This week, our editors share news of solidarity, legacy, and cross-cultural connection. Around the world, the literary world is showing up to express support for Palestine, with the Palestine Festival of Literature continuing their crucial work of uplifting work that urges us towards compassion, the Palestinian struggle, and a condemnation of violence. In Mexico, some of the greatest writers in Latin-American history are celebrated for their efforts in connecting their nation to a greater, global heritage of letters. Read on to find out more!
Carol Khoury, Editor-at-Large, reporting from Palestine
In a historic demonstration of solidarity, the Palestine Festival of Literature (PalFest), Writers Against the War on Gaza, and Amplify Palestine have come together to organize the event “Freedom to Write for Palestine,” held on May 7 at Judson Memorial Church in New York City. This significant gathering brought together writers who had withdrawn from PEN America’s World Voices Festival and the PEN America Literary Awards, condemning the organization’s failure to support Palestinian writers facing violence and displacement in Gaza. The unprecedented withdrawal of dozens of authors led to the cancellation of both PEN America events just weeks before their scheduled dates.
The program featured opening remarks by Nancy Kricorian and an introduction by Derecka Purnell, and included powerful readings and stories from Michelle Alexander, who read the work of Haya Abu Nasser, and Mohamed Arafat, who shared his family’s harrowing experiences. Evie Shockley read pieces by Fady Joudah, while Nicholas Glastonbury presented an insightful commentary on the Palestinian struggle. The event can be watched in full here.
Building on this momentum, the second instalment of “Freedom to Write for Palestine” will be held on June 4 in Los Angeles. This event will feature artists who have been censored over their stance on Palestine, as well as those who have withdrawn from PEN America events in solidarity. The line-up includes renowned authors and artists such as Randa Jarrar, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Angela Flournoy, Melissa Barrera, Fariha Róisín, Nick Mandernach, Broti Gupta, Poppy Liu, Weyes Blood, and Arij Mikati. The proceeds will go to mutual aid funds benefiting Palestinian refugees in Egypt.
PalFest, founded in 2008 by Ahdaf Soueif, is dedicated to fostering cultural solidarity with Palestine. In 2023, PalFest focused on the theme “Palestine & the Global South,” highlighting the intersections between Palestinian resistance and global freedom struggles. Their anthology, This Is Not a Border: Reportage & Reflection from the Palestine Festival of Literature, is a testament to this mission. Their latest anthology, Their Borders, Our World, curated by Mahdi Sabbagh and set for release on June 4, 2024, continues this tradition. It features contributions from Yasmin El-Rifae, Jehan Bseiso, Keller Easterling, and others, exploring themes of political solidarity, resistance, and mutuality amidst adversity.
Through these initiatives, PalFest seeks to amplify Palestinian voices and connect their struggle with broader movements against colonialism and oppression worldwide.
René Esaú Sánchez, Editor-at-Large, reporting from México
After the Mexican Revolution, it was necessary to create a cultural project that would redefine the country’s identity. For this purpose, the Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) published in 1924 a collection of books dedicated to children, with contributions from authors such as Nobel laureate Gabriela Mistral, and poets like José Gorostiza and Xavier Villaurrutia. These authors adapted works from Shakespeare, Homer, Plato, medieval romances, and myths from around the world; through these books, Mexico became part of a universal culture and heritage.
On May 22 of this year, the National Institute of Fine Arts and Literature (INBAL) presented a new edition of these books to commemorate their hundredth anniversary. Lecturas clásicas para niñxs is once again available in bookstores and libraries, aiming to remind us that Mexico has been engaged in a literary and cultural dialogue for over a century. The original texts featured illustrations by renowned muralists of the time, and this facsimile edition includes them as well, allowing children to interact with them as if they were stickers in an album.
Lastly, the Irish Embassy in Mexico hosted the presentation of Let the Dead, a poetry collection by Irish poet Dylan Brennan. Having lived in Mexico City for many years, the author’s work is a poetic dialogue between his two homes, exploring Irish and Mexican mythos. His poems have an earthy feeling, reflecting on the land and the ground on which daily life stands, but also play heavily with mythical, cultural, and religious symbols from both countries. The event was introduced by Pura López Cólomé, an award-winning Mexican poet with a profound bond with Ireland—as Seamus Heaney’s friend and translator of his works into Spanish.
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