Muldoon's Picnic (February 2020)

Jennifer Clement is the President of PEN International and the first woman to be elected since the organization was founded in 1921. Under her leadership the groundbreaking PEN International Women’s Manifesto and The Democracy of the Imagination Manifesto were created. Clement is the author of the novels A True Story Based on Lies, The Poison That Fascinates, Prayers for the Stolen and Gun Love as well as several poetry books. Clement also wrote the acclaimed memoir Widow Basquiat on New York City in the early 1980’s and the painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. Clement is the recipient of many awards including the Canongate Prize, Sara Curry Humanitarian Award, the Gran Prix des Lectrices Lyceenes de ELLE, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and an NEA Fellowship. Her books have twice been New York Times Editor’s Choice Books. Prayers for the Stolen was both a PEN/Faulkner Prize and Femina Prize finalist and a New Statesman Book of the Year, picked by Kazuo Ishiguro. Her recent novel Gun Love is an Oprah Book Club Selection as well as being a National Book Award, Aspen Words Literary Prize finalist, and a New York Times Editor’s Choice Book. Time magazine, among other publications, named it one of the top 10 books of 2018. Clement’s books have been translated into more than 30 languages.

Photo credit: Omar Meneses

Zara Phillips is a singer-songwriter, author, and adoption activist born and raised in England. She started her career as a backing vocalist for Bob Geldof and other UK bands, Matt Bianco, Nic Kamen, and David Essex. Zara directed the film Roots: Unknown; wrote two books—the novel Somebody’s Daughter and a memoir, Mother Me; wrote and performed her own one-woman show called Beneath My Fathers Sky; and co-wrote the song “I’m Legit” with Daryl MacDaniels (aka DMC).

Rogue Oliphant is: Chris Harford (guitar), Ray Kubian (drums), David Mansfield (guitar), Cáit O'Riordan (bass), Warren Zanes (guitar)