Jenny Holzer, PEN America, and Me

This year marks the 100-year anniversary of the important organization PEN America, which fights “for the freedom of imprisoned and at-risk writers and artists around the globe.” It’s a noble mission, and I’m proud to be a member of the organization.

The formidable artist Jenny Holzer created an installation to commemorate PEN America’s anniversary, and I’m honored that she chose to feature quotes of mine in her artwork, which was projected onto Rockefeller Center.

The quotes were:

A WRITER’S REVOLUTIONARY DUTY AS GABRIEL GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ ONCE PUT IT IS TO WRITE WELL.
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF A HUMAN BEING ON THE OTHER HAND IS TO PRACTICE COMPASSION FOR OTHERS WHILE GROWING JUSTICE IN THIS WORLD. SINCE MOST WRITERS ARE HUMAN BEINGS WRITERS CARRY THAT OBLIGATION AS WELL BUT AS HUMAN BEINGS NOT AS WRITERS.
WRITING IS THE VEHICLE NOT THE MISSION.

Lighted trucks were also dispatched around the city with brief messages, one of which carried my “Writing is the Vehicle, not the mission,” message.

Another quote of mine in the installation was as follows:

BECAUSE WE LIVE TOGETHER ON THIS EARTH AND NOT ALONE AS ATOMIZED INDIVIDUALS COLLECTIVE ACTION IS NECESSARY TO AFFECT CHANGE AND WHEN THEY COME TOGETHER WRITERS DO HAVE A COLLECTIVE PURPOSE THE WAY ANY GUILD DOES COLLECTIVELY THEN WRITERS CAN AND SHOULD ADVOCATE FOR THE PROPER CONDITIONS OF WRITING GLOBALLY

Here’s a short video of the work: