Essential to our lives in a democracy is the right to free expression. PEN American Center is hosting a gathering and rally on the steps of the New York Public Library, 12 January 2017, on the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. There will be brief readings from chosen texts, and all are invited to gather in defense of this essential freedom. It is an important public gathering to which all are welcome!
PEN America’s Writers Resist: Louder Together for Free Expression rally, will take place on Sunday 15 January at 2:00 p.m. on the steps of the New York Public Library. See below.
Join PEN America for WRITERS RESIST: Louder Together for Free Expression, a literary protest on the steps of the New York Public Library’s Schwarzman Building at 42nd St that will bring together hundreds of writers and artists, and thousands of New Yorkers on the birthday of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. Sign up at https://writersresistnyc.eventbrite.com and learn more about the event here: https://pen.org/writersresistnyc.
Our invited writers and artists will read from a curated set of diverse writings and seminal texts that embody the ideals of democracy and free expression including excerpts from the Constitution, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s sermons, George Orwell’s 1984, the Federalist Papers and other prose and poetry selections. Readers confirmed to date include Meena Alexander, Laurie Anderson, Moustafa Bayoumi, Erin Belieu, Amy Brill, Rosanne Cash, Alexander Chee, T. Cooper, Michael Cunningham, Eisa Davis, Monica de la Torre, Alex Dimitrov, Rita Dove, Charlotte Druckman, Melanie Dunea, Jeffrey Eugenides, Angela Flournoy, Masha Gessen, Allison Glock, Amy Goodman, Jeff Gordinier, David Haskell, A.M. Homes, Siri Hustvedt, Mary Karr, Michael Klein, Jaime Manrique, Colum McCann, Jill McDonough, Rick Moody, Kathleen Ossip, Robert Pinsky, Francine Prose, Kevin Prufer, Jason Reynolds, Jess Row, Esmeralda Santiago, Hirsh Sawhney, Bob Shacochis, Brenda Shaughnessey, Deborah Solomon, Andrew Solomon, Art Spiegelman, Terese Svoboda, Craig Teicher, Charlie Vazquez, Jonathan Wells, Meg Wolitzer, Zachary Wood, Jacqueline Woodson, and Monica Youn. More writers will be announced as confirmed. We are delighted that United States Poet Laureates Robert Pinsky and Rita Dove will join us to read inaugural poems for the occasion. Our event is being coordinated with a national movement involving parallel gatherings in cities and towns nationwide under the banner of Writers Resist.
