Image by wikimedia commons

By Talya Zax January 13, 2017

On Sunday, January 14th a crowd of literary luminaries will hold a midtown Manhattan rally, “Writers Resist: #LouderTogether” to support the right to free expression. The rally’s primary organizer, PEN America, described the event as a “literary protest” to “defend free expression, reject hatred, and uphold truth in the face of lies and misinformation.”

The event, organized to simultaneously honor Martin Luther King Jr., Day, will feature authors including comics artist Art Spiegelman, journalist Masha Gessen, “Democracy Now!” creator and host Amy Goodman, novelist Francine Prose, and former United States Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky.

Both Pinsky and Rita Dove will read so-called inaugural poems.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The authors involved will read from texts significant to democratic ideals of the freedom of speech and press, including the Federalist Papers, the Constitution, and King’s sermons. The event, held on the steps of the New York Public Library’s Schwarzman Building, will also be streamed on Facebook Live.

After the rally, representative of PEN America will deliver a pledge to defend the First Amendment to a member of President-elect Donald Trump’s team at Trump Tower.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount