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Dear Friend,
Last night, we bestowed over $380,000 to writers, translators, poets, essaysists, editors, and journalists at the 2021 PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony, in what was a truly magical evening. Among the winners were PEN/Jean Stein Book Award winner Ross Gay for Be Holding: A Poem; PEN Open Book Award recipient Asako Serizawa for Inheritors; Kawai Strong Washburn, who won the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel for Sharks in the Time of Saviors: A Novel; and Barbara Ehrenreich, recipient of the PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay for Had I Known: Collected Essays; among many others.
It’s been quite a year. During a time marked by so many unprecedented hardships, one bright spot was the sheer abundance of excellent books. Last night’s ceremony reminded me of the power of words, of why we read and write in the first place—because storytelling is a crucial way of uplifting one another’s humanity, especially during times of upheaval.
Among the award winners and career achievement honorees were a broad range of voices representing established and emerging authors. Hosted by Off-Broadway star Kara Young, the night included special guest appearances by Nathan Lane, Whoopi Goldberg, Audra MacDonald, recipient of the 2020 PEN/Mike Nichols Award Tom Stoppard, and Viola Davis. Presenters Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Lydia Davis, Tracy O’Neill, Laurie Anderson, Leigh Silverman, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Jeremy O. Harris, and Michael Potts shared personal stories and paid tribute to the evening’s winners.
Please join me in applauding all our winners and finalists, as well as our stellar panel of judges, without whom our awards program would not have been possible. Click here to learn more about all the winners and career achievement honorees and watch last night’s ceremony.
We’d love you to consider joining PEN America’s nationwide Membership community to help us continue elevating underrepresented voices and defending the power of imagination and free expression. As a PEN America Member, you’ll be joining a community of novelists and nonfiction authors, journalists, editors, poets, screenwriters, essayists, playwrights, publishers, translators, agents, and other literary professionals, and an even larger network of devoted readers and supporters.
And if you can, please consider supporting PEN America's crucial work in celebrating literature and writers with a donation. Your contribution ensures that the voices of writers will continue to be heard.
Thank you,
Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf
Senior Director, Literary Programs
PEN America
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