PEN at 2015 Brooklyn Book Festival
Get ready, book lovers! PEN is excited to be a Programming Partner for the Tenth Annual Brooklyn Book Festival on Sunday, September 20. Over 40 PEN Members are participating in a variety of talks, readings, and special events throughout the day (see below for the full list). We hope to see you there.
Stop by PEN’s Booth #202 to hear about PEN’s recent campaigns in Mexico, Nigeria, and Azerbaijan, learn about our Writers in the School and Prison Writing Mentoring programs, and speak with staff about our special upcoming Banned Books Week feature. Copies of our chapbooks and the PEN America journal will also be on sale.
SPECIAL OFFER*: Renew your membership in person or sign up to become a new Member and you’ll receive a 20% discount on your annual dues. Students get 50% off.
This year PEN will host two panel discussions at the Brooklyn Book Festival:
PEN’s Children’s and Young Adult Committee Presents: The Words Your Children Cannot Read
10:00 A.M. MAIN STAGE
The past year has seen a remarkable rise in the number of books challenged as being inappropriate reading for children and young adults. Across America, critics have tried to remove books from library shelves and school reading lists-books that deal with aspects of life that they think your kids shouldn’t know. Bestselling and critically acclaimed authors Matt de La Peña, Libba Bray, Robie Harris, and Christopher Myers will read the words that some people say are unfit for children. Come and judge for yourself if they contain ideas too dangerous for today’s youth.
Translating Books for Youth presented by the PEN American Center
2:00 P.M. ST. FRANCIS WORKSHOP SPACE
A discussion about the importance of bringing books from non-English speaking countries to young readers and some of the key issues faced in translating children’s and young adult books. Join children’s book publisher Claudia Zoe Bedrick, Publisher, Enchanted Lion Books; Julia Heim, translator, from Italian to English; Mara Lethem, translator, Spanish and Catalan to English; Lyn Miller-Lachmann, translator, Portuguese and Spanish to English and Alex Zucker, co-chair, PEN Translation Committee.
Don’t miss these other PEN events, part of the Official Brooklyn Book Festival Bookends series happening September 14-18:
Monday, September 14, 2015, 7:00pm, Brooklyn Book Festival Opening Night Party
Wednesday, September 16, Unslain Words: Solidarity for Bangladesh
Friday, September 18, 2015, 6:30pm, PEN Translation Presents: Expressive Expedients
PEN Members participating in this year’s Festival include:
Russell Banks
Kate Bolick
Edwidge Danticat
Bridgett Davis
Mark Doten
Nick Flynn
Jonathan Galassi
Vivian Gornick
Lauren Groff
Robie Harris
A.M. Homes
Marie Howe
Marlon James
T. Geronimo Johnson
Saeed Jones
Porochista Khakpour
Brendan Kiely
Owen King
Phil Klay
Phillip Lopate
Thomas Page McBee
Lincoln Michel
Stewart O’Nan
Joyce Carol Oates
Chinelo Okparanta
Dael Orlandersmith
Gregory Pardlo
Rowan Ricardo Phillips
Francine Prose
Kirstin Valdez Quade
Ted Rall
Roxana Robinson
Salman Rushdie
Luc Sante
Esmeralda Santiago
Joel Simon
Mona Simpson
David Ulin
Laura van den Berg