PEN AMERICA

World Voices Festival

April 29 – May 2, 2026

NYC Schedule LA Schedule
An illustration of three stacked books with a fourth book open on top, evoking the spirit of a book literary festival. Below the books, bold yellow text reads STORIES MATTER on a black background.

4 Days. 40+ Events. 140+ Authors from 40+ Countries

The World Voices Festival is PEN America’s annual celebration of writers, international literature, and free expression. Taking place from April 29 through May 2, with more than 140 writers from 40 countries, this year’s festival is an insistence on the power of literature and cross-cultural dialogue. This gathering of writers from every part of the globe is a potent reminder—in fact, an antidote in an era of censorship, nativism, and renewed isolationism—that books drive culture and the stories we tell can shape and transform our lives.

A large audience sits in a dimly lit hall with arched windows, watching a speaker at a podium during the World Voices book literary festival. Colorful banners and red fabric decorate the venue.
A world map highlighting various countries in different colors with the text 120+ AUTHORS FROM 40+ COUNTRIES at the top, showcasing broad global participation in this vibrant book literary festival.

The breadth of our programming this year has events for everyone! The festival’s accessibly-priced and free programs will take over bookstores, schools, parks, and historic venues across New York City’s Greenwich Village and Los Angeles. Wide ranging discussions will cover topics like dark academia, threats to US democracy, dystopian novels, climate change solutions, border literature, the art of translation, and more. This festival embodies our belief that poets, novelists, translators, and journalists, and literature writ broadly, reminds us of our shared humanity and is a bulwark against the rising tide of autocratic powers threatening democratic values.

Featured NY Events

There is something for everyone!

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Featured NY Speakers

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A collage of colorful book covers displayed diagonally on a purple background evokes the vibrant atmosphere of a book literary festival, featuring titles such as The Water Remembers, The new politics of Poland, Enshittification, and more.

Festival Reading Lists

Let’s get ready to read! The latest releases from festival authors are available on Bookshop.org.

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Thanks to Our 2026 Presenting Sponsors

The Poetry Foundation logo featuring the word POETRY in bold black letters divided by red lines, with FOUNDATION in white letters on a red rectangle below and a black Pegasus graphic at the bottom.
Logo for the Taipei Cultural Center in New York, Ministry of Culture, Republic of China (Taiwan), featuring a blue abstract graphic and traditional Chinese calligraphy, highlighting English and Chinese text for a book literary festival.
Bold purple lowercase letters tdf, often associated with creative literary festival sponsors, centered on a plain white background.