In this Works of Justice episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Erika Cohn, Peabody and Emmy Award-winning director and producer. Her newest documentary, "Belly of the Beast," exposes modern-day eugenics and reproductive injustice in California women's prisons. 

This moving and informative interview followed a private screening of the film for our Prison Writing Mentor community. Erika and Mery Concepción, Prison and Justice Writing Volunteer Coordinator, spoke about the implications of forced sterilization behind bars, how incarceration is itself a tool for eugenics and population control, and the challenges of defining consent in a space characterized by its lack of autonomy. They also discussed what it means to produce a trauma-informed film, and how to navigate and think creatively about obstacles presented by censorship and lack of access to information.

This podcast episode was written and hosted by Mery Concepción and produced by Frances Keohane, with help from Caits Meissner and Robert Pollock.

Works of Justice 119 - Erika Cohn

To learn more about the importance of prison journalism and the challenges of reporting from behind bars during the COVID-19 pandemic, we spoke with Yukari Kane and Shaheen Pasha, co-founders and -executive directors of the Prison Journalism Project. In this episode, Kane and Pasha discuss the power of teaching journalism behind bars, particularly during a pandemic; the importance of integrating prison journalism into not only the larger field of journalism, but also broader conversations around criminal justice reform; the nuance of defining the genre of “prison journalism”; and the challenges of fact-checking, verification, and credibility in a space with limited access to the internet and outside sources.

This podcast episode was written, hosted, and produced by Frances Keohane, with help from Caits Meissner and Robert Pollock.

Works of Justice 120 - Yukari Kane & Shaheen Pasha

Postgraduate Fellow Emma Stammen talks with 2018-2019 Writing for Justice Fellow David Sanchez about his debut novel "All Day is a Long Time"—a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story encompassing addiction, mental illness, homelessness, incarceration, and sobriety.

Works of Justice 201 - David Sanchez on Addiction, Subjectivity, and Selfhood

Soren Stockman reads three poems, "Lustral," "Afternoon in Wyoming," and "Doctor," which appeared in the PEN Poetry Series in March 2014. Read the poems here: www.pen.org/poetry/three-poems-soren-stockman

Three Poems By Soren Stockman

A wish, an invocation, an impassioned plea. For this contemplative evening of meditation, the Festival has commissioned an esteemed assembly of writers and artists from a wide range of cultural backgrounds to write their original prayer for our time and read it live on stage.

Prayer and Meditation: Maira Kalman

A poet’s work involves passion, fearlessness, and a flash of inspiration. PEN World Voices Festival teams up with The Poetry Society of America to present this thoughtful, elegantly staged evening of readings and dialogue on the importance of moral courage and bravery in the creation of poetry. 

This excerpt features Edward Hirsch on Joseph Brodsky.

Bravery In Poetry: Edward Hirsch on Joseph Brodsky

A panel of three speakers discusses the restrictions placed on many forms of expression in the occupied territories, from lists of banned books to the shutting down of newspapers to military laws criminalizing paintings in the "wrong colors." A defense is given for these restrictions, and a heated debate ensues.

Panel: Censorship in the Israeli Occupied Territory, 12/6/1982

The motivation for the panel "Nationalism in Eastern Central Europe: The Writer's Dilemma" was largely due to "the new political situation in Eastern Europe and Russia", as the moderator notes.  Cultural identity is a central theme of the discussion.  Also, the different sense of responsibility writers in this part of the world have toward their country and society. Additionally, if a writers search for identity parallels a nations search for identity is debated.  A further point explored by panelists is, "whether the recent fall of communism has left a vacuum, and what is going to occupy that vacuum?" Panelists include Slavenka Drakulic, György Konrád, Czeslaw Milosz , Tatyana Tolstaya, and Adam Zagajewski.

Nationalism in East and Central Europe: The Writer's Dilemma, 4/12/1992

Journalist Oriana Fallaci discusses her book, "A Man," about Greek politician Alexandros Panagoulis, who was imprisoned and tortured-- and finally, after being released, died in mysterious circumstances-- for attempting to assassinate the dictator Georgios Papadopoulos. Panagoulis was also her lover, and Fallaci discusses how she used real events from their lives in the book and why she nevertheless calls it a novel. She also describes in compelling terms Panagoulis's heroism and its costs, saying at one point "I saw in him the solitude of all those who refuse to bend to society."

A Conversation with Oriana Fallaci, 12/5/1980

In a conversation that occurred just a year after "The Name of the Rose" was published in English—and in the midst of its international bestsellerdom—Susan Sontag and Umberto Eco discuss Eco's turn to fiction and other topics. They begin with their mutual interest in Roland Barthes and his works and move on to such subjects as interpretation, post-modernism, popular culture, Parsifal, Sherlock Holmes, the power of badly written novels, and much else, as one might expect from a discussion between two famed intellectual polymaths.

Conversations with Distinguished Authors: Umberto Eco and Susan Sontag, 10/24/1984

The Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe and Susan Sontag discuss, among other topics, Achebe's 1975 lecture about the racism in Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness," the questions that using the language of a colonizer raises for the writer of a formerly colonized land or people, and the relationship between literature and morality.

Conversations with Distinguished Foreign Writers: Susan Sontag and Chinua Achebe, 4/5/1989

In this recording, theorist and critic George Steiner, with PEN President Susan Sontag, gives a talk in which he analyzes a single passage from Book 24 of the Iliad in numerous translations, from Chapman, Pope and Fitzgerald's translations all the way up to Christopher Logue's, for what they tell us about the translation between the body and the mind. "What," he asks, "is the channel whereby the body's ache becomes grammatical, becomes metaphorical, becomes a simile?" A deeply erudite and provocative discussion of translation, ranging from Borges and Beckett's acts of self-translation to the untranslatability of divine speech to the way that a great translation "gives you the impression of being the realization and unfolding of one of the potentialities  that the original did not have time to fulfill."

George Steiner

John Oliver Killens on the racial injustice suffered by African-Americans.

The Writer Talks: John Oliver Killens, 8/19/1970

Wolf Biermann sings and plays his songs, including "Deutschland im Herbst", "Und als Wir ans Ufer kamen", "Die hab Ich satt", "Das Hölderlin-Lied", "Ich leb mein Leben, sagt Eva-Marie". In discussion, he explores how song, free expression and culture are related and necessarily important.

Wolf Biermann

Madeleine L'Engle discusses the connections between art and fear, the power of myths, science and faith, and her career as a writer of "A Wrinkle in Time", among many other books.

The Writer Talks: Madeleine L'Engle

Celebrating the legacy of Vladimir Nabokov at the 20th Century Masters Tribute Series, James Mason open the PEN America event by reading the iconic opening lines of Lolita.

Opening Lines Of Lolita, Read By James Mason

Christopher Hitchens speaks on “Crucibles: Past and Present” followed by a conversation with PEN World Voices Festival Chair, Salman Rushdie. Hitchens replaces Sherman Alexie who was previously scheduled.

Christopher Hitchens Freedom to Write Lecture

Chinua Achebe Reads from Things Fall Apart at Faith & Reason, part of the 2006 PEN World Voices Festival.


Chinua Achebe Reads from Things Fall Apart

Toni Morrison reads from Paradise at Faith & Reason, part of the 2006 PEN World Voices Festival.


Toni Morrison Reads from Paradise

Zadie Smith reads from her novel On Beauty at Faith & Reason, part of the 2006 PEN World Voices Festival.


Zadie Smith Reads from On Beauty

Salman Rushdie reads from The Satanic Verses at Faith & Reason, part of the 2006 PEN World Voices Festival.


Salman Rushdie Reads from The Satanic Verses

Discussed: doubt; Pascal’s approach to faith; a plausible refutation of religion; the nepotistic figure of Christ; hadith and the theological gamble of suicide bombings; time and its eternal return; end-time theology, and similarities between Ronald Reagan and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. 

Conversation: Patrick McGrath & Martin Amis

Nadine Gordimer reads excerpts from “The Ultimate Safari” at Town Hall Readings: Writing Home, part of the 2007 PEN World Voices Festival.


