(NEW YORK, N.Y.) – On Monday night, February 28, at the conclusion of the 2022 PEN America Literary Awards, PEN America will gather luminaries of the literary and cultural worlds for a candlelight vigil in support of a free Ukraine. The event will take place at about 10pm EST outside New York City’s Town Hall (123 West 43rd Street), where the ceremony, which MC Seth Meyers has dubbed “the Oscars for books,” will have just concluded. Event honorees, presenters, audience and the public are invited to join.
Confirmed participants offering brief remarks at the vigil will include the artist, composer and musician Laurie Anderson and authors Jennifer Egan and Gary Shteyngart. They will read from the works of Ukrainian thinkers and poets.
The vigil will demonstrate solidarity with the writers, artists and citizens of Ukraine. In the wake of Russia’s military assault on Ukraine, Ukrainian writers, intellectuals, journalists, and activists who have spoken out against Putins’ abuses face grave dangers while they remain resolute in defense of their rights and democracy. This action will help ensure they know they are not alone in their fight.
The PEN America Literary Awards ceremony, open to the public and returning this year as an in-person event, celebrates exceptional writing, by emerging voices and living legends alike, in a wide range of genres. For more on the PEN America Literary Awards ceremony go to: https://pen.org/event/2022-pen-america-literary-awards-ceremony/
Details below:
WHO: Notable authors and artists including (confirmed) Jennifer Egan, Gary Shteyngart and Laurie Anderson
WHAT: PEN America vigil for Ukraine, following the 2022 PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony
WHERE: Across the street and outdoors from Town Hall, New York City–123 West 43rd St. between Broadway and Sixth Avenue
WHEN: Monday, February 28, at approximately 10pm EST
WHY: PEN America, along with the literary and cultural communities in NYC, express solidarity with the Ukrainian people as they face Russia’s military incursion
Visuals: Authors will read while vigil participants hold candles; banners and signs expressing solidarity with Ukraine.
Following the vigil, photos and short video from the event will be serviced to the press on Tuesday. Journalists wishing to attend the event may contact Suzanne Trimel at PEN America: [email protected] or Blake Zidell at [email protected]