*That would be a good idea, if it was actually happening.
Dear Bruce,
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature, free expression, and human rights. And at times of unparalleled turmoil, we must champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world.
Each year, PEN America brings together writers, artists, and thinkers from around the country and world through two iconic, annual events.
The PEN America Literary Awards celebrate writers representing the near and far corners of the literary landscape, including those who have shattered barriers of race, class, ethnicity, geography, gender, and sexual orientation to bring stories to new audiences.
The PEN World Voices Festival, the United States’ only international literature festival with a human rights focus, celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2019, a powerful testament to the continued relevance of its mission to celebrate world literature and combat cultural isolationism.
Throughout our nearly 100-year history, PEN America has worked as a bridge across cultures and geographies, forging relationships and solidarity that are a counterweight against hatreds and polarization. And at a time when our current administration is creating divisions between us and many of our allies throughout the world, we must work to repair those frayed relationships through empathy and understanding.
Will you make an end-of-year tax deductible contribution to PEN America today to help realize a collective future that embraces our differences and broadens channels of dialogue between the U.S. and the rest of the world?
While the present political moment in the United States feels overwhelming at times, we can turn toward literature and the arts not for escapism, but as a guide to see us through these dark times.
Thank you for all that you do to lift up all voices,
Jennifer Egan
President
PEN America
