The PEN Pod: Queering an Epic Tale with DREAMing Out Loud’s Arjun Dhawan
“In terms of migrant literature, the migrant voice, there’s something bubbling that needs to be said, that needs to be heard, that’s unbiased. A story that you’ve never heard.” More
The PEN Ten: An Interview with Iván Monalisa Ojeda, Translated by Hannah Kauders
“You come here as an immigrant to a foreign country, far away from your family, but there’s one thing that reminds you of home—and that’s the language. Language unifies… More
Your Mestizaje is a Superpower
“Multiculturalism is not a threat to civilization. The only thing it threatens is extremism.” More
The PEN Pod: On White Supremacy and Immigration with Jean Guerrero
“How does the descendant of Jewish refugees, how does that person end up crafting Trump’s harshest rhetoric and policies targeting people fleeing violence and persecution?” More
The PEN Pod: Finding Inspiration in History with Maaza Mengiste
“What writers and novelists force us to do in the work is to pause. . . And if there’s anything that COVID has made me consider, it’s how we… More
The PEN Pod: Unpacking American Myths with Francisco X. Stork
“Books become just more powerful, when they are born out of. . . inner necessity. For me, it’s important to write with young characters, just because it’s a time… More
The PEN Pod: On Race, Place, and Belonging with Sejal Shah
“I’m certainly thinking about kinship. . . What do we owe our neighbors and fellow humans. . . for whom to be alive is a risk?” More
The PEN Pod: How We Write Our Survival with Lisa Ko
“Even when the future does feel uncertain, like right now, it feels important to. . . imagine a future for ourselves as well as our characters.” More
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PEN America On 
At one school, “the kids began crying and writing letters to the principal, saying, ‘Please don’t take my books, please don’t do this,’” said @Marie_Masferrer, a board member of @FloridaMediaEd. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/01/31/florida-hide-books-stop-woke-manatee-county-duval-county-desantis/ #FreeTheBooks #Florida #Teachers #Librarians #StudentsRights
"It's important that we build an army... instead of going on the defensive... we really (need to) go on the offensive... (to) protect and expand the right to read," says @TracieDHall1 #RightToReadAct #Students #Teachers #Librarians
When it announced its A.P. course, the @CollegeBoard clearly believed it was providing a class whose time had come. After heavy criticism from Gov. DeSantis, it has removed much of the subject matter that had angered the governor and other conservatives. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/us/college-board-advanced-placement-african-american-studies.html