(NEW YORK)—PEN America announced today dates for its upcoming events celebrating the power of literature and free expression. The 2025 PEN World Voices Festival will run from April 30 to May 3, and the 2025 PEN America Literary Awards ceremony will take place on May 8.
“At PEN America, we have a longstanding commitment to celebrate literature and defend writers whose voices are especially vital when free expression is under attack in the United States and around the globe as it is now,” said Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf, interim co-CEO and chief program officer, literary programming. “We are steadfast in that commitment to our mission.”
PEN America canceled the festival and literary awards last year after numerous writers withdrew in protest of the organization’s response to the war in Gaza.
“Over the last year, my colleagues and I have listened and invested in repairing our relationships with members of our community,’’ said Rosaz Shariyf. “We should have done more to support Palestinian writers facing devastation from the Israeli military assault on Gaza, and we apologize.”
Rosaz Shariyf emphasized the importance of writers to speak freely and act on their conscience, especially in a time of conflict, and to do that without fear.
“Dissent is in the DNA of this 103-year-old organization,” Rosaz Shariyf said, “It is essential that we embrace the challenge of holding together a diverse community committed to protecting a culture of free expression.”
PEN America has supported Palestinian writers; we have spoken out publicly – and firmly – about challenges to free expression since Oct. 7, 2023, including condemning threats to writers and journalists in Gaza, Israel and the West Bank; defending the rights of student protestors on campuses, and speaking out against the cancellation of events with Jewish, Israeli, Palestinian, and Muslim writers, as well as other writers targeted for their identity or their views on Israel and Palestine.
“Our work is not done to repair and regain the trust of not just Palestinian writers but all writers and members of our community,” said Summer Lopez, interim co-CEO and chief program officer, free expression.
“Writers have always played a crucial role in responding to moments of crisis, and today we are facing a virulent assault on free speech from the current White House, with language stripped from government websites, retaliation against news organizations for the words they use; and Palestinian and other student activists and scholars threatened with deportation for their viewpoints. PEN America will not be silenced, and we will remain dedicated to centering writers, supporting writers, and defending those who face threats and persecution for exercising their freedom of expression.”
For 20 years, the World Voices Festival has been an annual gathering of globally renowned authors, thinkers, and artists from all backgrounds for an engaging series of conversations, readings, and performances. Held in locations around Greenwich Village, the festival serves as an important platform for fostering international dialogue and amplifying diverse voices.
At the awards ceremony, the literary community will come together to recognize outstanding achievement across fiction, poetry, science writing, essays, sports writing, biography, children’s literature, and drama. The longlist and finalist lists will be announced in the coming weeks. Established in 1963, the awards honor excellence and help bring new books and emerging writers to the forefront of contemporary literature.