Speakers

  • A woman with shoulder-length hair looks thoughtfully at the camera, resting her chin on her hand. She wears a light and dark jacket. The background is solid bright pink.

    Agustina Bazterrica

    Agustina Bazterrica is a writer from Buenos Aires. She has a degree in art from the University of Buenos Aires, works as a cultural administrator, and has…

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  • A grayscale portrait of an older person with wavy hair, wearing glasses and a collared shirt, smiles softly against a solid orange background.

    Lauren Bon

    Lauren Bon, artist and director of Metabolic Studio, navigates critical social and environmental issues by identifying systemic loopholes and developing emergent strategies for transformation. In 2005, her…

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  • A person with short, light brown hair and fair skin, wearing a black jacket and dark shirt, smiles slightly in front of a solid bright blue background.

    Judith Butler

    Judith Butler is Distinguished Professor in the Graduate School at the University of California, Berkeley, where they taught in Critical Theory, Rhetoric, and Comparative Literature for nearly…

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  • A woman with short gray hair and a dark green blouse smiles confidently in front of a solid bright pink background.

    Susan Choi

    Susan Choi is the author of Flashlight, her latest novel, which is currently shortlisted for the Booker Prize. She is also the author of Trust Exercise, which…

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  • A woman wearing a tan woven headband with geometric patterns, long dark hair, large round earrings, and layered beaded necklaces, stands against a solid mustard yellow background.

    Amy Bowers Cordalis

    Amy Bowers Cordalis is a devoted advocate for Indigenous rights and environmental restoration. A member of the Yurok Tribe and ceremony family from the village of Rek-Woi…

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  • A person with short, tousled blonde hair and light skin wearing a black turtleneck, looking slightly to the side and smiling softly, set against a bright pink background.

    Siri Hustvedt

    Siri Hustvedt is the author of a book of poetry, six essay collections, seven novels, including The Blazing World and Memories of the Future, and several works…

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  • A woman with long, curly dark hair and a serious expression poses against a bright yellow-green background, wearing a black top and silver jewelry.

    Laila Lalami

    Laila Lalami is the author of six books, including The Moor’s Account, which won the American Book Award, the Arab-American Book Award, and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award.…

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  • A man with a receding hairline and curly hair looks at the camera with a neutral expression. He is wearing a beige sweater with black stripes. The background is bright pink.

    Dinaw Mengestu

    Dinaw Mengestu is the President of the PEN America Board of Trustees and the author of four novels, Someone Like Us (Knopf, 2024), All Our Names (Knopf,…

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  • A woman with dark hair styled back wears large green earrings, a colorful patterned jacket with blue and orange designs, and a black top, posing against a solid orange background.

    Emma Robbins

    Emma Robbins (she/her) is an artist, activist, and community organizer. She founded The Chapter House in 2020 while serving as the Executive Director of the Navajo Water…

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  • A person with natural curly hair styled up, wearing hoop earrings and a nose ring, looks at the camera with a neutral expression. The background is a bright lime green.

    Rivers Solomon

    Rivers Solomon is a writer and lecturer. Their home is in the realm of the imaginary, where Blackness, queerness, and disability become sites of insurgency. In addition…

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  • A woman with wavy blonde hair and large glasses is wearing a red patterned top and layered necklaces, standing in front of a solid purple background.

    Bess Wohl

    Bess Wohl is a playwright whose latest play, Liberation, recently completed a critically acclaimed run on Broadway. Her other plays include Barcelona (West End), Grand Horizons (Broadway,…

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  • A person with short dark hair, glasses, and a trimmed beard rests their head on their hand, wearing a black suit jacket and white shirt, against a bright pink background.

    Charif Shanahan

    Charif Shanahan is the author of Trace Evidence: Poems (Tin House, 2023), which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry and longlisted…

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  • A woman wearing glasses, a light purple headscarf, and a black top smiles at the camera in front of a bright pink background.

    Leila Aboulela

    Leila Aboulela is the winner of the 2025 PEN Pinter Prize, the first-ever winner of the Caine Prize for African Writing, and a three-time nominee for the…

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  • A woman with short, dark hair wearing a dark gray sweater stands against a bright yellow-green background, looking confidently at the camera.

    Atossa Araxia Abrahamian

    Atossa Araxia Abrahamian is an independent journalist who writes about the cracks in the nation-state system. An editor for Now, Voyager magazine, she has worked as an…

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  • A man with a beard wearing a dark flat cap and dark jacket poses against a bright pink background, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

    D.M. Aderibigbe

    D.M. Aderibigbe is a poet from Lagos, Nigeria. He is the author of 82nd Division (Akashic Books, 2025), winner of the National Poetry Series, and How the…

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  • A person with curly, shoulder-length blonde hair and medium skin tone wears a white t-shirt, looking confidently at the camera against a bright pink background.

    Alexis Okeowo

    Alexis Okeowo is the author of Blessings and Disasters: A Story of Alabama as well as A Moonless, Starless Sky: Ordinary Women and Men Fighting Extremism in…

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