Join us for cocktails, food, and conversation with journalist and author Robert W. Fieseler, whose acclaimed book American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives examines a little-known chapter of the state’s history. Gather with William Johnson, Director of PEN America’s Florida office, in an intimate setting to discuss how this often-overlooked history continues to resonate today.
About Robert W. Fieseler
Robert W. Fieseler is a journalist whose work centers on marginalized communities and overlooked histories. He played a key role in persuading the New Orleans City Council to pass an apology resolution for the city’s response to the 1973 Up Stairs Lounge fire. A co-valedictorian of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, he is a recipient of the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship and was named the 2019 NLGJA Journalist of the Year, as well as a recipient of the Columbia Journalism School Alumni Association’s First Decade Award.
His book, American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives—a Stonewall Book Awards–Israel Fishman Nonfiction Honor Book and a Kirkus Best Book of 2025—examines the Florida Legislative Investigation Committee, known as the “Johns Committee,” which for nearly a decade used the language of anti-communism to target members of the NAACP and queer professors and students across the state.
Fieseler is currently pursuing a PhD in History at Tulane University as a Mellon Fellow. He lives in New Orleans.
Please contact Lindsay Goldenberg Jones at [email protected] if you’re interested in attending this special event. Space is limited.
About PEN America Authors’ Evenings
PEN America Authors’ Evenings are signature fundraising events that bring together writers, filmmakers, readers, and activists and give our supporters the unique opportunity to engage with artists in an intimate setting. PEN America has hosted literary icons like Toni Morrison, Salman Rushdie, and Claudia Rankine as well as new generations of luminaries including former PEN America President Ayad Akhtar, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, James McBride, Lynn Nottage, Hernan Diaz, Zadie Smith, and Ben Lerner.