PEN Out Loud
PEN Out Loud focuses on amplifying diverse voices and convening vital conversations with authors, poets, journalists, artists, and activists.
This fall, these conversations explore the impact of community and the way one’s environment shapes one’s narrative. Exploring unbreakable familial bonds to withstanding targeted criticism, the stories discussed this season take a close look at the inevitability of change and how to persist in moments meant to break us, providing a potential roadmap to how we might live with our hearts intact.
Note: Celeste Ng’s and Gabrielle Zevin PEN Out Loud event is live an in person in LA. Jemele Hill’s and Phoebe Robinson’s PEN Out Loud event is live and in person in NYC.
Fall 2022 Events
Join PEN America for PEN Out Loud: Celeste Ng in conversation with Gabrielle Zevin.
More Information
Join PEN America for PEN Out Loud: Jemele Hill and Sunny Hostin, in discussion about Jemele's long-awaited memoir Uphill.
More InformationPresented in collaboration with Strand Book Store, Skylight Books, and Scripps Presents.
ASL interpretive services are provided by ProBono ASL.
Programs are made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
Past Events
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud: Robert Jones, Jr. with Mateo Askaripour
National Book Award finalist Robert Jones Jr. joins PEN Out Loud to celebrate the paperback release of his New York Times-bestselling novel, The Prophets. More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud x Asian American Writers’ Workshop: Julie Otsuka with Nicole Chung
PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novelist Julie Otsuka joins PEN Out Loud and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop to launch her first novel in over a decade, The Swimmers. More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud: Solmaz Sharif with Kaveh Akbar
National Book Award finalist Solmaz Sharif joins PEN Out Loud to discuss her second poetry collection, Customs. More
PEN Out Loud: Julissa Arce with Aida Rodriguez
Bestselling author Julissa Arce joins PEN Out Loud to launch her new book, You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation. More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud x LIVE from NYPL: Wole Soyinka with Farah Jasmine Griffin
Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka joins PEN Out Loud and LIVE from NYPL to celebrate his first novel in nearly 50 years, Chronicles From the Land of the Happiest People… More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud: Hillary Rodham Clinton and Louise Penny with Susan Choi
Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and international award-winning author Louise Penny join PEN Out Loud to commemorate their co-written novel, State of Terror. More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud: Pamela Paul with Lauren Oyler
Editor of The New York Times Book Review Pamela Paul joins PEN Out Loud to launch her essay collection, 100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet. More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud: Sandra Cisneros with Jaime Manrique
PEN America Literary Award recipient Sandra Cisneros joins PEN Out Loud to celebrate her new book Martita, I Remember You / Martita, te recuerdo. More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud: R.O. Kwon and Garth Greenwell with Melissa Febos and Brandon Taylor
Bestselling authors R.O. Kwon and Garth Greenwell join PEN Out Loud to launch their dynamic anthology of short fiction, Kink: Stories. More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud: Brandon Hobson with Rebecca Makkai
National Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson joins PEN Out Loud to celebrate his latest novel, The Removed. More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud x Asian American Writers’ Workshop: Kazuo Ishiguro with Jia Tolentino
Kazuo Ishiguro joins PEN Out Loud and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop to commemorate Klara and the Sun, his first novel since being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud: Isabel Allende with Concepción de León
National Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson joins PEN Out Loud to celebrate his latest novel, The Removed. More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud: Marilynne Robinson with Alexander Chee
Award-winning author Marilynne Robinson joins PEN Out Loud to discuss Jack, the fourth book in her Pulitzer Prize-winning Gilead series. More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud: Claudia Rankine with Lauren Michele Jackson
Claudia Rankine will discuss her latest book, Just Us: An American Conversation, a collection of essays, poems, and images on race and whiteness in America. More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud: Ayad Akhtar with Ben Rhodes
Ayad Akhtar will discuss his latest novel, Homeland Elegies—a portrait of Muslim-American life, the relationship between fathers and sons, racial identity, and political polarization. More
