A group of over a dozen writers criticizes the organization for its insufficient reaction to Israel’s “genocide.”
More than a dozen well-known writers and literary personalities have withdrawn from PEN America’s main World Voices Festival in protest of what they perceive to be the organization’s insufficient response to the “genocide” that Israel is committing against Palestinians in Gaza.
The writers—Naomi Klein, Michelle Alexander, Hisham Matar, Isabella Hammad, and Zaina Arafat—wrote to PEN America, claiming that by not demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict, the organization had “betrayed the organization’s professed commitment to peace and equality for all, and to freedom and security for writers everywhere.” The demonstration, which Literary Hub first reported on Thursday, is the most recent blow to the literary freedom advocacy group after several high-profile resignations and other criticisms in the previous several weeks.
Authors Kathleen Alcott, the winner of the O Henry Prize, and Angela Flournoy, a finalist for the national book prize, withdrew from a PEN New Year’s event in Los Angeles in January in protest against the organization’s sponsorship of a different event that featured Mayim Bialik, an author, actress, and outspoken supporter of Israel’s military action. With the exception of “press releases buried on its website,” hundreds of writers, including Roxane Gay, Maaza Mengiste, and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, denounced PEN’s “silence” over “Palestinian journalists, writers, and poets murdered by Israel” in a letter sent to the organization last month.
As to Literary Hub, the number of signatories to the open letter has surpassed 1,300.
The 16 authors state in their most recent letter that they have decided not to participate in the festival, which is set to take place in New York from May 8–11, because of PEN’s “failure” to back human rights organizations and the UN Security Council in their demands for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The letter reads, “To share their words with the world, Palestine’s poets, scholars, novelists, journalists, and essayists have risked everything, including their lives and the lives of their families.”
However, it seems that PEN America is unwilling to fully support them in their struggle against the forces that have ruled over them for the past 75 years. In Gaza, a relentless campaign of genocide against the Palestinian people is presently underway; this atrocity is documented every day and is being transmitted live to a global audience.
“At a time when moral courage is needed from all of us, we hope that our decision to not participate will add to existing efforts to yield concrete and lasting change.”
Author Klein, who has written multiple critically acclaimed books on social justice and climate change, elaborated on her logic in a different post on X, the previous Twitter platform. “I was invited to serve as an honorary co-chair of this year’s World Voices Festival by PEN America five months ago. That made me feel honored. I then observed what PEN attempted to do in Gaza and failed to accomplish so. PEN America “can be open to criticism and has responded by adding new pages to its website and issuing new statements,” which the authors believe is “welcome but still not enough,” is acknowledged in the letter’s conclusion, which is also signed by members of the Worker Writers School.
Suzanne Trimel, senior adviser for communications and media at PEN America, stated in a statement provided to The Guardian that the group respects the writers’ choice. “PEN America is committed to writers’ rights and freedom of expression. We are devastated by the serious and escalating situation in Gaza and how it is affecting Palestinian citizens as well as the hostages. According to the statement, “We stand with the poets, authors, scholars, and writers whose lives and wellbeing have been devastated by this war.”
PEN America can be open to criticism and has responded by adding new pages to its website and issuing new statements, which the authors believe is welcome but still not enough, is acknowledged in the letter’s conclusion, which is also signed by members of the Worker Writers School. Suzanne Trimel, senior adviser for communications and media at PEN America, stated that the group respects the writers’ choice. PEN America is committed to writers’ rights and freedom of expression. We are devastated by the serious and escalating situation in Gaza and how it is affecting Palestinian citizens as well as the hostages. According to the statement, We stand with the poets, authors, scholars, and writers whose lives and wellbeing have been devastated by this war.
“Seeing the terrible cost of human misery appalls us all. Beyond that, though, differing opinions exist on matters of profound importance. Some people view mentioning nuance as morally repugnant. For others, it would be unacceptable if you didn’t. We hear from stakeholders who have rather varied interpretations of our mission and beliefs, and we find ourselves faced with the task of putting them into practice right now.
Suzanne Trimel, senior adviser for communications and media at PEN America, stated, PEN America is committed to writers’ rights and freedom of expression. We are devastated by the serious and escalating situation in Gaza and how it is affecting Palestinian citizens as well as the hostages. We stand with the poets, authors, scholars, and writers whose lives and wellbeing have been devastated by this war. The differing opinions on matters of profound importance require us to navigate the task of putting them into practice.