Speaking

Joanne has addressed audiences, given readings and moderated discussions around the world, speaking on a wide range of topics including:

  • her own fiction
  • the writer’s role in imagining societies
  • literature as a bridge between cultures>issues of freedom of expression worldwide
  • the role of the writer in peace
  • the imagination as home
  • women in literature
  • prisms of fiction and journalism

To request Joanne to speak, please fill out the speaking request form


Upcoming Events and Talks:

  • Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 7:00pm
    Reading and Discussion of The Far Side of the Desert
    Book People
    603 Lamar Blvd
    Austin, TX 78703
  • Wednesday, March 20, 2024, 5:30pm
    Reading and Discussion of The Far Side of the Desert
    Kinokuniya Books
    1073 Avenue of the Americas
    New York, NY 10018
  • Saturday, March 23, 2024, 2:00pm
    Reading and Discussion of The Far Side of the Desert
    Winchester Book Gallery
    7 N Loudoun St
    Winchester, VA 22601
  • Thursday, April 4, 2024, 7:00pm
    Reading and Discussion of The Far Side of the Desert
    Barrington Books
    184 County Road
    Barrington, RI 02806
  • Thursday, April 25, 2024, 6:00pm
    Reading and Discussion of The Far Side of the Desert with Adam Sikes
    Barbara’s Books
    5 Woodfield Mall
    Schaumburg, IL 60173
  • Sunday, May 5, 2024, 2:00pm
    Reading and Discussion of The Far Side of the Desert with Georgia Jeffries
    Sisters in Crime Los Angeles
    Women’s Club of Hollywood
    1749 N La Brea Avenue
    Hollywood, CA 90046
  • Thursday, May 9, 2024, 7:00pm
    Reading and Discussion of The Far Side of the Desert with Adam Sikes
    Vroman’s Bookstore
    695 E Colorado Blvd
    Pasadena, CA 91101
  • Friday, May 10, 2024, 5:30pm
    Reading and Discussion of The Far Side of the Desert with Adam Sikes
    Tattered Covered Books
    7301 South Santa Fe Drive
    Littleton, CO 80120
  • Wednesday, May 22, 2024, 5:00pm
    In conversation with Elliot Ackerman
    Ocean House Author Series
    1 Bluff Avenue
    Watch Hill, RI 02891
  • Saturday, June 1, 4:10pm-5:00pm
    Panel Discussion: “SNARKY, UNRELIABLE OR UNAPOLOGETIC: Developing a Unique Voice”
    Thrillerfest
    Sheraton Times Square
    811 7th Ave, W 53rd St
    New York, NY 10019

 

Selected Events and Talks:

