belieu, who launched WRITERS RESIST to inspire a unified vision for the future of Democracy. WRITERS RESIST events are planned in NYC, Houston, Austin, New Orleans, Seattle, Spokane, Los Angeles, London, Zurich, Boston, Omaha, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Madison, Milwaukee, Bloomington, Baltimore, Oakland, Tallahassee, Newport, Santa Fe, Salt Lake, and Portland (Oregon AND Maine) and many other cities.
 


 

Poet, feminist activist, and VIDA co-founder, Erin Belieu launched WRITERS RESIST to inspire a unified vision for the future of Democracy. WRITERS RESIST events are planned in NYC, Houston, Austin, New Orleans, Seattle, Spokane, Los Angeles, London, Zurich, Boston, Omaha, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Madison, Milwaukee, Bloomington, Baltimore, Oakland, Tallahassee, Newport, Santa Fe, Salt Lake, and Portland (Oregon AND Maine) and many other cities.