Salman Rushdie chairs this year's PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature, the largest celebration of the written word in North America. There will be panel discussions and readings every day from morning till night. Jonathan Franzen (whose essay on David Foster Wallace and Robinson Crusoe in the April 18 issue of the New Yorker is essential reading), Harold Bloom (still one of the most exciting speakers of the English language since ever), Yusef Komunyakaa (if you don't have his poetry collection Neon Vernacular, something's wrong with how you own books), and many more will participate. Really, there will be over 150 writers present. "Many" is an understatement.
We're hotly anticipating the panel discussion on David Foster Wallace's The Pale King on Tuesday, April 26. Other panels deal with topics like social media and Egypt, the changing conditions of freedom in China, WikiLeaks, and boxing. Some of these events are free, some are ticketed (like the DFW panel). Please spend some time with the schedule, deciding what you must see.
PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature
Monday, April 25 to Sunday, May 1
New York City
Schedule, tickets, and venues here
