SAVE THE DATE! APRIL 25, 6-9PM
FRAGILE STATES Exhibition Fundraiser

freeDimensional in partnership with the Brian Morris Gallery invites you to attend a group exhibition launch and fundraiser, Fragile States, on April 25, from 6-9PM.

Fragile States is an exploration of the physical and psychological experiences of persecution and forced displacement. The artists featured in the exhibition share a common experience of having to leave their country of origin after facing threats, violent assault, imprisonment or torture as a result of using their creative practice to voice the concerns of their communities.

Featured Artists: Owen Maseko (Zimbabwe), Zunar (Malaysia), Kianoush Ramezani (Iran), Chaw Ei Thein (Burma), Kardash Onnig (Armenia), Khaled Barakeh (Syria), Arahmaiani Feisal (Indonesia) and Issa Nyaphaga (Cameroon).

Admission by donation (suggested donation $10 - $20) to freeDimensional. fD supports culture in the service of free expression, justice and equality by protecting critical voices through creative safe haven residency programs, mobilizing critical resources and services and quick-response funding to remove cultural activists from dangerous situations. fD will receive 60% of proceeds from exhibition sales to further regional artist safety initiatives and to support the needs of artists in distress.

penamerican:

image on CC license by Darren Johnson

NCAC Teams with CBLDF For 50 Shades of Banned: A Celebration of Erotic Literature

9/25/2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Acacia O’Connor (212) 807-6222, acacia@ncac.org

On October 2, celebrate Banned Books Week with an evening of stirring readings from erotic classics at Fifty Shades of Banned: A Celebration of Erotic Literature.  The event starts at 8 PM at the Village Pourhouse on 64 3rd Ave (11th Street Entrance, across from Webster Hall) and benefits New York free speech charities National Coalition Against Censorship and Comic Book Legal Defense Fund.

If one thing attracts the attention of the would-be censor, it’s sex. Depictions of sexuality in books, comics, art and film have drawn the eager attentions of Vice Squads and Morality Police since long before the days of Anthony Comstock.  Those censorship challenges continue to this day, and are fought by the important work of NCAC and CBLDF.

Fifty Shades of Banned will take place at the Village Pourhouse on 3rd Avenue in the East Village on Tuesday, October 2 at 8 p.m. The event will feature dramatic readings from censored lit including The Story of O, Joe Blow, Howl, Lady Chatterley’s Lover, and Fifty Shades of Grey by sexologist and author Dr. Logan Levkoff, erotica author Rachel Kramer Bussel, comedy group MURDERFIST and more. 

Come for the classic smut, stay for a chance to win a signed copy of Fifty Shades or other exciting raffle prizes courtesy of Babeland. All door donations and raffle proceeds will go to benefit free speech defenders NCAC and CBLDF and therefore ensure that we all have access to stimulating lit for years to come.

Who:         The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund & the National Coalition Against Censorship, includes raffle ticket

Where:     The Village Pourhouse, 64 3rd Ave in the East Village
                 $10 suggested door donation

When:       Tuesday, Oct. 2, 8 p.m., doors open at 7:30

Featuring:   Banned Books, 2 for 1 Abita Beers
                   $5 Fat Tuesday menu of hurricanes, hand grenades, po’ boys and jambalaya.

For more information, visit Blogging Censorship, www.cbldf.org, or visit us on Facebook and invite everyone but your mother.

penamerican:

In celebration of Banned Books this month, PEN West is hosting their Freedom to Write Fest in collaboration with Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore this Saturday, September 8th at 7:30pm.

Join local writers and PEN members Carolyn Cooke, Camille Dungy, and Michael David Lukas along with Pete Orner and Tess Taylor as they introduce and read excerpts of works from writers who have been banned, censored, or imprisoned, including such works as Alaa al-Aswany’s Friendly Fire, Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, Es’kia Mphahlele’s Down Second Avenue, and Luis Alberto Urrea’s The Devil’s Highway: A True Story. 

For more information, stop by Mrs. Dalloway’s Bookstore at 2904 College Avenue in Berkeley, CA or check out their website: www.mrsdalloways.com

penamerican:

photo © Beowulf Sheehan

with

Baratunde Thurston

Katie Halper 

John Fugelsang

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

7:00pm until 10:00pm in EDT

PEN will treat Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend crowds to an unexpected evening of literature and laughs. Enjoy a night of political comedy and commentary, as New York’s top progressive performers joke, jab, rant, vent, prod, provoke and revel in their right to express themselves at a one-night comedy event celebrating freedom of expression. 

Who says freedom of expression has to be serious? For the first time ever, PEN will partner with Laughing Liberally, whose performers have appeared on Comedy Central, HBO, MSNBC, a national tour, and in the pages of The Onion, The Nation, and The Huffington Post. No topic is off-limits, no politician safe, and no time can be better than this election season to laugh loudly and laugh liberally.

Galapagos Art Space: 16 Main Street, DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Wednesday, September 19

Tickets: $15 ($10 for PEN Members)

https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/916814

This is a ticketed event and RSVP-ing over Facebook does not guarantee you a seat. Use the link above to purchase your tickets in advance, or buy at the door. 

penamerican:

The Salon du Livre festival of Haitian literature kicks off this Saturday in DC.

PEN Haiti vice president Emmelie Prophete will be attending along with member Josaphat Robert Large, and other luminaries.

(via Salon du Livre de Washington, DC)