The PEN Pod: From Trauma to Transcendence with Alice Randall
“Black joy is particularly radical, and [the book] helps you achieve some Black joy right now—it helps all people achieve some honorable, honest joy.” More
The PEN Pod: What to Expect in the Final Days Before the Election with Suzanne Nossel
“It’s going to be extremely important for people to remain patient, not to jump the gun or jump to conclusions.” More
The PEN Pod: The Power and Immediacy of Poetry with Kevin Young
“I often say that poems are the best form of transport. They change us, they move us, and they move us across time and space.” More
The PEN Pod: Nurturing Children’s Curiosity with Tami Charles
“Yes, this is a love letter to my son. Yes, this is a love letter to Black and Brown children, but this is also an affirmation to all children.” More
The PEN Pod: On Campus Free Speech and Devalued Black Lives with Eddie Cole
“Things are the same in the sense that college presidents are still grappling with how to deal with, say, the traditional white supremacists that disrupt the speech on campus.” More
The PEN Pod: Elevating Stories from Underreported Communities with Tina Vasquez
“The important distinction for me when it comes to movement journalism, in terms of how I see my work, is that I don’t see myself reporting on communities, but… 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: Tough Questions with Suzanne Nossel
“We absolutely cannot let our guard down, and we’re in uncharted territory in terms of a president who is willing to flout the First Amendment.” More
The PEN Pod: On the Power of Poetry with Natasha Trethewey
“Poetry can save us. It can, in many ways, unite us because of the sheer intimacy of a single voice that might reach someone.” More
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PEN America On 
Jailed Vietnamese democracy advocate Tran Huynh Duy Thuc has launched a new hunger strike, his second in the last two months, demanding that his 16-year sentence for subversion be reduced in line with a law enacted after he was sentenced. https://bit.ly/3g2zqTE
Jimmy Lai, the founder of Hong Kong’s biggest pro-democracy newspaper, was denied bail on fraud charges on Thursday and ordered jailed until April by a court. https://nyti.ms/2JMGdo8
A journalist for VOA’s Hausa language service was detained for five hours Saturday while on assignment near Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Grace Alheri Abdu was covering a story about protests in Nigeria. https://bit.ly/3lBuh60