“Shobha Rao writes cleanly and eloquently about women who, without their brightness, might have been left to die in their beds. She writes them into life, into existence, into the light of day.” ―Los Angeles Times
Shobha Rao discusses Girls Burn Brighter - Thursday, May 24, 7pm
“Shobha Rao writes cleanly and eloquently about women who, without their brightness, might have been left to die in their beds. She writes them into life, into existence, into the light of day.” ―Los Angeles Times
Cartoonist Keith Knight - presents a slide show - Wednesday, May 16, 7pm
brutality and more!
Click here to see Keef's take on Kanye West.
Sahar Delijani, author of Children of the Jacaranda Tree - Thursday, May 17, 7pm
Children of the Jacaranda Tree has been translated into 28 languages and published in more than 75 countries.
Statements of Support for Rev Books against Fascist Threat to Burn Down the Bookstore
Statements received during 2018
In Support for Rev Books Against
The Fascist Threat to Burn Down the Bookstore
NEW YORK—Revolution Books and its employees must be free to operate without fear for their safety, PEN America said in a statement today.
Revolution Books in Berkeley, an independent bookstore that is affiliated with the Revolutionary Communist Party, a political party within the United States, and that specializes in selling books from a leftist political standpoint, has been the target of a sustained protest campaign by right-wing activists for the past several months. This campaign has at points flared into threats and violence.
Most recently, on March 3, a group of right-wing activists protested the store. During a verbal altercation caught on video, one protester exclaimed “We’re gonna burn down your bookstore, you know that right?” In a previous protest, captured on videotape, a person protesting the bookstore elbowed a bookstore supporter in the face. In recent months, Revolution Books employees have also reportedly been “doxed” (their personal information shared online without their consent) and received threatening phone calls.
“Political disagreements are one thing. Threatening to burn down a bookstore is another, and is unacceptable,” said Summer Lopez, Senior Director of Free Expression at PEN America. “While protests and calls to boycott are of course free and protected speech, that is no excuse for threats, violence, or sustained harassment. Now more than ever, we need to recognize and cherish the right of bookstores to offer books with diverse points of view from across the political spectrum.”
The protests against the store reportedly began in September 2017, when—after a visit from right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos to University of California, Berkeley resulted in protests against his speech—a group of 30 to 40 people stormed Revolution Books and confronted shoppers.
read all the statements
Jasmin Darznik discusses Song of a Captive Bird - Thursday, May 10, 7pm
reads from her novel
Song of a Captive Bird
This novel is about the life of the Iranian writer Forugh Farrokhzad who broke patriarchal expectations and defied societal norms to to create trailblazing, truthful poetry. Mining Forugh's verse, letters, film, and interviews, Author Jasmin Darznik captures the too short life and spirit of a brave, rebellious woman whose art continues to inspire people around the world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)