[VIRTUAL] PEN Out Loud: Yaa Gyasi with Roxane Gay
Yaa Gyasi will discuss her novel “Transcendent Kingdom” and its reckoning with race, science, and faith. More
PEN Out Loud: Ken Liu with Andrew Marantz
Author and literary translator Ken Liu will discuss creating narratives of economics, the future of work, and technology in fictional works. More
PEN Out Loud: Mitchell S. Jackson with Imani Perry
Following a reading, Mitchell S. Jackson will be joined in conversation with distinguished scholar Imani Perry to discuss his inspiration, the possibilities of the memoir as a genre, and… More
PEN Out Loud: Saidiya Hartman with Leslie Jamison
Saidiya Hartman will be joined in conversation with bestselling author Leslie Jamison to read from her work, and to discuss her creative process, portrayals of Black women and girls,… More
PEN Out Loud: Lindy West and Hari Kondabolu
Lindy West, author of Shrill, will be joined by comedian Hari Kondabolu to discuss her highly anticipated new essay collection, The Witches Are Coming. More
PEN Out Loud: Staceyann Chin and Nicole Dennis-Benn
At PEN Out Loud, Staceyann Chin will discuss and perform work from her first poetry collection, Crossfire. More
PEN Out Loud: Rion Amilcar Scott and Vinson Cunningham
Rion Amilcar Scott will read from his new collection, The World Doesn’t Require You, and discuss his creative process with Vinson Cunningham. More
PEN Out Loud: Salman Rushdie and Marlon James
Join authors Salman Rushdie and Marlon James at the Strand on September 4 as they discuss satirical commentary in our modern age of alternative facts. More
PEN Out Loud: Viet Thanh Nguyen and Maaza Mengiste
Authors Viet Thanh Nguyen and Maaza Mengiste discuss the critically acclaimed anthology The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives. More
PEN Out Loud: Julia Alvarez and Elizabeth Acevedo
At PEN Out Loud, Julia Alvarez and Elizabeth Acevedo will join us for an intergenerational conversation on craft, legacy, and literature. More
PEN Out Loud: Layli Long Soldier and Claudia Rankine
Join Layli Long Soldier and Claudia Rankine for a reading and conversation on the care with which they use language to illuminate and excavate the past. More
PEN Out Loud: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Isaac Fitzgerald
Join Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, author of Friday Black, to discuss writing in the hinterlands of satire, where absurdity reflects and challenges reality. More
PEN Out Loud: Lest We Forget
This December, join PEN America and the Strand Book Store as we embark on a retrospective of 2018 through the eyes of some of our most talented authors. More
PEN Out Loud: Visual Disobedience
This November, PEN America and the Strand Book Store present graphic novelists in conversation to discuss the ways they use art, cartoons, and statistics to contribute to national conversations… More
PEN Out Loud: Writing the Future
This October, PEN America and the Strand Book Store present an unmissable panel of young adult authors who are inspiring our next generation of literary activists. More
PEN Out Loud: Dear America
This September, join PEN America in partnership with the Strand Book Store as we present Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas for the launch of his riveting and deeply… More
PEN Out Loud: The 2018 Literary Awards Salon
This June, PEN Literary Awards finalists Hari Kunzru, Victor LaValle, Nicole Sealey, and Hannah Lillith Assadi will join us to read from their work, and bring a glimpse of… More
PEN Out Loud: Writing War
In May's PEN Out Loud event, Alexis Okeowo and Molly Crabapple help us ask and answer tough questions on the politics of turning conflict into story by showing us… More
PEN Out Loud: Freedom, Power, and Rage
This April, join Black feminist, academic, author, and co-founder of the Crunk Feminist Collective, Dr. Brittney Cooper, along with writer, activist, and editor Darnell L. Moore, as they break… More
PEN Out Loud: The Opposite of Hate
We are living through one of the most divisive periods in American history, with hate-filled rhetoric fueling disagreements on a wide range of issues. How do we begin to… More
PEN Out Loud: Reimagining A Wrinkle in Time
To mark the release of Ava DuVernay’s bold new adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time, we will celebrate unconventional literary heroes with readings from Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel and… More
PEN Out Loud with Jason Reynolds and Gregory Pardlo
This February, join bestselling and multi-award winning author Jason Reynolds and Pulitzer Prize winning poet Greg Pardlo in conversation for the launch of the 2018 season of PEN Out… More
PEN Out Loud: Reclaiming Our Time
PEN America and Strand Book Store present a feminist retrospective of the year, featuring Carmen Maria Machado, Min Jin Lee, and Morgan Jerkins. More
PEN Out Loud: Madness and Mania
An intimate poetry reading with award-winning authors sam sax and Jeanann Verlee, whose works navigate themes of mental health and the often obscured line between self-hate and self-love. More
