The Art of Exile: Lessons from Refugees and Migrants

All PEN World Voices Festival tickets are non-refundable. Please confirm the time and location of your event before finalizing your purchase.

What does it mean to belong to a place, a nation, a family, one’s own past? To what do we owe our homelands and what happens when we are displaced from them? Novelist Charmaine Craig, whose Burmese mother was both a beauty queen and a revolutionary, illuminates both national and personal trauma in her prize-winning Miss Burma; Hector Tobar set his novel Tattooed Soldier in Los Angeles before the riots and in his parents’ native Guatemala during the years of military dictatorship. Photojournalist and founder of Refugee Eye, Lara Aburamadan recounts the ugliness of war and the endless cycle of Israeli bombardments in her native Gaza, in an effort to humanize Palestinians, bring about social change, and promote peace. In conversation with Ipek S. Burnett, a Turkish-born author and psychologist; these writers discuss in what ways exile gives them freedom to write, create, or advocate— and in what ways the draw of “home" limits that expression.

We are pleased to present this event with Thomas Mann House and the Goethe-Institut in the spirit of Thomas Mann’s 150th birthday celebration, who wrote many of his most well-known works from his exile residence in Los Angeles.

The 2025 PEN World Voices Festival, the 20th anniversary of the festival, will be a celebration of world literature and free expression. Over four days, over 80 writers from over 35 countries will be featured in engaging talks, panels, readings, and performances in New York City and greater Los Angeles.

Visit for more information about the entire festival, as well as PEN America.

This Venue is ADA compliant

ASL interpretation is available for this event by request only. Please reach out to our Box Office team at [email protected] by April 21st to request.

Please ask a Box Office Attendant or festival representative upon arrival for directions to accessible seating if preferred.

For further information on accessibility in this space, or to make a request, please contact [email protected]

While not required, per public health official guidelines, the World Voices Festival recommends being fully vaccinated, and wearing masks in all public indoor settings as a precaution against the spread of Covid-19, as well as around crowds.

If you are feeling unwell, please do not come to the event. Reach out to [email protected] for assistance if you have already purchased a ticket.

We thank you for ensuring our speakers, guests and venue workers feel safe and comfortable at all World Voices Festival events. If you have questions or concerns please contact [email protected]

Host or Publisher PEN America