The institution of Cross pens as the presidential pen is actually pretty recent. They weep crocodile tears over the plight of Uyghur Muslims persecuted in China while demonizing and slaughtering Muslims in the Middle East. But there are, I would say, probably more young people who embody the same spirit that a Havel or a Mandela do today than there were in the past. In addition to its headquarters in Trumbull, Connecticut, Pilot Pen maintains an assembly and distribution facility in Jacksonville, Florida, and a distribution operation in Guadalajara, Mexico. Press Release July 2, 2023. Those in power, as Noam Chomsky points out, divide the world into "worthy" and "unworthy" victims. What was the turning point that you finally decided to respond to that? Fool Us in 2020, Shame on Us", "Trump's Attacks on the Press Are Illegal. PEN America honors activists, artists and dissidents Its yet one more example of how the connections that I may see, because I experienced them in my own life, may get harder to make if were only understanding people through our phones and our screens and were not having the face-to-face conversations where, by virtue of that conversation and experience, we can recognize ourselves in each other. OBAMA: It certainly was, periodically throughout the writing process. PEN America presidents have included current president Ayad Akhtar, Kwame Anthony Appiah, Louis Begley, Ron Chernow, Joel Conarroe, Jennifer Egan, Frances FitzGerald, Peter Godwin, Francine Prose, Salman Rushdie, Michael Scammell, and Andrew Solomon. NEW YORK (AP) The author and journalist Masha Gessen has resigned as vice president of the board of PEN America, citing their unhappiness with the literary and free expression organization's cancellation of an event with Russian panelists. President Barack Obama meets with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the Map Room of the White House, February 18, 2010. Where are the demands for intervention and humane treatment, including an end to his isolation, once it was revealed Assange was pacing his cell until he collapsed, punching himself in the face and banging his head against the wall? He has been a PEN America Trustee since 2015. The pandering by press and human rights organizations, tasked with being sentinels of freedom, to the Democratic Partyonly contributes to the steady tightening of the vise of press censorship. PEN International (known as International PEN until 2010) is a worldwide association of writers, founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere. PEN told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that Egan will succeed . Franklin D. Roosevelt seems to have preferred a Waterman fountain pen. The good news is I think that youre going to have a new administration that will level-set back to the norm, which doesnt mean that the press is always going to be happy. CHERNOW: If I can ask you just one last question. Regardless of whatever questions or controversies that have arisen about historical accuracy, was Hamilton as big of a hero as hes displayed, or this or that or the other. A full listing of new members is available here. Part of what changed is that back then, if I went into a small town in southern Illinois, I could probably visit the local editor of the newspaperwho might be a conservative guy with a bow tie and a crew cut, probably doesnt have much use for Democrats, generallybut was somebody who adhered to journalistic norms, was curious, was interested, believed in facts. The cost is paid by those who tell the truth. His successors, , preferred Parker fountain pens(so does the Queen of England, by the way). Akhtar has received wide recognition writing for the stage. Chris Hedges: PEN America Uncoils Rope to Get Assange Trumps use of the Sharpie came to public attention when he was suspected of changing the projected trajectory of Hurricane Dorian on a NOAA briefing map, resulting in the Twitter trend #sharpiegate. Stay informed on the latest news on health and COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. How many soldiers have been held accountable for the massacre of civilians shown in the video "Collateral Murder"? [18] She later worked Vice President of U.S. Business Development for Bertelsmann Media and Vice president of strategy and operations for the Wall Street Journal. President Obamas next book, The Audacity of Hope, rekindled the sense of possibility in a sometimes weary and frustrated nation. Right? By Hillel Italie. away from free shipping Let us know in the comments. But the one thing that I didnt stop doing while president was reading and appreciating good stories, and I think that continually informed how I saw the world. By Josh Moody And so, thats how people were receiving mewith a different set of assumptions than they would today. As part of PEN America's 2020 virtual gala, President Barack Obama received the PEN America Voice of Influence Award for "the power of his soaring words, the promises he has unlocked in our nation, and the enduring American values that