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Soon after the association’s decision, PEN announced that Ruffin had agreed to preside over its signature event, a dinner-fundraiser held at the American Museum of Natural History.

鈥淪he is truly emblematic of the talented creators who we need on stages and in writers鈥� rooms during a time of unprecedented censorship in this country,鈥� PEN co-interim CEO Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf said at the time.

PEN itself, the century-old free expression organization, is still recovering from a tumultuous 2024. Allegations that leadership was reluctant to criticize Israel’s invasion of Gaza and slow to respond to the suffering of Palestinians, including Palestinian writers and journalists, led so many writers to withdraw from PEN’s spring awards ceremony and World Voices festival that . PEN CEO Suzanne Nossel departed at the end of the year; a permanent replacement has not yet been announced.

The awards night and World Voices returned this month, although with reminders of the ongoing war in Gaza. Several prize nominees withdrew from competition, including two of the five finalists for the $75,000 Jean Stein Book Award for a work of 鈥渙riginality, merit, and impact.鈥� The daughters of Stein, the late author, editor and philanthropist, decided that the prize money would be donated to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund and to Palestine Legal, a U.S.-based defense organization.

On Thursday, PEN will honor the imprisoned Egyptian poet and activist Galal El-Behairy with the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, given to dissidents who have been jailed. Members of his family will accept the award for him.

Parker is to receive the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award, presented in previous years to and among others. Parker has been a longtime champion of books and literacy and runs the publishing imprint SJP Lit, where authors include Lucy Caldwell, Linda Grant and Elysha Chang.

Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth, a leading critic of Trump’s threats to cancel research funding at Columbia University and other schools, is this year’s winner of the PEN/Benenson Courage Award. PEN is giving its Business Visionary award to Macmillan CEO Jon Yaged.