  • Reading and Discussion of The Far Side of the Desert, Interabang Books, Dallas, TX, March 16, 2024
  • Reading and Discussion of The Far Side of the Desert, Palm Beach Book Store, Palm Beach, FL, March 13, 2024
  • Reading and Discussion of The Far Side of the Desert, Politics and Prose, Washington, DC, March 9, 2024
  • Reading and Discussion of The Far Side of the Desert, Malaprop’s Bookstore and Cafe, Virtual Event/Asheville, NC, March 6, 2024
  • Literary Luncheon Featuring Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Hosted by Ginny Grenham and PEN/Faulkner Founding Friends, Washington, DC, November 16, 2023
  • Joanne Leedom-Ackerman in conversation with Moisés Naím, Hosted by The Cheuse Center at George Mason University and International Center for Journalists, Washington, DC, June 20, 2023
  • In conversation with Sara Paretsky on The Rise of Censorship, American Writers Museum, Chicago, IL, June 15, 2023
  • Reading and Discussion of Burning Distance, The Book Cellar, Chicago, IL, June 14, 2023
  • Lisa See in conversation with Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, American Writers Museum, Chicago, IL, June 12, 2023
  • Reading and Discussion of Burning Distance, Park Road Books, Charlotte, NC, June 7, 2023
  • Salon with American Purpose, moderated by Craig Kennedy, Washington, DC, June 6, 2023
  • Panel discussion: “Re-writes, Beta Readers or Freelance Editors? Honing Your Writing,” ThrillerFest, Sheraton Times Square, New York, NY, June 3, 2023
  • Reading and Discussion of Burning Distance by Joanne Leedom-Ackerman and Halcyon by Elliot Ackerman, The Ivy Bookshop, Baltimore, MD, May 23, 2023
  • Up & Coming Author Series presents Joanne Leedom-Ackerman and Burning Distance, University Park Public Library, University Park, TX, April 27, 2023
  • Burning Distance, reading and conversation with CW Smith, Interabang Books, Dallas, TX, April 26, 2023
  • Burning Distance, book signing and reception, The Palm Beach Bookstore, Palm Beach, FL, April 3, 2023
  • Burning Distance, reading and conversation with Azar Nafisi, Politics and Prose, Washington, DC, March 11, 2023
  • Reading at Shaw’s Tavern, Inner Loop Literary Reading Series, Washington, DC, January 24, 2023
  • Conversation with Joanne Leedom-Ackerman about her latest book, PEN Journeys: Memoir of Literature on the Line, Click here to join PEN/Faulkner’s Founding Friends year-long program, PEN/Faulkner Founding Friends, Washington, DC, March 24, 2022
  • In Conversation: Joanne Leedom-Ackerman and Azar Nafisi (new book Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times) with moderator Matthew Davis, Virtual Event with the Alan Cheuse International Writers Center at George Mason University and Solid State Books, Washington, DC, March 10, 2022
  • “Words Unbound: Why Freedom of Speech Matters Now More than Ever”, A Discussion with Joanne Leedom-Ackerman and Salil Tripathi, moderated by Sharon Moshavi, Webinar with International Center for Journalists, Washington, DC, March 9, 2022
  • Discussion: PEN Journeys: Memoir of Literature on the Line with Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Webinar with American Purpose, Washington, DC, February 22, 2022,
  • “A (Pandemic) Year in the Life of a Peace Teacher: Stories from the American Classroom”, Panel Discussion with United States Institute of Peace’s Lise Grande and Megan Chabalowski and teachers Emily Philpott, Katrina Gotschall, Jill Armstrong, Sarah Campbell, and Joanne Leedom-Ackerman (moderator), Washington, DC, July 8, 2021
  • PEN International’s Centenary Digital Archives Exhibition Inauguration: “Unlocking the History of PEN International”, Virtual Event, June 16, 2021
  • Liu Xiaobo’s Democracy Versus Xi Jinping’s Autocracy: Which Path Will China Follow?”, Webinar organized by Mandate Democracy including panelists Teng Bao, Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Sophie Richardson, Perry Link, Cui Weiping, and Andrew Nathan,  July 29, 2020
  • A Year in the Life of a Peace Teacher: Stories from the Classroom, Panel Discussion with Nancy Lindborg, Megan Chabalowski, Ryan Adams, Casandra Bates, JoAnne Bohl, Jennifer O’Boyle, and Joanne Leedom-Ackerman (moderator), Washington, DC, July 12, 2019
  • Book Talk for the Neighbor’s Club of Arlington, Arlington, VA, November 14, 2018
  • Ballou High School Book Club, Washington, DC, October 31, 2018
