UPDATE: it has since come to my attention that PEN America is a Zionist-sympathetic organization that has consistently failed to meet the moment on the genocide in Gaza, and now I do NOT want to be affiliated with them, so I'm withdrawing from the awards. Free Palestine

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“To dominate without bearing the stain of evil: this is perhaps the ultimate fantasy of the dominant.” Frédéric Lordon on Gaza and “the West” newleftreview.org/sidecar/posts/…

Support the authors who withdrew their books from consideration for the PEN awards

bookshop.org/wishlists/7166…

With my gratitude to the judges for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham prize - nevertheless, I am withdrawing:

Now 4/10 of the PEN/Jean Stein longlisters have said no to the $75K prize in protest of PEN America. Camonghne Felix Ordinary Notes Maya Binyam Alejandro Varela. 3/10 so far for Poetry. Many more in other categories. PEN’s current leadership is untrustworthy & has compromised its mission.

Shame on PEN America !

My thing is if you have to be dragged kicking and screaming to even utter the word ceasefire and still can't say genocide, then very clearly you're only about freedom of speech for those you deem worthy of it PEN America. It is conditional on your approval, and that's not freedom

Writers Against the War on Gaza Suzanne Nossel PEN America Jenny Boylan 🍯 PEN International Ryan Grim The Intercept Randa Jarrar PEN America United In case even more documentation on @PENAmerica and its leadership is still needed, check out this older 🧵: twitter.com/AdalahNY/statu…

A thread on PEN America and their heinous, cynical betrayal of their mission—a state department proxy in the costume of a literary institution.

Former and likely future employer as is the case with most US “temporary activists” until the next government post opens or the confirmation arrives