Literary Conversation

PEN/Faulkner’s Literature on Screen series highlights writers whose work has been reimagined as a film or TV show. Our latest installment presents Louis Bayard’s The Pale Blue Eye, a vibrant historical mystery with a young Edgar Allan Poe at its center that was adapted into a 2022 Netflix film directed by Scott Cooper. The author and director will be joined by moderator Clay Smith, the Literary Director of the Library of Congress, in a conversation exploring storytelling, craft, and the creative process. The event will feature a reading, clips from the film, and an audience Q&A.

DATE | March 23, 2023 at 7 pm ET
LOCATION | Online Event

Writing a novel can be a lonely endeavor. Some authors find solace and inspiration in collaboration—partnering with a writer who brings a new perspective, a wealth of experiences, and different strengths. Join two pairs of novelists, Christine Pride and Jo Piazza (We Are Not Like Them) and Shaunna J. Edwards and Alyson Richman (The Thread Collectors), in conversation with author and critic Martha Anne Toll about the processes, tensions, and rewards of collaboration.

LITERARY CONVERSATIONSMemoirs open windows into lives, granting readers access to deeply personal narratives. Whether they reflect our own experiences or challenge us to engage with new ones, the best memoirs enhance and complicate our understanding of the world. Join...

LITERARY CONVERSATIONSStorytellers have long been inspired by our city's rich past and present, elevating the voices of its citizens, exploring its landmarks and tucked-away corners, and imagining its future. We invite residents of DC to join three fantastic...

LITERARY CONVERSATIONSOur national conversation about guns is dominated by polarizing rhetoric. In literature, however, we find nuance and complex human stories about the impact of gun violence on American life. To explore those stories, please join us for GUNS, a...

Reproductive choice is the third rail of American politics, but novelists have the power to explore the subject with an openness and curiosity so often missing from the news cycle. Join three acclaimed writers—R.O. Kwon, Joanne Ramos, and Leni Zumas—in a conversation led by moderator Elisa Albert about representations of choice, access, contraception, personal autonomy, and abortion in their work on Wednesday, September 14, at 7 pm ET.

On April 14, 2022 we engaged with three critically acclaimed poets and spoken word artists Fatimah Asghar, Olivia Gatwood, Danez Smith, and moderator Nate Marshall.

This Literary Conversation included readings and performances by our featured authors and will be followed by a live Q&A with the audience. Live captioning will also be available for this event.

DATE | March 23, 2022 at 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event

Join three acclaimed writers—Zeyn Joukhadar, Torrey Peters, and Neon Yang—in a conversation moderated by activist and author P. Carl about their books and trans representation in contemporary literature.

DATE | February 28, 2022 at 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event

History isn’t fixed. It’s written and rewritten all the time as historians adopt contemporary perspectives on past events. Writers of historical fiction incorporate those new perspectives into their work, too, revealing new ideas and stories. Join three acclaimed historical novelists—Kaitlyn Greenidge, Jonathan Lee, and Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai—in a conversation moderated by author and PEN/Faulkner board member Bethanne Patrick about bringing fresh artistry to accurate portrayals of history.

DATE | Wed, November 17, 2021, 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event

We engaged with Louise Erdrich, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, and Tommy Orange, who are among the most highly acclaimed Native writers of our time. Moderated by Margaret Verble, this discussion explored how their storytelling has been informed by their experiences as Indigenous people.

A recording and transcript is now available.

DATE | Wed, October 27, 2021, 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event

Money affects every aspect of human behavior. Authors Kevin Kwan, Cherie Jones, and Mateo Askaripour, with moderator Rumaan Alam, will explore the depiction of money and global financial systems in their work and in contemporary literature.

DATE | Wed, September 22, 2021, 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event

This fourth installment of Literature on Screen featured Leigh Bardugo, author of the best-selling book turned hit Netflix series, “Shadow and Bone.” Leigh was in conversation with Petra Mayer (NPR) to discuss the translation of her books to the hit Netflix series!

A recording and transcript of this event is now available!

DATE | April 19, 2021
LOCATION | Online Event

Crisis featured three novelists whose work is informed by the possibility of impending crisis.

T.C. Boyle (World’s End, The Terranauts), Jenny Offill (Weather, Dept. of Speculation), and Nnedi Okorafor (Who Fears Death, Lagoon) were in conversation with moderator Sean Murphy (Founder & Executive Director, 1455).

The recording and transcript for this event is now available.

DATE | March 11, 2021 at 7pm ET
LOCATION | Online Event

Refuge featured authors who have explored topics of immigration, identity, and home in their work, at a time when these issues are especially urgent.