  • A Year in the Life of a Peace Teacher: Stories from the Classroom, Panel Discussion with Nancy Lindborg, Megan Chabalowski, Amy Cameron, Ezra Shearer, Maria Zelaya, and Joanne Leedom-Ackerman (moderator),Washington, DC, July 10, 2018
  • 11th Gathering for Freedom of Expression in Turkey, The Panorama of Freedom of Expression in the World Today, Istanbul, Turkey, May 26, 2018
  • 83rd PEN International Congress: Reclaiming Truth in Times of Propaganda, Panel Discussion “America’s Reckoning: Threats to the First Amendment in Trump’s America” with Paul Auster, Dru Menaker, Larry Siems and Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, moderator, Lviv, Ukraine, September 20, 2017
  • Finding Room for Common Ground – No Enemies, No Hatred: The First International Conference of Four-PEN Platform, Malmö, Sweden, August 28-30, 2017
  • The San Miguel de Allende, Mexico Center of PEN International, Panel Discussion: Celebration of 25 years of International PEN’s Women’s Writers Committee with Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Lucina Kathmann, Jennifer Clement and Elizabeth Starcevic, Bellas Artes Miguel Malo Auditorium, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, February 28, 2017
  • Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference, Panel Discussion ” Writers and Advocates: Individual Activism and the Larger Creative Writing Vocation” with Christy Zink, Elizabeth Kadetsky, Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Arielle Bernstein, Stacy Parker Le Melle, Minneapolis Convention Center, April 11, 2015
  • International Crisis Group 2014 Global Briefing, Panel Discussion “Authoritarians and Islamists: the Struggle for North Africa’s Identity” with Issandr El-Amrani, Rob Blecher, Emma Bonino, Moderated by Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, The Hotel, Brussels, Belgium, October 23, 2014
  • Principia Club 2014 Capitol Hill Briefing, Panel Discussion  with Honorable Lamar Smith (R-TX); the Honorable Bob Goodlatte (R-VA); the Honorable Rodney Davis (R-IL); former Congressman Chris Shays (R-CT); Gary Jones, COP  and Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, author and former Christian Science Monitor reporter, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Hearing Room, September 18, 2014
  • Urgent Witness: A Freedom-to-Write Conference, Panel Discussion “Bringing the News from Around the Globe” with Gazmend Kapllani, Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, George Seremba, Larry Siems, Brown University, McCormack Family Theater, March 10, 2014
  • Summit for Emerging Women Leaders, Johns Hopkins University, Charles Commons, March 8, 2014
  • PEN/Faulkner Talk and Discussion of The Dark Path to the River, School Without Walls, Washington, DC, November 14, 2013
  • Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference, Panel Discussion “The Freedom to Write: Writers, Politics, & Propaganda” with Pireeni Sundaralingam, Joanne Leedom-Ackerman , Yibing Huang [Mai Mang], and Idra Novey, Hynes Convention Center, March 8, 2013
  • International Writers Project Festival, Freedom to Write Panel Discussion with Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Larry Siems, Henry Reese, Tararith Kho, Shahryar Mondanipour, Erik Ehn and Linh Dinh, Brown University, March 15, 2011
  • The Association of Writers & Writing Programs,  2011 Annual Conference & Bookfair, Celebrating 50 Years of Freedom to Write Advocacy: Panel Discussion with Larry Siems, Honor Moore, Major Jackson, Joanne Leedom Ackerman, Azar Nafisi, Washington, DC, February 5, 2011
  • The Association of Writers & Writing Programs,  2011 Annual Conference & Bookfair, Washington Journalists Turned Fictionalists: Panel Discussion with Tim Wendel, Dan Fesperman, Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Sarah Pekkanen, Washington, DC, February 5, 2011
  • Author series with Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Davis Library, Bethesda, MD, November 17, 2010
  • PEN/Faulkner presents Discovering Stories That Need To Be Told: An Evening with Isabel Allende, Introduction by Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, at the Washington National Cathedral, April 30, 2010
  • The Writers Center Emerging Writers Series, Story/Stereo: A Night of Literature and Music with Kathleen Flenniken and Anthony Varallo, Bethesda, MD, March 18, 2010