PEN Out Loud: Boundaries and Borders
Authors Daniel José Older and Idra Novey join PEN America and Strand Book Store for a conversation on Latinx narratives and boundaries and borders in the current political climate. More
PEN Out Loud: I Write Banned Books
In celebration and defiance during Banned Books Week 2017, PEN America in partnership with Strand Books invites authors whose books have been banned or challenged because of their cover… More
Reading Lists
Form, Fact, and Fiction: A PEN Out Loud Reading List
Curated by PEN America’s Literary Programs Department, this reading list highlights books and complementary titles from our signature PEN Out Loud event series. More
The Witches Are Coming: A PEN Out Loud Reading List
Lindy West and Hari Kondabolu will discuss West's "The Witches Are Coming" at PEN Out Loud on November 6. In anticipation, here are 16 titles on the power of… More
From Near and Far: A PEN Out Loud Reading List
PEN America shares 21 novels and poetry collections that cross nations, genres, and identities in anticipation of our October PEN Out Loud event. More
Memory and Modernity: A PEN Out Loud Reading List
PEN America shares 17 genre-spanning works that consider power and memory in relation to contemporary and historical spaces. More
Real and Reimagined: A PEN Out Loud Reading List
PEN America shares 16 books that redefine storytelling, reimagine beloved classics, and reflect upon the relationship between reality and fantasy. More
Diaspora and Migration: A Reading List
17 books that catalyze discussion on the struggles of diaspora and migration, elevating the reader’s understanding of one of today’s most pertinent issues. More
Intersectional Identity: A Reading List
This recommended reading list explores how Latinx, intersectional, and multicultural identity has influenced a range of genres. More
Expand Your Understanding: A Reading List
A recommended reading list compiled in anticipation of March's PEN Out Loud discussion with Layli Long Soldier and Claudia Rankine. More
Pushing Past Constraints: A Reading List
A reading list compiled in anticipation of February’s PEN Out Loud event with Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah and Isaac Fitzgerald to discuss Friday Black. More
Lest We Forget: A Reading List
In celebration of PEN Out Loud: Lest We Forget, a 2018 retrospective, PEN America and Strand Book Store have developed the following reading list. More
Visual Disobedience: A Reading List
In celebration of PEN Out Loud: Visual Disobedience, PEN America and Strand Book Store have developed the following reading list. More
Writing the Future: A Reading List
A young adult recommended reading list curated for PEN Out Loud: Writing the Future, presented by PEN America and the Strand Book Store. More
Dear America: A Reading List
A reading list for PEN Out Loud: Dear America, an event with Jose Antonio Vargas on the burden of undocumented immigrants’ mental health in America. More
Writing War: A Reading List
Molly Crabapple, co-author and illustrator of Marwan Hisham’s latest memoir, Brother of the Gun: A Memoir of the Syrian War and Alexis Okeowo, author of A Moonless Starless Sky: Ordinary Women and… More
Freedom, Power, and Rage: A Reading List
How can we channel our freedom, power, and rage to create change in the world? The following PEN America book list is an excellent place to start. More
The Opposite of Hate: A Reading List
We are living through one of the most divisive periods in American history, with hate-filled rhetoric fueling disagreements on a wide range of issues — from LGBTQ rights to immigration policy… More
Reimagining A Wrinkle In Time: A Reading List
Little girls in glasses have showed us how to save the world from darkness for years. The journeys they take as they come into their power showcase their everyday… More
PEN Out Loud with Jason Reynolds and Greg Pardlo: A Reading List
This February, join best-selling and multi-award winning author Jason Reynolds and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Greg Pardlo in conversation for the launch of the 2018 season of PEN Out Loud,… More
Reclaiming Our Time: A Reading List
A feminist reading list in celebration of next week's PEN Out Loud event: Reclaiming Our Time, a feminist retrospective featuring Carmen Maria Machado, Min Jin Lee, and Morgan Jerkins… More
Madness and Mania: A Reading List
PEN America and Strand Book Store present a reading list on "Madness and Mania" in celebration of tonight's PEN Out Loud event featuring an intimate poetry reading with sam… More
Boundaries and Borders: A Reading List
In celebration of PEN Out Loud: Boundaries and Borders, PEN America and the Strand Book Store created a comprehensive book list of Latinx authors who have impacted and shaped… More
I Write Banned Books: A Reading List
Banned Books Week is September 24–30, and as well as enthusiastically celebrating the banned books that have shaped us, we take this time to highlight the censorship that still… More