Sat. May 2, 2026
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET
Judson Memorial Church – Memorial Hall
55 Washington Square S, New York, NY 10012
$20
Four adults of diverse backgrounds are shown in individual, brightly colored circles on a black background. From left to right: a man on orange, a woman with gray hair on yellow, a man on purple, and a woman with glasses on blue.

Who Belongs? Stories Against a Narrowing World

Globally, political and cultural forces are aligning to narrowly define national identities. Surging book bans, the outlawing of languages, the erasure of histories from official records, and the censorship of words increasingly limit who belongs and delineate who is other. Literature subverts that. 

For the festival’s closing night event, PEN America President Dinaw Mengestu will convene prominent international writers to discuss how literature champions a diversity of cultures and reflects the multiple heritages, customs, and traditions we all carry. Joining Mengestu in this vital conversation are Tash Aw (The South), Susan Choi (Flashlight), and Madeleine Thien (The Book of Records). 

CART caption is provided at this event. Captioning is being provided, in part, by a grant from NYSCA/TDF TAP Plus.