PEN America hosts gala amid Gaza war response backlash

PEN America is set to host its annual gala on Thursday night, featuring notable guests such as Paul Simon and Seth Meyers. The high-profile literary and human rights event will proceed despite recent controversy surrounding PEN’s response to the Israel-Hamas war. Criticism arose from hundreds of writers who felt that PEN showed inadequate concern for the suffering of Gaza residents and the deaths of Palestinian writers and journalists. This criticism led to the cancellation of PEN’s spring awards ceremony and its World Voices festival.

Despite these issues, the gala remains a crucial fundraiser for PEN, with over $2 million already raised. Key supporters, including the five major New York publishers — Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group, and Macmillan — are sponsoring the event, along with organizations like Bloomberg, Barnes & Noble, the NBA, and the David Geffen Foundation.

PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel emphasized the importance of finding common ground among supporters. The gala, held at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan, will honor Simon, Wall Street Journal publisher Almar Latour, and Vietnamese dissident Pham Doan Trang, with Meyers serving as emcee. Authors such as Robert Caro, Candace Bushnell, Jay McInerney, and Andrew Solomon are expected to attend.

The controversy within PEN has led to public clashes among writers. George Packer, a PEN board member, criticized PEN critics in The Atlantic for what he described as an “authoritarian spirit.” In response, PEN Vice President Dinaw Mengestu accused Packer of distorting legitimate criticisms and trivializing the Gaza conflict.

Additionally, more than a dozen writers who withdrew from PEN events held a benefit reading in Manhattan, raising funds for We Are Not Numbers, a Palestinian youth-led nonprofit. At this event, speakers criticized PEN for prioritizing the fundraising gala over other events like the awards and World Voices festival, highlighting the ongoing tensions within the organization.