The PEN Pod
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Episode 91: Portland, Michael Cohen, and Defending Speech with Suzanne Nossel
24 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's Friday, which means it's time for our weekly Tough Questions segment with PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel. We discuss the First Amendment implicat...
Episode 90: Avoid the Obvious with Jaswinder Bolina
23 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's edition, we speak with poet and writer Jaswinder Bolina, whose new essay collection OF COLOR just published this summer. He talks about how...
Episode 89: Hollywood in Transition with Kim Masters
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The entertainment industry is searching for ways out of the lockdown—while it also reckons with systemic racial inequalities. The Hollywood Reporter...
Sisters in Hate with Seyward Darby
21 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How has the far-right movement attracted so many people, in particular women? Reporter Seyward Darby has been documenting how three such individuals c...
Episode 87: Writing and Mentorship with M. Kiguwa and Antonia Crane
20 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition of The PEN Pod, we kick off our series of conversations with our Emerging Voices fellows and their mentors, starting with M. Kiguwa an...
Episode 86: Bari Weiss, White House Briefings, and Disinformation with Suzanne Nossel
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this Friday edition of The PEN Pod, we put our toughest questions about free speech to PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel, author of the forthcoming bo...
Episode 85: Sex, Lies, and the Arab World with Leïla Slimani
16 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition of The PEN Pod, we talk to author Leïla Slimani about her first non-fiction work, Sex and Lies: True Stories of Women's Intimate Live...
Episode 84: Tearing Down Systemic Racism in Hollywood with Bianca Sams, Michelle Amor, and Hilliard Guess
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's edition, we bring you a roundtable conversation with the leaders of the Black committee of writers at the Writers Guild of America West. We...
Episode 83: Race, Place, and Belonging with Sejal Shah
14 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, PEN America's Gina Chung talks with author Sejal Shah, whose new memoir This Is One Way To Dance: Essays on Race, Place, & Belong...
Episode 82: Catrachos with Roy G. Guzmán
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's edition of The PEN Pod, we speak with poet Roy G. Guzmán about their debut collection of poems, Catrachos. They call it something like a B...
Episode 81: Tough Questions about Hong Kong, Tik Tok, and Harper's Magazine Letter with Suzanne Nossel
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's Friday, which means it's time for our weekly "Tough Questions" segment with PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel, author of the forthcoming book Dare t...
Episode 80: Pressures on Kids Amid the Pandemic with Ed Lin
08 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of The PEN Pod, we speak with YA author Ed Lin about his forthcoming book David Tung Can't Have a Girlfriend Until He Gets Into an Ivy...
Episode 79: We Are Living a Deeply Mythic Moment with Julia Alvarez
07 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this Tuesday edition of The PEN Pod, we talk to acclaimed writer Julia Alvarez about her new book AFTERLIFE; what we can learn about empathy from r...
Episode 78: So Much to Unpack and Unlearn with Lynn Nottage and Jeremy O. Harris
06 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition of The PEN Pod, playwrights Jeremy O. Harris and Lynn Nottage in conversation about the theater, its future, and abolishing the struct...
Episode 77: Social Media, Mary Trump, and Hong Kong Woes with Suzanne Nossel
03 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As we head into the Independence Day weekend, we have an extended version of our weekly TOUGH QUESTIONS segment with PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel. I...
Episode 76: Small Things We Cannot See That Change Our Lives with Ed Yong
02 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition of The PEN Pod, PEN America's Gina Chung talks to science journalist Ed Yong about the missed signals of the COVID-19 pandemic, what w...
Episode 75: No Reason Not to Produce More Plays with Jacqueline Goldfinger
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we talk about playwriting amid the pandemic and how plays might be viewed through a new lens in the wake of a global virus. Then, ...
Episode 74: Lakewood with Megan Giddings
30 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We talk to author Megan Giddings about her book LAKEWOOD, a novel that navigates dark themes of human experimentation, exploitation, and the lengths w...
Episode 73: Everywhere You Don't Belong with Gabriel Bump
29 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we speak to debut novelist Gabriel Bump about his book Everywhere You Don't Belong, and how this Chicago story is a coming of age ...