Nadine Gordimer Reads from “The Ultimate Safari”

Eve Ensler reads “Midrash on Happiness” at the 2007 event A Tribute to Grace Paley: An Evening of Readings and Remembrance.


Eve Ensler Reads “Midrash on Happiness” by Grace Paley

Walter Mosley reads “Wants” at the 2007 event A Tribute to Grace Paley: An Evening of Readings and Remembrance.


Walter Mosley Reads “Wants” by Grace Paley

Suheir Hammad reads her poem “break (clustered)” at the 2008 event A Tribute to Chinua Achebe.


Suheir Hammad Reads “break (clustered)”

Toni Morrison discusses language and literature, the pervasive “denigration of black speech” in American literature, and the lasting impression that Chinua Achebe's literature had on her, followed by a reading of “English and the African Writer” by Chinua Achebe at PEN’s Tribute to Chinua Achebe.


Toni Morrison Reads “English and the African Writer” by Chinua Achebe

We’ve borrowed this special event from its creators, our friends and colleagues at the Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival, where it is a smash hit with festival audiences. Internationally renowned translators from around the globe take the spotlight and test their linguistic mettle against each other in a battle to the translation death. Be prepared to cheer for your favorite wordsmith!

Idra Novey and Monica de la Torre translate Coral Bracho

Edwidge Danticat reads the poems “Tourist” and “Boat People” by Felix Morisseau-Leroy (translated from Haitian Creole by Jack Hirschman) at the event Evolution/Revolution, part of the 2009 PEN World Voices Festival.

Edwidge Danticat Reads Poems “Tourist” and “Boat People” by Felix Morisseau-Leroy

Amiri Baraka reads “Rhythm Travel” at the 2008 Beyond Margins Celebration.


Amiri Baraka Reads “Rhythm Travel”

Rick Moody hosts an evening of conversation and performances featuring writer and musician Sufjan Stevens, and novelist Wesley Stace, who performs as John Wesley Harding, at PENultimate Lit: Music & Literature.

PENultimate Lit: An Evening on Music & Literature

As part of Rare Bird Books, Julia Callahan has co-hosted a small press Author Evening with Chris Heiser from Unnamed Press for years. Now, from the floor of her apartment in the Los Feliz neighborhood of LA, she waxes philosophical on roller derby as a stress reliever, how to be an active member of your literary community, and living inside the story of Los Angeles.

*

As Sales and Marketing Director at Rare Bird, Julia Callahan oversees all aspects of sales, distribution, marketing, and author relations. Prior to joining the Rare Bird team, she worked for four years as Tyson Cornell’s marketing and publicity assistant at Book Soup where she helped coordinate thousands of events each year, notably The Doors’ 40th Anniversary, Ralph Steadman, Tony Curtis, and many others. She grew up in Santa Cruz and has a BA in English. Find Julia on the socials @pesty1079

PEN America Emerging Voices Podcast Episode 009 Julia Callahan

Listen to The Lucas Brothers(Netflix/On Drugs, FOX/Lucas Bros Moving Co, 22 Jump Street), Keith and Kenny, two of the freshest, most dynamic faces in comedy and leaders in exposing the insidious nature of our criminal justice system. The brothers peak about their lives and engage in a Q&A with young people from POPS (Pain of the Prison System) the Club and other organizations across the country who support our underserved youth.

Intro by Nicolette Natale
Hosted by Robert Pollock
Video at http://bit.ly/popslucasbros
Read the Lucas Bros Vulture Essay at https://www.vulture.com/article/our-brother-kaizen.html

Works of Justice 112 - The Lucas Brothers

To learn about how local officials within the criminal justice system can be actors—if unlikely ones—in expanding the rights of justice-involved individuals, we spoke to Lucy Lang.

The former director of John Jay’s Institute for Innovation in Prosecution and a candidate in the race for Manhattan district attorney, Lang has a reputation for being a leader in reform. In this episode, she helps us understand the scope and significance of the district attorney’s work—particularly in the era of COVID-19, when the leadership of criminal justice officials is paramount in ensuring the safety of individuals behind bars and of their communities on the outside. In doing so, Lang reminds us of the importance of voting in local elections. Echoing our own mission at PEN America, Lang also speaks about the intersection of public policy and writing: how storytelling can be a tool for advocacy and empowerment.

