Hi, I’m Lara Brysk, and I'm a 13 year old studying for a bat mitzvah in April of 2026. For my mitzvah (good deed) project, I decided to combine my love for literature and my passion for activism, and I found an organization that does just that. PEN America ‘stands at the intersection of literature and human rights’, fighting against disinformation and book bans. I joined PEN in advocating for free expression and writer’s rights by raising money and donating directly to their organization, and I would love it if you could support my journey. Any amount of donation is happily accepted, and all proceeds go directly to PEN America to support writers worldwide. For more information about our cause, feel free to go to the PEN America website . If you do end up donating directly there, it would be greatly appreciated if you did so under the name 'Lara Bat Mitzvah 2026' or something like it, and sent me a picture of the receipt through this GoFundMe. Additionally, spreading the word about this page would help greatly, even if you yourself aren't able to donate at this time. Thank you so much for your attention, and remember, "the PEN is mightier than the sword".