Gessen resigns from PEN America board over canceled panel with Russian dissidents

May 16, 2023, 3:07 PM

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.

Last week, PEN hosted dozens of events for its annual World Voices Festival, an international gathering of writers and other public figures. One conversation was supposed to include two Russian dissident writers, with Gessen serving as moderator. A separate panel was to feature the Ukrainian writers Artem Chapeye and Artem Chekh, active members of the Ukrainian military.

In a lengthy statement Tuesday, PEN acknowledged a “misunderstanding” led to the Russians being uninvited. Because of the Russian invasion last year, the Ukrainians had objected to the presence of any Russian panelists — a condition PEN believed applied only to the Ukraine event. After learning that Chapeye and Chekh didn’t want the Russians at the festival overall, and failing to reach any compromise, PEN called off the Russian panel.

“They (the Ukrainians) informed us that they would be unable to participate, explaining that had both events proceeded, they could face being barred from returning to Ukraine or facing repercussions upon their return,” PEN’s statement said.

“Faced with the consequences of our mistake and without good options, we made the decision that the event with the Ukrainians should go forward, given their circumstances and the risks they face as soldiers, that they had traveled a long distance to participate, and that they came with a misunderstanding to which we had contributed.”

Gessen, whose decision was first reported Tuesday by The Atlantic, is a prominent critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and an award-winning writer. They called PEN’s decision a betrayal of its principles and said that PEN should not have tolerated guests being barred from speaking “because someone else doesn’t want them to.”

Gessen said they would remain a PEN member and continue to work with it on a journalism project, the Russian Independent Media Archive, announced in April. They will not attend the PEN gala Thursday night in Manhattan, the organization’s biggest annual event, “because it would be awkward and sad to go,” Gessen told the AP.

United States News

Associated Press

3 wounded in shooting in Texas strip club parking lot, gunman killed

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A man wounded three people when he opened fire in the parking lot of a Texas strip club early Sunday before being fatally shot by the club’s armed security, authorities said. The man opened fire in the direction of people in the parking lot after being asked to leave following […]

15 hours ago

Associated Press

Man in police custody falls to death after breaking California hospital window with oxygen tank

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A man in police custody died Thursday in Northern California after he broke a hospital’s window with a metal oxygen tank and fell off a ledge following an altercation with an officer and a nurse, authorities said. The man was in custody because he had allegedly violated a court order, […]

15 hours ago

Associated Press

South Carolina group to ask Supreme Court to rename landmark school desegregation case

SUMMERTON, S.C. (AP) — Civil rights leaders in South Carolina plan to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to rename the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision that outlawed segregation of public schools across the country. Over the next three months, a group representing past plaintiffs and their descendants plans to file paperwork asking the […]

15 hours ago

Associated Press

Debt ceiling agreement gets thumbs up from biz groups, jeers from some on political right

WASHINGTON (AP) — The reviews are starting to come in as details emerge about the debt ceiling agreement reached by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Already, some lawmakers are criticizing the deal as not doing enough to tackle the nation’s debt, while others worry it’s too austere and will harm many low-income […]

15 hours ago

Associated Press

Police: 3 killed in shootout involving outlaw biker gangs at New Mexico motorcycle rally

RED RIVER, N.M. (AP) — Three men killed in a weekend shootout at a New Mexico motorcycle rally were members of rival outlaw biker gangs, and the violence stemmed from a previous altercation between them in Albuquerque, authorities said Sunday. New Mexico State Police said three other bikers are facing charges and two of them […]

15 hours ago

Associated Press

‘The Little Mermaid’ makes box office splash with $95.5 million opening

LOS ANGELES (AP) — “ The Little Mermaid ” made moviegoers want to be under the sea on Memorial Day weekend. Disney’s live-action remake of its 1989 animated classic easily outswam the competition, bringing in $95.5 million on 4,320 screens in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday. And Disney estimates the film starring Halle […]

15 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...

Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

Gessen resigns from PEN America board over canceled panel with Russian dissidents