Episode 72: Tough Questions Plus Renewed Calls to Support Writers
26 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's edition of The PEN Pod, we discuss rescinded college admissions for students who use hate speech; the dismissal of multiple leaders from U....
Episode 71: Collecting History with Tyree Boyd-Pates
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's edition of The PEN Pod, we talk to curator Tyree Boyd-Pates at Los Angeles' Autry Museum about a new project to collect artifacts from the ...
Episode 70: Richard Nixon for Kids with Elizabeth Levy and Fatima Shaik
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Children's' and YA book author Elizabeth Levy shares more on her new book about Nixon, as well as her thoughts on truth and government in a conversati...
Episode 69: The Classic Fact Check with Snopes' Alex Kasprak
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's edition, we dive into the deep dark world of internet disinformation with investigative journalist Alex Kasprak of Snopes.com. Then, a read...
Episode 68: Writers Called to Reimagine the World with Lisa Ko
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition of The PEN Pod, we talk to author Lisa Ko about what the current crises demand of writers, and how her work might be read now amid the...
Episode 67: Juneteenth in Tulsa with Quraysh Ali Lansana, Plus Tough Questions with Suzanne Nossel
19 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we mark this Juneteenth with a conversation with historian Quraysh Ali Lansana. The Tulsa-based writer discusses the weekend's planned Trump ra...
Episode 66: Poets and the Pandemic with Vincent Bristow
18 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we talk to poet Vincent Bristow, part of the Open Doors arts and justice collaborative here in New York City that works mainly wit...
Episode 65: The Importance of Memory with Jaquira Diaz
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition of The PEN Pod, we talk with author of ORDINARY GIRLS: A MEMOIR Jaquira Diaz. She highlights how the stories of Black and Brown girls,...
Episode 64: Putting Tech Under The Microscope with Ainissa Ramirez
16 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We talk to writer and scientist Ainissa Ramirez about how eight inventions have shaped humanity, which she explores in her book THE ALCHEMY OF US. We ...
Episode 63: Honoring Literary Excellence with Ruben Quesada and Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today we open submissions for the 2021 PEN America Literary Awards, one of the most diverse literary award lineups in the country. But how do awards h...
Episode 62: When Incremental Change Isn't Fast Enough with Suzanne Nossel
12 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's Friday, which means it's time to pose tough questions about free speech and free expression to PEN America's CEO Suzanne Nossel. This week, while...
Episode 61: The Undocumented Americans with Karla Cornejo Villavicencio
11 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of The PEN Pod, we speak to author of THE UNDOCUMENTED AMERICANS Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. She discusses telling a fuller story of ...
Episode 60: Sharing Your Voices, Accentuating Others with Pawan Dhingra
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Pawan Dhingra's new book explores the hyper-educated child but also how the next generation might cope with the current crises. Then, as summer approa...
Episode 59: A Family Saga with Nguyen Phan Que Mai
09 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nguyen Phan Que Mai weaves together a fictional family saga with the real-life traumas of Vietnam's tumultuous 20th century in her new work THE MOUNTA...
Episode 58: The Passion of Protest with Simran Jeet Singh
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this installment of The PEN Pod, we check in with author and activist Simran Jeet Singh; he's out with a new children's book, and he reflects on th...
Episode 57: Fighting Anti-Black Violence, Defending the First Amendment
05 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's edition, we talk to our CEO Suzanne Nossel about what literary organizations can do at this moment of crisis as part of our weekly series "...
Episode 56: Honoring an Imprisoned Chinese Writer; Plus a These Truths Conversation
04 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's edition of The PEN Pod, we announce the winner of our 2020 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, imprisoned Chinese writer and activist Xu Zhi...
Episode 55: The Twin Epidemics of COVID-19 and Police Violence with Karen Attiah
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of The PEN Pod, we check in with Karen Attiah, journalist and global opinions editor at the Washington Post. She reflects on the inter...
Episode 54: #TheShowMustBePaused
02 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we take a break from our normal production schedule alongside others participating in #TheShowMustBePaused.
