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
Writers Who Cook: Biryani and a Bone of Contention with Jehan Nizar
“Biryani for me is the smell of home and the scent of attar being delicately dabbed on wrists in anticipation of the Friday Jummah prayers and the subsequent meal… More
Writers Who Cook: Pandemic Pie with Shawna Kenney
“A pie is group food, the perfect shape for sharing—round like the tables I learned to write on in school, like the ring I ask my students to arrange… More
Writers Who Cook: Serious Biscuits with Steven Reigns
“I became obsessed with making biscuits when quarantine began. . . At one point, I made biscuits 16 mornings in a row, trying to capture what I consumed in… More
Writers Who Cook: Ooey Gooey Chewy Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Alex Espinoza
“I was a chip champion. Until this recipe. Chunks are WAY better.” More
Writers Who Cook: Stone Soup with James Sie
“I call it stone soup, only in this case, the stone is replaced by coconut milk.” More
Writers Who Cook: Nani’s Mango Murbo with Pooja Makhijani
“I turned to cooking, as many have, first to stockpile, then as distraction, then as comfort—which brought me back to Nani’s murbo recipe.” More
Writers Who Cook: Bake Me Away with Janelle Brown
“Bread dough is a strange beast; at once sturdy and mercurial, delicate and robust, sticky and silky.” More
Writers Who Cook: Maryann’s Meatballs with Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
“I make the meatballs these days, think of them, and try to be patient—waiting for the day we can all open our doors again.” More
Writers Who Cook: Alexandra’s Mother’s Peasant Bread with Celeste Ng
Bread as comfort amid a pandemic. More
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PEN America On 
Author @haleshannon spoke about how books help teach children empathy at a #LetUtahRead event on January 25.
But this also happened. 🧵
In conversation with PEN America's @Heredia_Alej for this week’s #PENTen, @fannychoir explains why traditional ideas of dystopia can be dangerous.
Her poetry collection The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On (@eccobooks) is out now. https://pen.org/the-pen-ten-an-interview-with-franny-choi/ #poetry #books
Ron DeSantis wants to limit free speech in the name of free speech
https://www.economist.com/united-states/2023/01/26/ron-desantis-wants-to-limit-free-speech-in-the-name-of-free-speech #Florida #FreeSpeech via @TheEconomist (Paywall)