Home / 2025 PEN America Literary Gala

2025 PEN America Literary Gala

A woman in a patterned dark blazer and white shirt speaks passionately at a podium during the PEN America Literary Gala, gesturing with both hands. Behind her is a black backdrop with red and white text partially visible.

The 2025 PEN America Literary Gala held on May 15 was grounded in a collective response to the divisive issues of the day that drive PEN America’s mission to defend free speech and celebrate writers. Read more about the evening in our press release or browse photos from the event in our photo collection. The proceeds from our annual galas are crucial to PEN America’s dynamic cultural programming and critical advocacy work. Join with the hundreds of gala attendees in celebrating free expression and the years of hard work ahead by making a gift to PEN America today.

Watch the Gala Speeches Donate in Honor of the 2025 Gala

2025 Master of Ceremonies

Amber Ruffin

Writer, Comedian and Host,
Have I Got News For You (CNN)

2025 Honorees

Business Visionary Honoree

Jon Yaged
Chief Executive Officer
Macmillan Publishers

Woman with long, wavy blonde hair gazing into the distance, set against a dark background. She has a contemplative expression and is wearing a sleeveless top, with a hint of a bracelet on her wrist.

PEN/Audible Literary Service Award

Sarah Jessica Parker
Actor, Producer, and Founder of SJP Lit

PEN/Benenson Courage Award

Michael S. Roth
President, Wesleyan University

PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award

Galal El-Behairy
Egyptian Poet, Lyricist, and Activist

Featuring

Jennifer Finney Boylan
Author, PEN America President

A person with a shaved head and an earring in their left ear is wearing a pinstripe suit, a white shirt, and a pink tie, posed against a smooth purple background.

Taye Diggs
Actor, Writer, and Producer

A man with short, wavy hair and a serious expression looks directly at the camera. He is wearing a dark sweater and the background is plain and light-colored. The photo is in black and white.

Patrick Radden Keefe
Staff Writer, The New Yorker and New York Times Bestselling Author

A woman with curly hair stands outdoors in front of a stone wall and greenery, wearing a black short-sleeve dress with her arms crossed, looking confidently at the camera.

Saidiya Hartman
Award-winning Author and Professor

Gala Co-Chairs

Colette Bennett

Dinaw Mengestu

Jodi Picoult

Honorary Co-Chairs

Markus Dohle • Anya Salama

Gala Committee

Whitney Arcaro • Pamela and Peter Barbey • Lawrence B. and Elyse Benenson • Laura Bickford and Stephen Graham• Deirdre Finney Boylan and Jennifer Finney Boylan • Roxanne Donovan • Patricia Duff • Sheree and Jerry Friedman • Henry Louis Gates, Jr. •Tom Healy and Fred P. Hochberg • Elizabeth Hemmerdinger • Tracy Higgins • Beth Hutchens • Linda Johnson and Bruce Ratner • Zachary Karabell • Patricia Fili-Krushel and Kenneth Krushel • Sandra Leong • Jay McInerney • Ken Miller and Lybess Sweezy • Michael Pietsch • Keri and Marvin Putnam • Alix L.L. Ritchie • Jan Shaw • Andrew Solomon and John Habich Solomon • Suzy and Sadek Wahba • Jamie Wolf

(in formation)

2025 Sponsors

Award Underwriters

Audible, Inc.
Peter and Pamela Barbey
Lawrence and Elyse Benenson

Gold

Macmillan Publishers
Penguin Random House

Leadership

Roxanne Donovan and Tom Scarangello • Patricia Fili-Krushel, Kenneth Krushel, Lybess Sweezy and Ken Miller • Tom Healy and Fred P. Hochberg • Hearst • Elizabeth Hemmerdinger and Alix L.L. Ritchie • Keri and Marvin Putnam • Anya and Albert Salama • Andrew Solomon and John Habich Solomon • Jamie Wolf

Benefactors

Amazon Literary Partnership • Anonymous • Arnold & Porter • Barnes & Noble • Willow Bay and Robert A. Iger • Laura Bickford and Stephen Graham • Colette and Daniel Bennett • Bloomberg Philanthropies • Bloomsbury • Command Companies • Dow Jones • Karin and Markus Dohle • Patricia Duff and Richard D. Cohen • Entangled Publishing • Deirdre Finney Boylan and Jennifer Finney Boylan • Sheree and Jerry Friedman • Hachette Book Group • Tracy Higgins and James Leitner • Ingram Content Group • Linda Johnson and Bruce Ratner • Zachary Karabell • Sandra Leong • The Holly Peterson Foundation • Anne and Jay McInerney • The Open Society Foundations • Scholastic • Sourcebooks LLC • Ting Tsung & Wei Fong Chao Foundation • Suzy and Sadek Wahba • Warner Bros. Discovery • Wesleyan University • Writers House • Jon Yaged and Catherine Daly • Zando

Patrons

Whitney Arcaro • Victoria Cerami • Domtar • Agnes Gund • Horizon Paper • Hudson, an Avolta Company • Rocco and Debby Landesman • Midland Paper • The New York Times • Persevere Fund • Richard Plepler and EDEN Productions • Ann and Richard Sarnoff Family Foundation • Sentinel Solutions • WME

Listing as of May 12, 2025

Support the Gala

Tables and Tickets >> Program Book Ads >> Donations >>

For more information, please call 646-989-3885, or email [email protected].

Learn more about our annual Literary Gala and see recaps from prior years’ celebrations.