Thank you for celebrating the best in literature with us

View this email in your browser ([link removed])
[link removed][UNIQID]
[link removed][UNIQID]


** Announcing the Winners of the
2020 PEN America Literary Awards
------------------------------------------------------------

[link removed][UNIQID] America is thrilled to announce the winners of the 2020 PEN America Literary Awards. See all the winners here » ([link removed][UNIQID])

“Late Night” host, comedian, and “influential recommender of books” (The New York Times) Seth Meyers hosted the ceremony at The Town Hall. In his opening speech, Meyers offered some evergreen advice to the audience: “If you’re one of those writers that wakes up every day at seven, without fail, makes a coffee, and writes for eight hours, just keep it to yourself.” Watch last night's ceremony in full here » ([link removed][UNIQID])

Yiyun Li, author of Where Reasons End, emerged as the winner of the $75,000 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award, which recognizes a book-length work of any genre for its originality, merit, and impact, for the remarkably poignant Where Reasons End. Accepting the award, Li said, “There are too many people to thank, and I can’t list all of them—so I’ll just list one very special person: my son Vincent, who helped me write this book.’”

[link removed][UNIQID] Award and four-time Tony Award winner Tom Stoppard received the PEN/Mike Nichols Writing for Performance Award for his play Leopoldstadt.

The presentation began with reminiscences about Stoppard and Nichols from Cynthia Nixon and Christine Baranski, who both acted in the Broadway debut production of Stoppard’s The Real Thing, directed by the late Nichols. Kenneth Lonergan, winner of last year’s inaugural PEN/Mike Nichols Writing for Performance Award, presented the honor to Stoppard.
[link removed][UNIQID] receiving the award, Stoppard said of writers, “I think we should all try to be a bit modest about the things said on our behalf. . . but at the back of everything, I like to think we are indeed the unacknowledged legislators. I like to think of our overview as being something of importance to the entire community, spreading out to the entire nation. And these are grandiose claims for the responsibility of the free writer, but listen, look around—if not we, who?”

Among the other career achievement honorees of the evening were M. NourbeSe Philip, for the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature; Tanya Barfield, for the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award; and Rigoberto González, for the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry.

Learn more about the career award winners here » ([link removed][UNIQID])

Please join PEN America in congratulating all of the winners and finalists who helped us make last night’s historic ceremony a celebration to remember.

============================================================
** ([link removed][UNIQID])
** ([link removed][UNIQID])
** Facebook ([link removed][UNIQID])
** Twitter ([link removed][UNIQID])
** Website ([link removed][UNIQID])

Get More News, Events, and Updates from ** PEN America › ([link removed])

You are receiving this e-mail because you opted in at PEN.org or a PEN America-sponsored event.

** manage subscriptions ([link removed])
| ** unsubscribe ([link removed])
| ** contact us (mailto:[email protected])

Copyright © 2020 PEN America | 588 Broadway Suite 303, New York, NY 10012 USA