PEN Out Loud
PEN Out Loud focuses on amplifying diverse voices and convening vital conversations with authors, poets, journalists, artists, and activists.
This winter, these conversations explore the existential, structural, and personal forces that impact our daily lives. From considering what freedom means to questioning the capacities of love to interrogating the American prison system, the writers featured this season ask us to reimagine the limits of what we believe we know and how we can envision different, more bountiful possibilities.
This season is presented in collaboration with The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, P&T Knitwear Books and Podcasts, and The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
ASL interpretive services are provided by ProBono ASL.
Upcoming Events
Poet, author, and literary organizer Mahogany L. Browne visits PEN America Los Angeles to share new poems exploring the experience of Black womanhood in America.
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Winner of the PEN/Stein Award, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah in conversation with New York Times-bestselling author Roxane Gay.
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Humorist and Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri joins PEN Out Loud to celebrate the release of her satirical new book Alexandra Petri’s US History.
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2018 Chicago Review of Books Poetry Prize Recipient José Olivarez in conversation with New York Times-bestselling author Isaac Fitzgerald.
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PEN Out Loud host National Award Winner Maggie Nelson joined in conversation by international bestselling author Anand Giridharadas.
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Join PEN America for PEN Out Loud: Celeste Ng in conversation with Gabrielle Zevin.
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Join PEN America for PEN Out Loud: Jemele Hill and Sunny Hostin, in discussion about Jemele's long-awaited memoir Uphill.
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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.
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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.
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National Book Award finalist Solmaz Sharif joins PEN Out Loud to discuss her second poetry collection, Customs.
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Bestselling author Julissa Arce joins PEN Out Loud to launch her new book, You Sound Like a White Girl: The Case for Rejecting Assimilation.
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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…
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Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and international award-winning author Louise Penny join PEN Out Loud to commemorate their co-written novel, State of Terror.
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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.
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PEN America Literary Award recipient Sandra Cisneros joins PEN Out Loud to celebrate her new book Martita, I Remember You / Martita, te recuerdo.
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Bestselling authors R.O. Kwon and Garth Greenwell join PEN Out Loud to launch their dynamic anthology of short fiction, Kink: Stories.
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National Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson joins PEN Out Loud to celebrate his latest novel, The Removed.
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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.
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National Book Award finalist Brandon Hobson joins PEN Out Loud to celebrate his latest novel, The Removed.
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Award-winning author Marilynne Robinson joins PEN Out Loud to discuss Jack, the fourth book in her Pulitzer Prize-winning Gilead series.
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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.
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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.
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Yaa Gyasi will discuss her novel “Transcendent Kingdom” and its reckoning with race, science, and faith.
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Author and literary translator Ken Liu will discuss creating narratives of economics, the future of work, and technology in fictional works.
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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…
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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,…
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Lindy West, author of Shrill, will be joined by comedian Hari Kondabolu to discuss her highly anticipated new essay collection, The Witches Are Coming.
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At PEN Out Loud, Staceyann Chin will discuss and perform work from her first poetry collection, Crossfire.
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Rion Amilcar Scott will read from his new collection, The World Doesn’t Require You, and discuss his creative process with Vinson Cunningham.
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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.
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Authors Viet Thanh Nguyen and Maaza Mengiste discuss the critically acclaimed anthology The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives.
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At PEN Out Loud, Julia Alvarez and Elizabeth Acevedo will join us for an intergenerational conversation on craft, legacy, and literature.
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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.
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Join Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, author of Friday Black, to discuss writing in the hinterlands of satire, where absurdity reflects and challenges reality.
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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.
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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…
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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PEN America and Strand Book Store present a feminist retrospective of the year, featuring Carmen Maria Machado, Min Jin Lee, and Morgan Jerkins.
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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.
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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.
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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 InformationReading 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