When discourse falters, literature steps in.

This October, FLOK Lit partners with PEN America for an intimate evening with acclaimed essayist Thomas Chatterton Williams, whose new book, Summer of Our Discontent: The Age of Certainty and the Demise of Discourse (Knopf, 2025), is already sparking national debate.

Part memoir and part cultural critique, Williams reflects on the seismic events of 2020 — pandemic, protest, polarization — and how they reshaped the ways we speak, listen, and disagree. With PEN America’s mission of defending free expression as the backdrop, the evening offers a rare chance to engage directly with the author in a private residence — a setting that promises both intimacy and depth.

Expect a night that is provocative, illuminating, and true to the spirit of FLOK Lit: reading bravely, thinking critically, and gathering in community around the ideas that matter most.

Please contact Renee Lamarque at rlamarque@pen.org if you’re interested in attending this special evening. Donations to attend this evening are $350. The donation is considered 100% tax-deductible and supports PEN America’s mission to defend writers and free expression at a time of unprecedented need. Your generosity is deeply appreciated.

📍 Private residence · Location shared upon RSVP