PEN America Cancels World Voices Festival Due to Criticism Over Israel-Hamas War Response

The decision follows a wave of protests and withdrawals by writers, highlighting deep divisions within the literary community.

PEN America faced significant backlash for its perceived stance in the Israel-Hamas conflict, leading to the cancellation of its World Voices Festival.
Nearly half of the festival's finalists withdrew earlier this week, prompting the organization to cancel the event scheduled for next month in New York and Los Angeles.
CEO Suzanne Nossel expressed regret over the cancellation, emphasizing the festival's goal to foster dialogue across diverse viewpoints.
Critics accused PEN America of not adequately supporting Palestinian writers and suppressing discourse, contributing to the decision to cancel.
Despite the cancellation, PEN America plans to hold a gala fundraiser on May 16 and is organizing a Town Hall to address the issues raised by the literary community.