Pen America

Pen America is a public non-profit organization located in New York City at 588 Broadway, with offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. The total number of employees employed at Pen America is approximately 40 – 50 in all locations. Founded in 1922, Pen America is the largest center out of the hundreds that can be found within PEN International Network. According to the company’s website, PEN International began in London in 1921, simply as PEN. “It was one of the world’s first non-governmental organization and amongst the first international bodies advocating for human rights.”

The charity’s mission statement declares to defend free expression and protect literature, not only in the United States but internationally as well. Pen America works to ensure that individuals around the world have the freedom to create and convey information and ideas, to express their opinions, and to share and access the views, ideas, and written works of others in their desired space. The type of clients associated with Pen America are, but is not limited to, writers, activists, musicians, artists, poets, novelists and donors.

Through the Cuny Cultural Corps internship program for the 2020 spring semester, I became an intern for the design and development department at Pen America. On Thursday, January 30, my internship started with a tour. I was introduced to all the present staff from various departments and was given the task to research more about Pen America and its extensive history and events. Throughout January, Pen America has created and hosted numerous events in NYC, LA, and DC. The two events that I plan to summarize are Pen Out Loud: Saidiya Hartman With Leslie Jamison and Writers as Witness: Free Speech in A Time of Hate Speech.

According to Pen America’s calendar for festivals and events, “Saidiya Hartman celebrates the paperback release of her radical historical narrative, Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments, a genre-defying exploration of twentieth-century young black women.” Best-selling author Leslie Jamison joined the conversation to discuss her creative process and the book’s portrayal of black women, and what it truly means for them to live freely. Writers as Witness: Free Speech in A Time of Hate Speech discussed the concept of “free speech,” which has taken on a broader meaning in our current political moment as public discussion starts to center on who should be allowed on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.