Organizer: PEN America; P&T Knitwear Books & Podcasts
Type/Location: In Person / New York, NY
Description:
The PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Center at PEN America—in collaboration with P&T Knitwear—presents a conversation on You Must Take Part in Revolution, a new graphic novel from artist-activist Badiucao and Emmy-nominated journalist Melissa Chan. Set in 2035 with the U.S. and China at war, this powerful and important novel about global totalitarian futures and the costs of resistance comes from two authors who’ve worked in and clashed with authoritarian states. Moderated by PEN America’s former director of research James Tager, author of “Made in Hollywood, Censored in Beijing,” Badiucao and Chan will discuss cultures of free expression, the power of literary imaginations, and the narrowing space for dissent for writers and artists in exile.
About the Speakers:
Badiucao is a Chinese Australian artist, activist, and political provocateur. One of the most popular and prolific creatives from China, he confronts a variety of social and political issues in his work, often using satire to tackle censorship, authoritarianism, and capitalism. He has exhibited in the U.S., Australia, and throughout Europe. He has been interviewed by The Washington Post, The Guardian, Time, CNN, NBC, and others, and was profiled by The New York Times and CBS News’s “60 Minutes.” In 2020, Badiucao won the Human Rights Foundation’s Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent. He currently lives in exile in Australia. This is his debut graphic novel.
Melissa Chan is an Emmy-nominated Hong Kong and Taiwanese American foreign correspondent based between Los Angeles and Berlin. She was previously posted in China until she became the first journalist in more than a decade to be expelled by Chinese authorities in 2012. Much of her reporting examines human rights, the rise of global authoritarianism, and the defense of democracies. Her work has taken her from Pyongyang to Moscow to Havana. She has written for The New York Times, where she was nominated for a Loeb Award—business journalism’s highest honor—and The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Time, The Guardian, and more. As a broadcast correspondent, she has reported for VICE News Tonight and Al Jazeera. This is her debut graphic novel.
James Tager, JD, is the former Director of Research at PEN America. He oversaw PEN America’s research products, including its full-length research reports. Tager has edited or contributed to over two dozen PEN America reports on issues related to free expression, literature, civil rights, and human rights. He has served as sole or co-author on over a dozen PEN America reports. Tager regularly provides commentary for news media on censorship, book banning, and contemporary threats against freedom of expression. His commentary has been cited in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, and other national and international outlets.
Registration Link:
To attend the event in person, please purchase tickets here.