The Seventh Annual PEN World Voices of International Literature, from April 25 to May 1, invites more than 100 writers from 40 nations convene in New York City. The festival is a celebration of the power of the writer’s voice as a bold and vital element of public discourse, featuring Norwegian authors Gunnhild Øyehaug, Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold, Tomas Espedal and Frode Grytten.
Dare to view the world from a fresh perspective at stages across the city, including the festival’s hubs -- The Standard, New York and the High Line. The program features panel discussions, one-on-one conversations, readings, performances, and much more.
Tuesday April 26
Lunchtime Literary Conversations: Ludovic Debeurme and Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold
When: Tuesday, April 26
Where: La Maison Française, 16 Washington Mews, New York City
What time: 12–1:30 p.m.
With Ludovic Debeurme and Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold; moderated by Kira Brunner Don
Free and open to the public. No reservations required.
Co-sponsored by La Maison Française
In a not-so distant past, the lunchtime hour was a sacred time for editor and writer alike to exchange ideas. Take a respite from the day’s activities to hear a conversation between French graphic novelist Ludovic Debeurme and Norwegian author Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold. Winner of the Rene Goscinny Prize, Debeurme’s Lucille (forthcoming in May 2011) explores life and fantasies with elegant clean graphics and a profound love of childhood games. Winner of the 2009 Tarjei Vesaas First Book Prize, and Nominated for the 2009 Booksellers' Prize, Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold’s first novel, The Faster I Walk, The Smaller I Am, stands out for its humorous earnestness and unusually inventive prose.
Wednesday April 27
Standard Talks: And at Night She Summons the Ghosts
When: Wednesday, April 27
Where: The Standard, New York, High Line Room, 848 Washington St., New York City
What time: 10:30 p.m.
With Mario Bellatin, Corinne May Botz, Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold, and surprise guests; hosted by Sunny Bates
Tickets: $20/$15 PEN Members, students with valid ID. Call (866) 811-4111 or visit ovationtix.com
Co-sponsored by The Standard, New York
Everybody knows that the average ghost prefers to remain beyond the reaches of reality. But calling forth the literary ghost to roam among the living? Well, that’s an elegant task for an exquisite storyteller. Join host Sunny Bates and other master raconteurs as they offer up tales about the supernatural, a practice that dates back to the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh, Virgil, and Ovid. Who knows, a few ghosts may come out to commune with participants.
Thursday April 28
Working Day: Education, Knowledge, Learning
When: Thursday, April 28
Where: St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral School, 233 Mott St., New York City
What time: 2–5 p.m.
Introductory notes: Marcelo Figueras, Esther Klein Friedman, Juan Carlos Mestre, Gunnhild Øyehaug, and Shanley Rhodes; curated by Eric Pliner
*Open to PEN Members, Festival authors, heads of cultural agencies, and press. RSVP to jessica@pen.org by April 22. Limited space. Please register early.*
Debates about the nature of effective school and preparation for global competitiveness are weighted by rhetoric and have obscured a fundamental question about learning and development: what does it mean to be educated? What is the obligation of society to educate its young people? And in a time of increasing global interconnectedness tempered with critical, sustaining cultural distinctiveness, what can, should, or must all young people deserve and expect to learn?
Working Day: Solitude and Community
When: Thursday, April 28
Where: Westbeth Center for the Arts Center, Community Room, 57 Bethune St., New York City
What time: 2–5 p.m.
Introductory notes: Lewis Hyde, Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold, Shin Kyung-Sook, and Cheryl Young; curated by Joshua Wolf Shenk and Dr. M. Gerard Fromm
*Open to PEN Members, Festival authors, heads of cultural agencies, and press. RSVP to jessica@pen.org by April 22. Limited space. Please register early.*
Art-making demands quiet, solitude—perhaps even loneliness. Yet, the literary imagination also thrives in community. How do writers negotiate these competing needs, for the pure aloneness in which a singular voice may emerge and for the solace and creativity of conversation and exchange? Join us for a workshop in which individual artists come together with representatives of creative communities to conceive and articulate the path to harmonious negotiation of these dual needs. Moderated by the essayist Joshua Wolf Shenk and Dr. M. Gerald Fromm, Director of the Erikson Institute for Education and Research at the Austen Riggs Center.
A Literary Safari: A Unique Experience
When: Thursday, April 28
Where: Westbeth Home of the Arts, Community Room, 155 Bank St., New York City
What time: 6:30 p.m.
