‘Something to Hide’ at Brooklyn Book Festival

St. Francis College Auditorium (180 Remsen Street), Brooklyn, New York

Writers Against the Surveillance State

Does your web browsing history inhibit what you search and where? Are you afraid to send emails of a sensitive nature or in support of a cause you believe in? Do you fear the U.S. Government’s ability to dig into your correspondence? Many writers do. In 2013, PEN polled its members concerning privacy and internet surveillance and learned that 1 in 6 writers have self-censored. That is, they have chosen to not write or speak on topics that might subject them to scrutiny by the government. “Something to Hide” is a fast-paced reading designed to provoke reflection on government surveillance, featuring Granta “20 Under 40” novelist Xiaolu Guo, prominent PEN members Robie Harris, Rakesh Satyal, Justin Taylor, and Lynne Tillman, alonside debut novelists Alena Graedon, Vanessa Manko, and Adelle Waldman. The reading will highlight how surveillance programs threaten artistic and intellectual freedom, while introducing the “Something to Hide” toolkit PEN created in cooperation with the ACLU and other organizations. Join us in bringing to the forefront the role of the writer in questioning the surveillance state.