Audio + Video
The M Word Stories: Wajahat Ali
If you aren’t writing your own story your story is always being written for you by others…It's imperative that people of good will and talent pick up the pen. More
Hilton Als on James Baldwin
I had wanted to dislike him more than I do in order to have some distance from his influence, but it is an influence I have absorbed. More
Nikki Giovanni: Making James Baldwin
Never deny what your heart knows is the truth. Never turn your back on what your mind knows is right. Never refuse to hear the cry of the angry… More
Carl Hancock Rux Reads James Baldwin
To celebrate James Baldwin's birthday, here's a 2001 recording of poet, playwright, and novelist Carl Hancock Rux reading Baldwin's work at PEN America's Twentieth-Century Masters Tribute event. More
Christopher Hitchens On George Orwell
In this 2002 recording from the PEN America Digital Archive, Christopher Hitchens offers a critical analysis of Orwell's works from his own intellectual perspective. More
The M Word Stories: Shannon Chakraborty
We are a part of human society like everyone else. We make up a quarter of the population. We have a wonderful history that expands over continents and languages. More
Sekou Sundiata and Charles Lynch on Influences
Poets Sekou Sundiata and Charles Lynch discuss early memories, adolescent anxieties, and the denouement associated with the future of the city. More
Opening Lines of Lolita
In this archival recording, James Mason reads from one of the most recognizable beginnings of twentieth-century literature. More
Adam Michnik on Revolution
One could say that every revolution has two phases. The first is very beautiful, it is the struggle for freedom. The second is horrible, it’s the struggle for power. More
Wayne Koestenbaum Reads Antonin Artaud
It probably couldn’t be published anywhere in the world today, except the fact that he’s dead makes it possible to be published. More
Support for the freedom to read with exclusive designs by Todd Parr, Mike Curato, Art Spiegelman, and more!