Hosted  and produced by Nicolette Natale
with support from Frances Keohane and Robert Pollock

Works Of Justice 113 - Lucy Lang

In this mini-Works of Justice episode, we spoke with celebrated poet Kaveh Akbar, who will be performing Terry Hedin's poem "El Reno" in our "Break Out" Event on November 17th. Terry's piece won Third Place this year in PEN America's Prison Writing Contest. 

Kaveh spoke honestly and poetically about the privilege and responsibility of holding another person's writing in one's own mouth, and about the importance of poetry as a tool for empathy and connection—especially in our time of unprecedented isolation and increased threats to free speech.

Hosted and produced by Frances Keohane
with support from Caits Meissner and Robert Pollock

Works of Justice 114 - Kaveh Akbar

Founder and CEO of WE GOT US NOW, a nonprofit advocacy organization that amplifies the stories of and challenges faced by children and young adults with incarcerated parents, Ebony Underwood is a leader in the fight to expand awareness of and rights for the millions who have experienced parental incarceration.

In this podcast episode, Underwood speaks intimately and powerfully about her dad’s incarceration and its effects on her various and intersecting identities: advocate, social entrepreneur, actionist, daughter, and writer. She also details the impact of COVID-19 on the recent efforts of WE GOT US NOW. 

Hosted and produced by Nicolette Natale
with support from Frances Keohane, Caits Meissner, and Robert Pollock

Works of Justice 115 - Ebony Underwood

In Part II of our Family Through The Walls series, we meet Dunasha Payne through an intimate and moving conversation about parenting behind bars. Dunasha is an alumna of Rehabilitation Through The Arts, which provides extensive arts access behind the walls of six New York State correctional facilities. There, she proved herself a talented writer, actor, and singer. She is now the Program Coordinator of the Young Women’s Initiative at Drama Club, a non-profit organization that provides theater programming and mentorship to young, justice-involved individuals in New York City. 

In her current work, Dunasha pulls from her intersecting experiences—as a justice-involved woman, as a mother, and in the arts—to mentor and connect meaningfully with the young people she teaches.

Hosted by Caits Meissner
Researched and written by Frances Keohane and Nicolette Natale with guidance from Robert Pollock

Works of Justice 116 - Dunasha Payne

In this episode of our Works of Justice series, we had the pleasure of speaking with Maurice Chammah, a journalist and staff writer at The Marshall Project whose reporting on the criminal justice system has been published by The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Atlantic, Esquire, and Mother Jones, among others. His first book, Let the Lord Sort Them, was just released. Haunting and absorbing, Let the Lord Sort Them traces the rise and fall of the death penalty in the United States by focusing on Texas as a microcosm of our country's preoccupation with capital punishment. 

In this interview, in addition to sharing his professional and writing trajectories through and beyond the book, Maurice spoke in depth about his experience as a Writing for Justice mentor for Fellow Thomas Bartlett Whitaker, and about how his relationship with Thomas impacted his own work.

Hosted by Frances Keohane
Researched, written and produced by Frances Keohane with guidance from Caits Meissner, Robert Pollock, and Stephen Fee

Works of Justice 117 - Maurice Chammah

In this Works of Justice episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Bruce Western, a professor of Sociology and Social Justice and codirector of the Justice Lab at Columbia University. A leader in the field of criminal justice reform, Dr. Western has conducted extensive research on various issues within mass incarceration, including reentry, the effects of fines and fees, solitary confinement, and more. During the pandemic, he has worked alongside other experts in publishing the report "Decarcerating Correctional Facilities during COVID-19", as well as the whitepaper "Recommendations for Prioritization and Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccine in Prisons and Jails".

In this episode, Dr. Western discussed decarceration strategies that could improve public health outcomes for all, challenges with vaccine distribution inside correctional facilities, and the importance of harboring compassion and empathy particularly in times of crisis.

Hosted and produced by Nicolette Natale
with support from Frances Keohane, Caits Meissner, Robert Pollock

Works of Justice 118 - Bruce Western

PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world.  Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.


Popular tracks by PEN America