In light of PEN America's atrocious indifference to the genocide of more than 33,000 Palestinians and Israel's targeted destruction of Palestinian cultural centers, and unprecedented thirty-two nominees for the organization's annual awards have withdrawn in protest. As of April 17, this included nine out of ten writers longlisted for $75k Jean Stein Award; half of the nominees for the PEN Translation Prize; and PEN America World Voices Festival co-founder Esther Allen, who declined the triennial PEN/Ralph Manheim Award for lifetime achievement—as well as many other authors across other prize categories. 

In their letter to the organization, the writers call for the resignation of CEO Suzanne Nossel; an audit of PEN's longstanding support for the Israeli occupation; and solidarity with the PEN United Union, who has blown the whistle on internal political censorship and called for a living wage for its workers, many of whom make 42k a year while the CEO draws over 450k. This list includes books by authors who have collaborated on and endorsed this letter, as well as others who have withdrawn from nomination and issued individual statements. We pledge that all the profits Bookshop issues to WAWOG as an affiliate will be divided equally between the Palestine-allied Brooklyn bookstore The Word is Change, and life-saving aid through UNRWA.