Episode 53: An American Reckoning
01 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A weekend of demonstrations and excessive violence by state actors has led to a major reckoning for the First Amendment. On this episode, we hear from...
Episode 52: Magical Thinking with Wayetu Moore, Plus Trump's Twitter Meltdown with Suzanne Nossel
29 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's edition of The PEN Pod, we talk to Liberian American author Wayetu Moore about her memoir The Dragons, The Giant, The Women, and how magica...
Episode 51: Poetry and Protest with Nora Benavidez and Ann Kjellberg
28 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition of The PEN Pod, we explore how protest is increasingly being criminalized on the state level with our own Nora Benavidez. Then, this w...
Episode 50: Imagining a Time Beyond with Helen Zia
27 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today, as PEN America and the Asian American Writers' Workshop host a day of solidarity, we talk about the spike in anti-Asian sentiment with longtime...
Episode 49: Tulsa's Busiest Bookseller, Plus Fighting Anti-Asian Sentiment
26 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition of The PEN Pod, we connect with Tulsa's Jeff Martin, who runs Magic City Books and leads PEN America's Tulsa chapter. He talks about h...
Episode 48: Tough Questions with Suzanne Nossel, Plus How a Dallas Bookseller Keeps Going
22 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, our CEO Suzanne Nossel addresses questions about government surveillance, White House retaliation against journalism, and imprisoned ...
Episode 47: Questioning Everything More with Carmen Boullosa
21 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition, we speak with poet and author Carmen Boullosa about her new text, The Book of Anna, and urges readers to more fully dive into the boo...
Episode 46: A Life Sentence with Jewher Ilham
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As part of our ongoing interviews about writers detained globally, today we speak with Jewher Ilham, whose father, Uyghur economist, writer, and profe...
Episode 45: The Freedom to Write with Karin Deutsch Karlekar and Ahmed Naji
19 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today, a special edition of The PEN Pod, as we launch our global Freedom to Write Index of imprisoned writers and public intellectuals globally. First...
Episode 44: Crimean Tatars Under Threat with Myroslava Gongadze
18 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today on The PEN Pod, we mark the 76th anniversary of the deportation of Crimean Tatars by speaking with VOA reporter Myroslava Gongadze, who walks us...
Episode 43: Crisis, Opportunity, and the Vitality of Literature with Rebecca Makkai; Plus Tough Questions with Suzanne Nossel
15 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this Friday's edition of The PEN Pod, we talk to acclaimed author Rebecca Makkai about working amid a crisis, parallels between her work and our ex...
Episode 42: Re-Reading Mary Shelley with Eileen Hunt Botting
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition of The PEN Pod, we talk all things Mary Shelley with scholar Eileen Hunt Botting, who has called Shelly's text THE LAST MAN the first ...
Episode 41: After Chaos Upends Everything with Lulu Miller; Plus, Remembering Carolyn Reidy
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we explore the new book WHY FISH DON'T EXIST with its author Lulu Miller, who manages to weave together a scientific narrative wit...
Episode 40: The Virtual Campus with Jonathan Friedman
12 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this, our 40th episode of The PEN Pod, we take you to the Zoom classroom, where students have been learning in a total virtual environment for two ...
Episode 39: A Hungarian Tale with Mark Baczoni, Plus THESE TRUTHS
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this installment of The PEN Pod, we speak to writer and translator Mark Baczoni, who has just translated Janos Szekely's novel TEMPTATION into Engl...
Episode 38: Social Media Platform Reform with Suzanne Nossel; Plus Novelist Andrey Kurkov
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this edition of The PEN Pod, we talk to Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America and author of the forthcoming book DARE TO SPEAK, about how the social m...
Episode 37: Claiming Ourselves Through Language with Jose Antonio Vargas
07 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Jose Antonio Vargas explores how the pandemic response is excluding un...
Episode 36: Letting Go of Our Illusions with Charles Yu
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's edition of The PEN Pod, we talk to author and screenwriter Charles Yu about his new book and entertainment stereotypes. We also catch up wi...
Episode 35: An American in Italy with Wallis Wilde-Menozzi
05 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, we talk with author Wallis Wilde-Menozzi, based in Italy, about her experience weathering the pandemic in Parma. Then, the Pulitze...
Episode 34: Thrillers in a Time of Crisis with Karin Slaughter
04 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode of The PEN Pod, we talk to bestselling author Karin Slaughter about writing thrillers, pandemics, and the work she's doing to suppo...
Episode 33: Unorthodox with Deborah Feldman, Plus Tough Questions with Suzanne Nossel
01 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we speak to author of UNORTHODOX Deborah Feldman, whose hit memoir about leaving an ultra-religious Jewish community in Brooklyn is n...
Episode 32: Critically Engaging with the World with Dinaw Mengestu
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition, we talk to novelist and PEN America trustee Dinaw Mengestu for how he's teaching writing amid the pandemic, and what we can learn fro...
Episode 31: The Spiritual Urgency of Poetry with Carolyn Forché
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode, poet and activist Carolyn Forché shares insights on the power of poetry, the concepts of migration and movement during a lockdown...
Episode 30: A Photo and a Family Saga with Brandon Shimoda
28 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this, our 30th episode, we talk to PEN America Literary Award winner Brandon Shimoda and the epic family tale he tells in The Grave on the Wall. Pl...
Episode 29: A Search for Empathy with Ramiza Koya
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode for Monday, April 27, we talk to debut novelist Ramiza Koya about her new book THE ROYAL ABDULS; she discusses her own health strug...
Episode 28: Endurance, Survival, and Poetry with Rigoberto Gonzalez; Plus Tough Questions with Suzanne Nossel
24 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this Friday edition of The PEN Pod, we talk to poet Rigoberto Gonzalez about how family history helps define his work and about how he still sees p...
Episode 27: The Paris Review Transforms with Emily Nemens, Plus Supporting the Literary Arts
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we talk to the editor of the Paris Review Emily Nemens about how the magazine has changed, and about her new book. We also hear from ...
Episode 26: Belonging in the World with Mimi Lok, Plus the Outlook From Hong Kong
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For Wednesday's episode, we talk about belonging, mentorship, and human connections with author Mimi Lok. We also discuss how the coronavirus is impac...
Episode 25: The Possibility of Surprise with Emily St. John Mandel, Plus Local Journalists as Heroes
21 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On today's edition, we talk to novelist Emily St. John Mandel about her new book and a bit about her own writing on a post-pandemic future. We're also...
Episode 24: Cities and Our Future with N.K. Jemisin, Plus a Virtual Translation Festival with Mary Ann Newman
20 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this Monday's episode, we talk to Hugo Award winning author N.K. Jemisin reckoning with real themes in a fantasy world, and then Catalan translator...
Episode 23: This Moment Will Change Literally Everything with Franklin Leonard; Plus Tough Questions with Suzanne Nossel
17 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this Friday, we talk to film executive and PEN America board member Franklin Leonard on the coronavirus crisis' impact on screenwriters and the dyn...
Episode 22: Connecting Through Translation with Ali Araghi; Plus Prisons and E-Books
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we discuss translation and uncertainty with debut Iranian novelist Ali Araghi. We also cover a letter from PEN America to the compani...
Episode 21: The Magic of Writing with Bernardine Evaristo; Plus, Washington Post's Paul Farhi
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition, we talk to British author Bernardine Evaristo about her latest novel and how she was able to assemble its incredible assortment of ch...
Episode 20: Coronavirus Behind Bars: Nobody Can Afford Not to Care Right Now
14 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this special edition, we explore how the coronavirus pandemic is raging through the nation's prisons and jails. We talk to our own Caits Meissner f...
Episode 19: Writing Duo Dr. Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell on Science and the Outbreak
13 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Medical examiner Dr. Judy Melinek and her husband/writing partner T.J. Mitchell discuss writing about medicine and science amid a pandemic (and experi...