With Abdelkader Benali, Amelie Nothomb, Teresa Solana, John Burnside, Mircea Cărtărescu, Manuel de Lope, Deborah Eisenberg, Marcelo Figueras, Jonas Hassan Khemiri, Hervé Le Tellier, Daniel Orozco, Gunnhild Øyehaug, and Lynne Tillman
Tickets: $12/$10 PEN Members, students with valid ID. Check-in begins at 6:30 p.m. Readings from 7–9 p.m.
Co-sponsored by Westbeth Center for the Arts
Ever been on a literary safari? Explore Westbeth Center for the Arts Housing, the city’s oldest and largest artist community located in the heart of the bohemian West Village. With a map in hand, wander the hallways of this former industrial building, which was repurposed by renowned architect Richard Meier into 383 living and working lofts, and attend live readings in the homes of Westbeth residents by Festival participants.
Loneliness and Community
When: Thursday, April 28
Where: The New School for Drama, 151 Bank St., New York City
What time: 7 p.m.
With Dr. M. Gerard Fromm, Lewis Hyde, Kjersti Annesdatter Skomsvold, and Shin Kyung-Sook; curated by Joshua Wolf Shenk
Free and open to the public. No reservations required.
Co-sponsored by Arts in Mind: Conversations On the Arts, Creativity, and Mental Health, a project of the Sandor Ferenczi Center at the New School and the Erikson Institute for Education and Research at the Austen Riggs Center
In the morning’s stillness or the evening’s hush, a writer’s voice emerges. But every scribe knows that creativity thrives when in the company of others. Join four renowned writers for readings and conversation on how to negotiate between the requirement for isolation and the dueling hunger for conscious contact with a community.
Friday April 29
Cocktail Hour Reading
When: Friday, April 29
Where: Bowery Poetry Club, 308 Bowery St., New York City
What time: 5–6:30 p.m.
With Rahul Bhattacharya, Tomas Espedal, Thomas Lehr, Pierre Guyotat, Shin Kyung- Sook, and Irvine Welsh
Tickets: $10/$5 PEN Members, students with valid ID. Call (866) 811-4111 or visit ovationtix.com *Note: Purchase tickets to both Bowery Poetry Club events Friday night for $15/$10 PEN Members, students.*
Co-sponsored by Bowery Poetry Club
Wind your week down with a reading by a stellar line-up of Festival authors.
Saturday April 30
Best European Fiction
When: Saturday, April 30
Where: Instituto Cervantes, 211 East 49th St., New York City
What time: 2–3:30 p.m.
With Aleksandar Hemon, Colum McCann, Iulian Ciocan, Frode Grytten, and Andrej Blatnik
Free and open to the public. No reservations required.
Co-sponsored by Instituto Cervantes and Dalkey Archive Press
Revel in the spectacular story-telling of the celebrated anthology Best European Fiction. For 2011, editor Aleksandar Hemon and preface writer Colum McCann return to continue their discussion of European literature today, followed by readings and discussions with contributors from Moldova, Norway, and Slovenia.
Education, Knowledge, Learning
When: Saturday, April 30
Where: The New School for Drama, 151 Bank St., New York City
What time: 3–4:30 p.m.
With Tomas Espedal, Esther Klein Friedman, Juan Carlos Mestre, Gunnhild Øyehaug, and Shanley Rhodes; moderated by Eric Pliner
Tickets: $10/Free for students with valid ID. Call (866) 811-4111 or visit ovationtix.com
What does it mean to be an educated person? What kind of education do our children deserve, and how can we insure that our youths develop into intelligent, responsible and compassionate adult citizens of the world? Spend an afternoon with literary luminaries as they ponder how the American educational system measures up against the rest of the world, how the flaws in our system imperil our nation’s future, and what we can learn from our international counterparts.
Sunday May 1
Russia in Two Acts
When: Sunday, May 1
Where: The Morgan Library & Museum, Lehrman Hall, 225 Madison Ave., New York City
What time: 1 p.m.
Presented by Fritt Ord, PEN American Center and The New York Review of Books
Watch a World Champion chess player, now journalist, unravel the complexities of Russia’s cultural and geopolitical landscape. In Part One of this event, Garry Kasparov will offer his personal spin on the state of contemporary Russian politics and culture. After a brief intermission, a panel of Russian experts—from critics to novelists—will comment on Kasparov’s talk and engage in a debate about where this mammoth country is headed. With Jamey Gambrell, Garry Kasparov, Vladmir Sorokin, and Fedor Svarovskiy; moderated by Christian Caryl.
Co-sponsored by The Morgan Library & Museum, New York Review of Books, and Fritt Ord - www.fritt-ord.no
For the full PEN World Voices program please visit their website