Ayad Akhtar’s Remarks at the 2022 PEN America Literary Gala
"Yes, speaking is at the root of it all, but we cannot only be speakers. We must be those listening, as well." More
Attention and Affinities
“As writers, many of us are caught in the middle. Our creative imaginations are not discursive, but organic. We are pulled where the muses and where the fertile blindspots… More
Ayad Akhtar’s Remarks at the 2021 PEN America Literary Gala
“Reading, of course, is an individual act, but a culture that fosters reading and one that supports writers, invariably compels us to presence, to protest, to celebration.” More
The PEN Pod: Navigating the Debacle in Afghanistan with Ayad Akhtar and George Packer
“Everyone who essentially used the opportunity of the last two decades to try to build a decent, better society for themselves and for Afghanistan are now under threat.” More
PEN America Announces Dramatic Expansion of Writers Emergency Fund
Today the literary and free expression organization PEN America welcomed important new resources that will allow the sustained expansion of its initiatives to support writers in dire need globally.… More
PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature Returns, Celebrating Power to the People
The literary and free expression group PEN America today announced that tickets are now on sale for the 2021 PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, running May 18-22.… More
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