he has embodied." Masha Gessen Resigns in Protest From PEN America Board What happens when free-speech absolutists flinch By Gal Beckerman Leonard McLane / Getty May 16, 2023 Saved Stories Updated on May 16,. He is the author of several books, including "America: The Farewell Tour," "American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America" and "War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning." (NEW YORK)Ayad Akhtar, President of PEN America, issued the following statement in response to the attack on author Salman Rushdie: It is hard to find words to express the emotions occasioned by todays shocking attack on Salman Rushdie. Jan 02, 2023. This has been our examination of presidential pens; we hope its contributed to understanding a bit more about the symbolism and the stories behind these luxury writing instruments. Nossel, who has had herself elevated to the position ofCEO of PEN America, also worked under Hillary Clinton in the State Department, including on the task force assigned to respond to the WikiLeaks revelations. PEN America has concluded its consolidation with the former PEN Center USA, a California organization whose members overwhelmingly ratified the national unification in a vote that concluded last week. It made it very efficient. So theres still going to be some dissatisfaction, but I think that, yes, we can return to some of these norms. Then once that was done, I sent it off to the fact-checkers and the researchers to make sure that I had gotten the story more or less right. In a lengthy statement Tuesday, PEN acknowledged a "misunderstanding led to the Russians being uninvited. What good politics does is it sees those opportunities, and can translate that into votes and legislation. I withdrew from a scheduled speaking event at the 2013 World Voices Festival in New Yorkandresignedfrom the organization, which that same year had given me itsFirst Amendment Award, to protest Nossel's appointment. The challenge we have is that our institutions have not adapted as quickly to those longings, which is why the younger generation often doesnt have the same mechanisms to express their idealism. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. We havent been as creative as we should on that front. Defend free expression, support persecuted writers, and promote literary culture. Ayad is a dauntless documenter of our time, said PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel, author of the recent Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All. OBAMA: I think it makes all the difference. Show this thread. There were issues in which the Justice Departmentnot at my direction, but it was on my watchinitiated prosecutions of leakers, and there were questions as to whether this was oppressive towards the press. They decry press censorship in hostile states and collude with the press censorship and algorithms emanating from Silicon Valley in the United States. At the end of each chapter or each episode, I would then do my own fact-checking, initially. Im glad you framed the question that way, because I want the staffers and the people who are carrying the laboring or day-to-day on these issues to know it does impact foreign policy, and it does impact presidential decision-making. All-in-all, theres a lot of other presidential pens, specifically from Parker. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. And the same applies to issues of human rights around the world. Akhtar will assume the presidency December 2. CHERNOW: Certainly conspiracy theories have only proliferated in the realm of social media. RELATED:The execution of Julian Assange: He exposed the crimes of empire and that can't be tolerated. [6] PEN America has also developed programs focused on campus free speech, online harassment, artistic freedom, writing for justice and a range of other issues. CHERNOW: Thats wonderful to hear. That ends up not only prompting a lifelong love of literature and writing, but I think it also leads me to a set of values. Do you think that it still represents the best approach for the Democratic partys take in dealing with the historic injustices against the Black community? One of the concerns I had, after a while, was the degree to which Donald Trumps arguments that I wasnt born in this country were not just getting attention and coverage from marginal news sites or even Fox News, but were rather being prominently discussed and reported on in mainstream news by journalists who probably knew better but whose producers were saying, look, Donald Trump attracts viewers, and this kind of crazy stuff is good for ratings.. That creates a new opening for a different kind of political conversation, and I think thats part of why Im hopeful, particularly about the younger generation.. Leadership References References Directors, Employees & Supporters Donor Organizations Form 990 Information Founding and History PEN America was founded in 1922 in the wake of World War I to foster connections between writers in the U.S. and around the world.