PEN America's 'Reading For Remembrance' To Highlight Literary Legacy Of AIDS

AIDS devastated a generation and continues to have an impact on communities dealing with the crisis. But it has also become the focus of insistent, resilient writing and work that inspires countless other advocates.

On June 22, PEN America will host a 'Reading for Remembrance' to spotlight the literary legacy of AIDS and its profound impact on future advocacy movements.

Join PEN America as we hear from poets, storytellers, and performers to mark an historic occasion -- the first Pride in New York City with public space dedicated specifically to AIDS remembrance. The NYC AIDS Memorial, located in a public park adjacent to the former St. Vincent's Hospital, honors the more than 100,000 individuals lost to AIDS in NYC alone, as well as the many activists who ignited and have maintained a global response.

During the first Pride Week to feature a dedicated public memorial to the AIDS epidemic, the reading takes place under the dramatic, angular steel canopy of the�NYC AIDS Memorial�in the heart of New York's West Village, appropriately inscribed with Walt Whitman's�"Song of Myself."�

Noted literary figures, emerging voices, and activists including�Kate Bornstein,�Timothy DuWhite,�Jean-Claude van Itallie,�Rickey Laurentiis,�Jaime Manrique,�Ethelbert Miller,�Sarah Schulman, and�Jean Valentine�will share their work and pay tribute to iconic figures including�Reinaldo Arenas,�Tory Dent,�Melvin Dixon,�Tim Dlugos,�Essex Hemphill,�David Wojnarowicz, and others who have been indispensable in carrying forward the stories of the movement.

AIDS devastated a generation, but it also became the focus of relentless, resilient writing and work that has gone on to inspire countless other advocates.�
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PEN America�stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.

Our partners include ACT UP, the NYC AIDS Memorial, the Fales Library, Housing Works, Visual AIDS, and Treatment Action Group. This event is free and open to all.

'Reading for Remembrance' is held from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, June 22 at the NYC AIDS Memorial, 76 Greenwich Ave., New York.

For tickets or information, click here.