¡Viva Las Antepasadas! / Long Live the Ancestors!

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

This bilingual panel will welcome Latin American women writers to discuss the role of writer as witness to the unmentioned past, as well as what draws them to working with the uncanny.

Confronting the ghosts and ideas of reanimation at work in their novels, we'll discuss the writers who inspire their work, and the importance of a feminist literary legacy. With Jazmina Barrera (The Queen of Swords, tr. Christina MacSweeney); Agustina Bazterrica (The Unworthy, tr. Sarah Moses); and Marina Yuszczuk (Thirst, tr. Heather Cleary). Moderated by writer and curator Lily Philpott.

This panel will be held in Spanish and English, with simultaneous translation available for audience members. Simultaneous translation will be provided by Algarabía Language Co-op.

The 2026 PEN World Voices Festival is a celebration of world literature and free expression. The 2026 edition will be the 21st World Voices Festival. Over four days, over 140 writers from over 40 countries will be featured in engaging talks, panels, readings, and activations in New York City and greater Los Angeles.

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

This space is ADA compliant. A street level accessible entrance is located on 12th street.

ASL interpretation is available for this event by request only. Please reach out to our Box Office team at [email protected] by April 15th 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]

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