News : American PEN

http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/1491

News : American PEN
2008 has been a record year for PEN, with more events, advocacy work, and publications than ever. Below, check out some of our favorite parts of 2008, with original audio recordings, photos, and writing documenting some the year's truly memorable moments.


AUDIO HIGHLIGHTS
Chimamanda Adichie on growing up with Things Fall Apart

Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro on imprisoned poet U Win Tin

Edward Albee reads "Nightmare" by Shen Youlian

Russell Banks reads "How Big a Character is Xin" by Hu Shigen

Chris Abani on Chinua AchebeOrhan Pamuk & Kiran Desai on the press in BurmaIan McEwan on global warming and human natureJeffrey Eugenides reads Robert Walser's "Trousers"Jonathan Ames performs "I Called Myself El Cid"Annie Proulx performs "A Yard of Cloth: The Untold Story of How a Fragment of Probably Hijacked Fabric Saved the Lives of Two Middle-aged Sisters in Northern New England on the Banks of the Pemijawasik River In 1988"

Rian Malan on growing up in South Africa
Allison Hedge Coke reads from Naeem Murr's The Perfect Man
Amiri Baraka reads "Rhythm Travel"

Ian McEwan and Steven Pinker in conversation

Umberto Eco, Salman Rushdie, and Mario Vargas Llosa in conversation with Leonard Lopate


UPCOMING EVENTTuesday, December 16: Writers and Lawyers Voices Against Torture: Writers and lawyers come together to discuss their work combating torture. With: Jane Mayer, Anouar Benmalek, Elisa Massimino, and Scott Horton; moderated by Dahlia Lithwick. This event was free. http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/2965/prmID/148
PEN NEWSLeading PEN Member Liu Xiaobo Detained in ChinaProminent dissident Dr. Liu Xiaobo was detained last week on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power,” a criminal charge that could result in a lengthy prison term. http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/3000/prmID/172

New York, December 9, 2008—PEN American Center expressed extreme dismay today over the detention of prominent dissident and leading PEN Member Dr. Liu Xiaobo on suspicion of “inciting subversion of state power,” a criminal charge that could result in a lengthy prison term. His arrest comes amid a wave of detentions and other actions targeting leading writers and activists who have been organizing activities marking Human Rights Day.According to PEN’s information, police arrived at the homes of Dr. Liu, former president and current board member of the Independent Chinese PEN Center, and fellow activist Zhang Zuhua just after 9:00 p.m. on December 8. At 11:00 p.m., they took both men away and searched their homes, confiscating computers and other materials. While Zhang Zuhua was released this morning, Liu Xiaobo remains in detention. It appears likely he will stand trial on subversion charges, a favorite means of jailing dissident voices in China; if convicted, he could face at least three years in prison. Both dissidents are co-signers of Charter 08, a declaration disseminated on the eve of Human Rights Day that outlines political reforms and calls for greater human rights and democracy in China.Human Rights Day, which commemorates the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is celebrated throughout the world every year on December 10. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the creation of this cornerstone of international human rights law.“The unfolding crackdown in China is deeply troubling,” said Larry Siems, Director of Freedom to Write and International Programs at PEN American Center. “While the world comes together to commemorate the basic rights that are the birthright of all humanity, the detention of Dr. Liu Xiaobo in China and the harassment of his colleagues—simply for exercising their most fundamental rights—suggests that the Beijing Olympics did little to advance the basic rights of Chinese citizens. We strongly condemn Dr. Liu’s detention, and call for his immediate and unconditional release.”
Conversation: Patricia Hampl and Peter SisPatricia Hampl, author of A Romantic Education, joins Peter Sis, filmmaker, illustrator, and author of The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain for a discussion about his early inspirations and life in Cold War Prague. http://www.pen.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/3000/prmID/172

2008 Year in ReviewVisit the web site for a collection of some of our favorite parts of 2008, with original work and recordings from writers including Edward Albee, Annie Proulx, Chris Abani, Mahmoud Darwish, and many more.
http://www.pen.org/page.php/prmID/1491

PEN American Center 588 Broadway, Suite 303 New York, NY 10012 Tel. (212) 334-1660Fax. (212) 334-2181 www.pen.org, info@pen.org