Episode 18: Novelist Ruchika Tomar on Inequality and the Outbreak, Plus Tough Questions With Suzanne Nossel
10 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For this Friday, we talk to PEN/Hemingway Award winner Ruchika Tomar about her debut novel A Prayer for Travelers and on the inequities of the outbrea...
Episode 17: Are We Really In This Together? With M. NourbeSe Philip
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we talk about the pandemic, poetry, and the inequalities of the outbreak with M. NourbeSe Philip, and she shares an original poem. Al...
Episode 16: War and Peace With Yiyun Li
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, 2020 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award winner Yiyun Li talks about her virtual book club, currently working its way through War and Peace. Al...
Episode 15: Jennifer Egan on Recovering From Coronavirus, Shaping Opportunity From Cataclysm
07 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, PEN America president Jennifer Egan discusses her own bout with a suspected case of coronavirus and how we can pull together as a lit...
Episode 14: Reading in an Era of Contagion With David L. Ulin
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, we talk with book critic and writer David L. Ulin about books to read amid a pandemic. We also discuss the reaction to the Navy dismi...
Episode 13: Tough Questions About Free Speech Amid the Pandemic With Suzanne Nossel
03 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we're launching a new weekly segment called Tough Questions, where we put your questions about free expression and the pandemic to our CEO Suza...
Episode 12: A World Turned Upside Down With Parnaz Foroutan
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, Parnaz Foroutan joins to talk about how immigrant voices are especially crucial to hear amid this crisis. We also look at two case...
Episode 11: A Seminal Moment for Our Species and Our World: A Conversation With Jamie Metzl
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition, futurist and author Jamie Metzl talks about the brave new world that the coronavirus pandemic might precede. Also on this episode, we...
Episode 10: Focusing on the Small Things With Fatima Shaik
31 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this our tenth episode, we catch up with writer Fatima Shaik, who discusses what it was like writing and reporting in the wake of Hurricane Katrina...
Episode 9: Reza Aslan on Attacks to Free Expression During the Pandemic
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, writer and TV host Reza Aslan joins to talk about the norm-busting we've seen in recent weeks amid the coronavirus crisis and how he'...
BONUS EPISODE: Gregory Pardlo Reads Carrie Fountain's "The Jungle"
28 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this special bonus episode of the podcast, Pulitzer-winner Gregory Pardlo reads Carrie Fountain's poem "The Jungle."
Episode 8: Poet Gregory Pardlo Gets Reacquainted With Himself
27 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gregory Pardlo on getting reacquainted with his favorite books on the craft of writing, and reflecting on...
Episode 7: Mental Health and the Outbreak With Andrew Solomon
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the national debate over balancing the risks of social isolation heats up, author and clinical psychologist Andrew Solomon discusses the consequenc...
Episode 6: A Legal Victory Against Trump; Remembering Terrence McNally
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this edition, PEN America celebrates a victory against President Trump's efforts to retaliate against the press in our lawsuit. We'll talk what's n...
Episode 5: Disinformation Battle Stations With Jane Lytvynenko
24 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For this episode of The PEN Pod, we talk to BuzzFeed senior reporter Jane Lytvynenko, who covers disinformation and security. She discusses the major ...
Episode 4: An Exercise in Hopeful Thinking and Magic With Chip Rolley
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode for Monday, March 23, we talk to Chip Rolley, senior director of literary programs at PEN America and director of the World Voices Fes...
Episode 3: Social Distancing aka Social Solidarity With Alexander Chee
20 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode for Friday, March 20, a new Pew survey shows that Americans are paying close attention to the coronavirus, but that misinformation is ...
Episode 2: Wash Your Hands, Read a Book, Protect Your Heart With Jennifer Finney Boylan
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this edition for Thursday, March 19, 2020, we explore a good news story out of Cuba where an artist and dissident has been released following dozen...
Episode 1: We're Here!
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's day one for "The PEN POD." On this first edition of our limited-run podcast: a little bit about why we're doing this; an interview with PEN Ameri...
Trailer: Starting March 18, "The PEN Pod"
15 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Starting Wednesday, March 18 the literary and free expression group PEN America will bring you "The PEN Pod." With books tours halted and the literary...