AJ Connelly

Eileen “AJ” Connelly is a writer for PEN America. She worked as a journalist for decades to explain events and policies and help generate positive change. One of her earliest scoops, for a weekly newspaper, helped bring awareness to dangerous erosion at Montauk Lighthouse. As word spread, a Long Island-wide effort commenced to save the landmark. Later reporting, for the Staten Island Advance, helped to eliminate the Staten Island Ferry fare, and for The Associated Press, helped push Congress to enact tighter regulations on predatory lenders, particularly credit card companies. Most recently, she covered breaking news, including providing crucial information during the Covid-19 pandemic, as a reporter and editor for the New York Post, while also teaching journalism at Baruch College, City University of New York.