As the current U.S. presidential administration marks its 100th day, the landscape of free expression faces unprecedented challenges. Book bans are on the rise, college campuses are canceling events for fear of political reprisal, and the right to protest is increasingly under threat. Simultaneously, authoritarian regimes are gaining ground worldwide, eroding the foundations of liberal democracy. In this critical moment, PEN America brings together three of today’s most acclaimed novelists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche (Dream Count), Jennifer Egan (The Candy House), and Burhan Sönmez (Lovers of Franz K.)-for an urgent conversation on the role of novelists in times of political turmoil. Novelists do not merely reflect the world in their works, but they shape and expand a reader’s understanding of it. Does a writer have a responsibility to respond to the political climate around them? Are they only beholden to their craft, aesthetic, and own political concerns? Join us for an inspiring and thought-provoking evening as these literary giants explore the intersection of art and activism, and what it means to be a novelist in an age of political crisis in a conversation moderated by PEN America interim Co-CEO and Chief Program Officer of Literary Programming, Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf.
This event will have CART Captioning.
