Liu Xiaobo, the Poet Who Would Not Be Quiet
A tribute to Chinese poet, critic, and Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, who died last week while serving an 11-year prison sentence for speaking out for freedom.
Update on Translator Necmiye Alpay
An update on the case of Turkish translator Necmiye Alpay, now released from prison due to the pressure of writers and human rights activists around the world.
Translator in Trouble
Spreading the word to free a fellow translator, Necmiye Alpay, imprisoned and charged with political "crimes" in Turkey.
The 2016 Brooklyn Book Festival: Historical Fiction for Kids and the Value of Small Presses
A summary of the PEN "Won't Know Much About History" panel on children's historical fiction at the Brooklyn Book Festival and meeting small press YA publishers.
The Advice Columnists of Passages Academy, Staten Island
My morning in Staten Island, speaking to the students and staff at Passages Academy as part of a program sponsored by PEN and Literature for Incarcerated Teens.
Advocating for Chicano Children’s Authors and Representation at the PEN World Voices Festival
A write-up of the PEN World Voices Festival highlighting the Tomás Rivera Award and the need for better representation of Mexican Americans in children's books.
Contracts panelists, from left, Jacqueline Ko, Juliet Grames, Shelley Frisch, and moderator Alex Zucker.
Contracts: The Third Bridge Series Panel on Translation
My report on the third panel of the Bridge Series on Translation, which discussed contracts, copyright, fees and royalties, and relations with agents.
Editing Translations: The Second Bridge Series Panel
A report on the second panel of the Bridge Series on Translation, where editors discussed the process of editing translations.
Key Change cast at a Q & A after the show, from left: Christina Berriman Dawson (Kelly), Cheryl Dixon (Lucy), Catrina McHugh (playwright), Judi Earl (Kim), and Jessica Johnson (Angie).
Prison Writers and Key Change
In preparing to offer writing workshops to incarcerated teens, I was inspired by the play Key Change, about women in prison in the UK.
The “Americanizer” and Other Tales of Translation
A report on the "PEN Presents: Translating Books for Young Readers" panel at the Brooklyn Book Festival.