This insightful and challenging discussion of refuge and home featured authors Aleksandar Hemon (Nowhere Man, The Lazarus Project), Abdi Nor Iftin (Call Me American), Souvankham Thammavongsa (How to Pronounce Knife), and moderator Matthew Davis (Founding Director, Alan Cheuse International Writers Center). 

Catch the recording and transcript of this event now!

DATE | February 9, 2021 at 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event

Intersections featured authors who have engaged with intersectional identities in their work. We were joined by novelists Tope Folarin, Min Jin Lee, and Douglas Stuart, as well as moderator and book critic Bethanne Patrick, for a complicated and challenging discussion of intersectionality in literature.

NOW AVAILABLE: The event recording and transcript.

DATE | November 23, 2020 at 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event

Literature provides the perfect opportunity to escape into new worlds in an attempt to cope with and understand all that happens in our own.

This riveting Literary Conversation featured Margaret Atwood, Rion Amilcar Scott, Nisi Shawl, and moderator Morgan Jerkins.

DATE | October 19, 2020 at 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event

The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed the way we live our lives. It has also shown us our weak points and failures as a society.

This fascinating and especially relevant conversation featured literary powerhouses Stephen King (The Stand), Lauren Beukes (Afterland), and Emma Donoghue (The Pull of the Stars). They were joined by moderator and author Daniel H. Pink.

DATE | Wed, September 23, 2020, 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Online Event

This third installment of Literature on Screen features Caroline Kepnes, author of the best-selling book turned hit Netflix series, You. Caroline was in conversation with Penn Badgley, actor and star of the TV adaptation, and moderator Chris Klimek (NPR, Washington Post) to discuss the translation of her books to the hit Netflix series, as well as the modernization of stalking in the digital age that takes place in her novels.

DATE | February 27, 2020 at 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Jack Morton Auditorium, 805 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20052

According to the NIMH, almost twenty percent of American adults live with a mental illness. From social anxiety and depression to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, mental illness is becoming more prevalent in today’s society and everyday dialogue.

Date | November 21, 2019 at 7:00 PM
Location | True Reformer Building, 1200 U Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

This event featured authors who write about the effects of this system on the lives of everyday Americans, shedding light on narratives that are often oversimplified or ignored.

DATE | October 9, 2019 at 7:00 PM
Location | Penn Social, 801 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20004

What happens when the visual arts meet the literary arts?

Join the PEN/Faulkner Foundation for an evening of conversation with some of the biggest names in graphic novels, as they talk about artistic collaborations and the evolution of storytelling in a new era.

DATE | April 30, 2019 at 7:30 PM
LOCATION | AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center
8633 Colesville Rd
Silver Spring, MD 20910

We welcomed author Angie Thomas and actor Russell Hornsby to DC where they discussed the translation of the bestselling novel, The Hate U Give, to the critically acclaimed movie adaptation, as well as the very real events that inspired the story.

DATE | March 10, 2019 at 7:00 PM
LOCATION | National Museum of Women in the Arts
1250 New York Ave NW
Washington, DC 20005

In celebration of Women’s History Month, the PEN/Faulkner Foundation and the National Museum of Women in the Arts presented “Fantastic Women.”

DATE | February 12, 2019 at 7:30 PM
LOCATION | Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003

Cultural critic Mark Dery coined the term “Afrofuturism” in his essay “Black to the Future,”and its meaning has expanded to encompass alternative visions of the future influenced by astral jazz, African-American sci-fi, psychedelic hip-hop, rock, rhythm and blues, and more. 

Author/playwright Tananarive Due, novelist N.K. Jemisin, and poet Airea D. Matthews discussed the origins and extensions of Afrofuturism in a conversation moderated by Sheree Renée Thomas. This event was co-sponsored by the Library of Congress Center for the Book and presented in partnership with Folger Poetry.

Date | January 14, 2019 at 7:00 PM
Location | Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004

We heard from award-winning Mexican American writers Jennifer Clement and Luis Alberto Urrea on such relevant issues as immigrant narratives, the epidemic of gun violence, and the xenophobic sentiment facing Mexican immigrants in the United States today. Both authors have a thread of activism woven through their work, Clement through her writing on hidden women and the far-reaching arm of human-trafficking, and Urrea in his stories of the border, a space where narratives have traditionally been overlooked.

This conversation was moderated by award-winning news anchor and reporter Maria Hinojosa.

Date | November 27, 2018 at 7:00 PM
Location | Jack Morton Auditorium, 805 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20052

DATE | October 29, 2018 at 7:00 PM
LOCATION | Penn Social, 801 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20004

Dan Chaon, Mark Z. Danielewski, and Brian Evenson joined us for a night filled with horror and incredible literature, reading from their work and engaging in conversation about what horror fiction as a genre says about the very real horrors we face on a daily basis. This evening was moderated by bestselling and award-winning author, Elizabeth Hand.