PEN Pals: Margarita Engle and Padma Venkatraman Use Words as Bridges
“I knew that poetry could help me feel empathy and compassion as well as joy. I hoped that would be true for young readers and writers too.” More
PEN Pals: Eliot Schrefer and Padma Venkatraman on When Others Take Up the Torch
“I knew I couldn’t contribute to the cultural life of an institution that actively discriminates against its students—that didn’t want people like me to exist.” More
PEN Pals: Stacey Lee and Padma Venkatraman Discuss Books Breaking Stereotypes
“The more books representing our diverse cultures we have on our shelves, the more we can break stereotypes, and the more we can learn about our similarities as humans.” More
PEN Pals: Ashley Hope Pérez and Padma Venkatraman on What Book Bans Are Really About
"I think books like Out of Darkness offer a historical perspective on our current moment, which is still very much affected by racism." More
PEN Pals: Nikki Grimes and Padma Venkatraman Discuss Challenged Books
“I created my [Dyamonde Daniel book] series so that emerging Black readers would see themselves represented in that genre.” 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
Children’s Literature: Braving Our Endangered World
Writers for children and young adults show how people interact with nature, and reveal the world as a fascinating and ever-changing place with troubles all its own—rising temperatures, shrinking… More
An Excerpt from A Time to Dance
“God is born, at different times, in different places, with different names./ He dances in heaven as Shiva, creator of universes; / He lived on earth as Buddha, human… More
Support for the freedom to read with exclusive designs by Todd Parr, Mike Curato, Art Spiegelman, and more!