  • PEN/Faulkner Talk and Discussion of No Marble Angels, Cardozo High School Washington, DC, November 20, 2009
  • Neustadt Festival of International Literature and Culture, University of Oklahoma, Norman, October 23, 2009
  • Humanity in Action Forum: Voices of the Other, Joanne Leedom-Ackerman and Michael Kunichika, Fordham Law School, New York, NY, July 7. 2009
  • Responsibility to Imagine: Literature on the Front Lines, Brown University, Providence, RI, May 23, 2009
  • PEN/Faulkner Talk and Discussion of No Marble Angels, School Without Walls, Washington, DC, May 21, 2009
  • There Will Still Be Light: A Freedom to Write Literary Festival, 2009
  • Pleading Not Guilty, A Freedom to Write Panel, Ma Thida, Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Myo Myint Nyein, Paul Auster, Siri Hustvedt, Larry Siems, Joukowsky Forum, Watson Institute, Brown University Providence, RI, April 21, 2009
  • PEN/Faulkner Talk and Discussion of No Marble Angels, IDEA Public Charter School, Washington, DC, November 25, 2008.
  • Reading and discussion: Power, Politics and the Prism of Literature -Azar Nafisi, Marie Arana and Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Washington, DC, November 3, 2008. Listen to podcast.
  • Reading and discussion: International PEN Congress. Maria Mercedes Carranza School, Bogota, Columbia, September 17, 2008.
  • Reading: No Marble Angels and The Dark Path to the River, Village Books, Pacific Palisades, CA, June 20, 2008.
  • Reading: No Marble Angels and The Dark Path to the River, Shore Books, Long Beach, CA, June 19, 2008.
  • Freedom of Expression Campaign for 100-Day Countdown to Beijing’s Olympics, Hong Kong, April 30-May 3, 2008.
  • International PEN’s Literary Festival: Free the Word—A Celebration of World Literature London, England, April 11-13, 2008.
  • “Under the Tongue”— A Festival of African Literature, Brown University, Providence, RI, April 15-16, 2008.
  • Reading: No Marble Angels and The Dark Path to the River, Metropolis Books 440 S. Main Street, Los Angeles, CA, March 29, 2008.
  • “Fiction and Survival: Imagination, Migration and Diaspora-A Panel Discussion” with Nadeem Aslam, H.G. Carrillo, and Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, moderated by Judith Plotz at George Washington University, Marvin Center Amphitheatre, February 25, 2008.
  • Reading with contributors from Electric Grace, Politics and Prose Book Store, 5015 Connecticut NW, Washington DC, December 5, 2007.
  • International Secretary’s Address, International PEN Congress, Dakar, Senegal, July 4-11, 2007.
  • “Gathering in Istanbul For Freedom of Expression” Istanbul, Turkey May 25-27, 2007.
  • “Short Stories: The Preservation of Multiculturalism and Diversity”, Ankara Short Story Conference. Keynote Speaker, Ankara, Turkey, May 19-23, 2007.
  • “Freedom to Write? Our Obligation to Protect Expression”, Associated Writing Programs Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, March 3, 2007. (Podcast available here or here)
  • Hong Kong Conference. Asia/Pacific/ International PEN conference. Hong Kong, February 2-5, 2007.
  • “The Role of PEN in the Contemporary World.” Keynote speaker at Japan PEN meeting, Tokyo, Japan, February 6, 2007.
  • Zagreb Literary Festival, Talk and Reading from “The Tutor” in No Marble Angels, Zagreb, Croatia, November 3, 2006.
  • “Strange Times, My Dear: Freedom to Write Literary Festival”, Brown University, Providence, RI, November 14-17, 2006.
  • “Does Freedom of Expression Have a Limit?” Gothenborg Book Fair, Gothenborg, Sweden, September 21, 2006.
  • “Hospitality Without Borders,” Gothenborg Book Fair, Gothenborg, Sweden, September 21, 2006.
  • “I Left My Shoes in Macedonia”, Ohrid Conference and International PEN Translation and Linguistic Rights Meeting, Ohrid, Macedonia, September 15-16, 2006.
  • International Secretary’s Address, International PEN Congress, Berlin, Germany, May 22-28, 2006.
  • The Role of PEN in the Contemporary World” at the International Peace Committee Conference in Bled, Slovenia, March 30, 2006 (Talk available under Other Publications/Articles on this website)
  • PEN/Faulkner talk and discussion of No Marble Angels at Bell Multicultural High School, Washington, DC., February 15, 2006.
  • PEN/Faulkner talk and discussion of No Marble Angels at Woodrow Wilson High School, Washington, DC February 16, 2006.

A number of the talks above will be available at www.pen-international.org/