The PEN Pod: The Path Forward with Theodore Johnson
“I don’t know that we can ever erase [structural racism] completely. But we can certainly reduce its impact. . . and I think national solidarity is our best hope… More
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
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PEN America On 
Today, POMED and 19 other rights orgs sent an open letter to @SecBlinken and @JakeSullivan46 urging them not to provide $300 million in FY2021 military aid to #Egypt in light of the country's failure to meet human rights conditions.
https://pomed.org/joint-letter-biden-administration-should-not-provide-military-aid-to-egypt-in-light-of-egregious-human-rights-violations/
Our next #BookDefenders event, How to Effectively Fight Against Book Bans, is happening on Wed Aug 17th at 8pm ET featuring @alainaskeys from @diversebooks, @jzfriedman from @penamerica, Christine Emeran and more ! Sign-up now at https://secure.everyaction.com/Q3z2V7PtwUiwOUTvuWuQAA2
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"What’s important is to stand up for the children who don’t have any voices. Even if you’re not in a county like Walton County... we all have to... start speaking out. We can’t leave it to marginalized groups to speak out. We all have to speak out"—Illustrator Marla Frazee
