PEN America, facing ongoing criticism over its response to the Mideast war, gathers for annual gala
PEN America will gather Thursday night for its annual gala, a high-profile event raised even higher because some wondered if it would be held at all
NEW YORK (AP) — With guests including Paul Simon and Seth Meyers, PEN America will gather Thursday night for its annual gala, a dressed-up, high-profile event raised even higher because some wondered if it would be held at all.
The literary and human rights organization has faced ongoing criticism over its response to the Israel-Hamas war, with hundreds of writers alleging that PEN showed limited concern over the suffering of Gaza residents and the deaths of Palestinian writers and journalists. PEN has already canceled its spring awards ceremony after dozens of nominees withdrew and its World Voices festival after hundreds signed an open letter saying they wouldn't participate.
But the gala is the organization's major annual fundraiser, with more than $2 million already coming in from Thursday's event, and key supporters from previous years are again contributing. All five major New York publishers — Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group and Macmillan — are listed as sponsors, along with organizations ranging from Bloomberg and Barnes & Noble to the National Basketball Association and the David Geffen Foundation.
“The test of our partnerships is whether we can find a common cause, not whether we hold every cause in common," PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said in a statement.
