Literary world gathers for PEN America dinner-gala hosted by Amber Ruffin
Ruffin, the writer-comedian, will have a high-profile platform after she was disinvited from April's White House Correspondents Association dinner. Ruffin is known for her blunt criticism of President Donald Trump, and the WHCA said it wanted the event to focus on journalism.
Soon after the association's decision, PEN announced that Ruffin had agreed to preside over its signature event, a dinner-fundraiser held at the American Museum of Natural History.
'She is truly emblematic of the talented creators who we need on stages and in writers' rooms during a time of unprecedented censorship in this country,' PEN co-interim CEO Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf said at the time.
PEN itself, the century-old free expression organization, is still recovering from a tumultuous 2024. Allegations that leadership was reluctant to criticize Israel's invasion of Gaza and slow to respond to the suffering of Palestinians, including Palestinian writers and journalists, led so many writers to withdraw from PEN's spring awards ceremony and World Voices festival that both were canceled. PEN CEO Suzanne Nossel departed at the end of the year; a permanent replacement has not yet been announced.
The awards night and World Voices returned this month, although with reminders of the ongoing war in Gaza. Several prize nominees withdrew from competition, including two of the five finalists for the $75,000 Jean Stein Book Award for a work of 'originality, merit, and impact.' The daughters of Stein, the late author, editor and philanthropist, decided that the prize money would be donated to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund and to Palestine Legal, a U.S.-based defense organization.
On Thursday, PEN will honor the imprisoned Egyptian poet and activist Galal El-Behairy with the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, given to dissidents who have been jailed. Members of his family will accept the award for him.
Parker is to receive the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award, presented in previous years to Patti Smith,Robert Caro and Stephen Sondheim among others. Parker has been a longtime champion of books and literacy and runs the publishing imprint SJP Lit, where authors include Lucy Caldwell, Linda Grant and Elysha Chang.
Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth, a leading critic of Trump's threats to cancel research funding at Columbia University and other schools, is this year's winner of the PEN/Benenson Courage Award. PEN is giving its Business Visionary award to Macmillan CEO Jon Yaged.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Giants QB Jameis Winston goes viral for whacky warm up before Patriots game
Jameis Winston sent NFL fans into hysterics on Thursday night as he performed an unconventional pregame routine. Winston and the Giants were preparing to face the Patriots in their final preseason game at MetLife Stadium when the veteran quarterback was captured by doing a wacky warmup on the field. The passer practiced his throwing motion while swinging a towel in his hand as he traveled the length of the endzone. And fans had a range of humorous reactions to the moment, which was posted by the NFL's official X account. 'Funniest guy in the NFL,' one wrote. 'Here he go with the shenanigans,' another said with laughing-crying emojis. no context Jameis Watch NEvsNYG— 8pm ET on Prime Video Also streaming on @NFLPlus — NFL (@NFL) August 21, 2025 'Me when a fly gets in the house and my Yorkie goes nuts,' a third cracked. And a fourth said: 'Some nights you watch football, some nights football watches Jameis.' The video has garnered over 174k views on X at the time of writing. The whimsical Winston, who has become known for his epic pregame speeches in the past, has become a locker room favorite in New York after the team signed him this offseason. However, there's been suggestions that the Giants could elect to trade him amid rookie Jaxson Dart's impressive preseason, which could see him overtake Winston as the team's No. 2 passer behind Russell Wilson. However, assistant GM Brandon Brown recently made it clear that the team had no intentions of moving the veteran. 'I appreciate people that are interested, but Jameis is a New York Giant,' Brown told reporters this week. 'With the way that he's gone about his business from day one, he's made it very intentional with the fact that he wants to be here and he wants to be here for the long haul.' Dart got the start against the Patriots on Thursday night, exiting with 81 passing yards and a touchdowns before Winston added a score in the first quarter as well. Winston found Jalin Hyatt for a 27-yard touchdown along the sideline to give the Giants a 14-0 lead at the time. The Giants open their regular season at the Commanders on September 7.
Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Elon Musk's ex Grimes SPLITS from boyfriend Anyma after year-long romance
Elon Musk 's ex Grimes has split from her boyfriend Anyma after the pair went public with their romance a little over a year ago. The 37-year-old singer - who shares three children with the SpaceX founder - first went public with her relationship with the Italian DJ and producer last year in March. Anyma - whose real name is Matteo Milleri - was previously marred to supermodel Vittoria Ceretti, who is now dating Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio. A source confirmed to People on Thursday that Grimes and Anyma have gone their separate ways while noting that the breakup was 'amicable' and that they still remain on good terms. 'Anyma and Grimes have amicably parted ways but still remain good friends and collaborators.' The insider also revealed that the two music artists have plans to 'release new music together soon.' A source confirmed to People on Thursday that Grimes and Anyma have gone their separate ways while noting that the breakup was 'amicable' and that they still remain on good terms The former couple first went public with their romance in March 2024 when the Oblivion songstress shared an Instagram post of the pair. In the images, the two music artists could be seen cozying up together while lovingly looking into each other's eyes. Grimes and Anyma also shared a sweet kiss for the camera, with the mom-of-three penning in the caption: 'Beauty and the Beast.' Since then, the stars have occasionally appeared on each of their social media pages - keeping most of their relationship private. Last year in April, Grimes hit the stage during the 2024 Coachella Music Festival and her then-boyfriend appeared in a few behind-the-scenes snaps that she shared at the time. In one post, the Italian DJ could be seen taking pictures of the Canadian-born singer as she struck a pose wearing an eccentric outfit. The pair also paused to take a sweet selfie as they lounged on a leather couch on the festival grounds. Anyma also uploaded a post earlier this tear in January to share photos from his performance at The Sphere in Las Vegas - with Grimes joining him on stage at one point. He shared a few BTS images, with one taken as both he and the songstress posed backstage in a long hallway. While it is not known when the pair first sparked up a romance, they notably collaborated back in 2023 on the song titled Welcome To The Opera. And before their split, the pair also worked together on another track called Taratata which was released in April. Grimes - whose real name is Claire Elise Boucher - was previously in an on-and-off relationship with Elon Musk from 2018 through 2023. The former couple officially went public with their romance in May 2018 when they attended the MET Gala together. The pair are parents to three children: X Æ A-Xii, five, Exa, almost four, and Techno, three. Last month in July, Grimes notably slammed her ex's X platform as 'poison' - months after she begged Elon to keep their young children out of spotlight and away from White House. She penned in a post: 'Ok I've basically been entirely off social media and returning here it is overwhelmingly, abundantly and profoundly clear that this place - and all of these places - are a poison - a prison of utterly short form deep deep-sounding nonsense attached to no one that ur brain will discard imaging its learning.' The singer further continued, 'The entire thing is a theatre. A s****y pale simulacra of a life.' Last month in July, Grimes notably slammed her ex's X platform as 'poison' - months after she begged Elon to keep their young children out of spotlight and away from White House It came not long after she had to cancel her World Pride Festival performance scheduled for June due to 'family issues. ' She shared on X: 'I am so, so sorry and regretful to say I have to cancel my pride show in order to deal with family issues. 'I want to say that I am aware the situation has been a great inconvenience to the fans for some time, and I am truly determined to make sure this is no longer the case very soon.' The Genesis singer added, 'I think the show is still going to be amazing and the lineup is great. I hope this is early enough and gives people enough time if they wish to change their plans.' The performer concluded the message to her fans by expressing that she would 'make this up' to them. In February, Grimes had sent a panicked messaged to her ex on the social media platform about one of their children having a 'medical crisis.' 'I am sorry to do this publicly but it is no longer acceptable to ignore this situation. This requires immediate attention,' she wrote at the time. Elon had taken on an advisory role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) earlier this year for the Trump administration; Elon seen with his son X Æ A-Xii and Trump in February in Washington D.C. The star later explained that wouldn't disclose further details 'but he won't respond to texts call or emails and has skipped every meeting and our child will suffer life long impairment if he doesn't respond asap. 'So I need him to f***ing respond and if I have to apply public pressure then I guess that's where we are at.' Elon had taken on an advisory role at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) earlier this year for the Trump administration. However, the Space X founder notably voiced his disagreements with the president's 'big, beautiful bill' after his time in the White House ended.
Daily Mail
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I'm 25 and my boyfriend is 76: Woman opens up about her 'passionate', 51-year age-gap relationship
A 25-year-old woman who is dating a 76-year-old man has clapped back at haters who call their 51-year age-gap 'disturbing.' Diana Montano, from San Diego, wasn't looking for love when she met her now-boyfriend Edgar through a mutual friend. But as soon as she laid eyes on him, sparks flew. The two officially got together in July 2024, and have been madly in love ever since. But they have faced immense backlash over their romance, from people on the internet - as well as from Diana's own family members. While speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail about it, Diana confessed that the 'hardest part' of their age-gap romance has been introducing him to her social circle. 'Figuring out the balance of how to involve him socially with the people in my life [has been the hardest part],' she shared. 'Unlike the partners of my friends who are easily integrated in our friend group and hang outs, it's harder to get him involved because of the places we enjoy going to and then because I think about how he'd feel being involved in a group full of young adults. 'I've had some family members who don't agree and think I'm ruining my life. But it doesn't bother me too much. 'I understand how my relationship may appear at first glance, but I know I am happy.' Diana said another problem she has faced is that her partner has a hard time communicating with her younger relatives at family get togethers due to the 'language barrier' between generations. 'At family parties I was used to sitting with my cousins who are all around my age and occasionally I would go around and talk with my aunts and family friends who were in the older side,' she explained. 'But now I feel as though I need to sit more with my aunts and in general the older people in my family so that he's able to socialize with people closer to his age. 'The fact there's a slight language barrier also contributes to this since I can't entirely leave him alone.' Unfortunately, Diana admitted that she has also received some horrific comments online after she began posting photos with Edgar. She shared: 'The worst comment was one that said, "I hope you die before he does," and, "There's a special place in hell for people who abuse the elderly."' Diana and Edgar have also had their relationship called 'disturbing' and 'disgusting' by strangers. But she doesn't care what anybody else thinks and said her relationship with Edgar is the most 'intimate and passionate' one she's ever been in. 'I can understand why some may have judgements against us. A lot are quick to judge without knowing anything about us except what we post and I can tell some just really are there nitpicking, finding anything they could hate on just so that they can hate and feel their hate be justified,' she added. 'But when we read those comments it makes us laugh more than anything else, and at bare minimum it's constructive feedback.' 'I've also had a lot of positive words, with people asking how they can find a relationship like ours and asking if Edgar has any brothers. 'For us, though, our age gap isn't the center of our relationship. Yes, it's obvious, and we've had people stare at us in public. 'But everything with him feels so natural. Our conversations flow, he treats me with respect and he's actually so full of life.' Diana insisted that she and Edgar have had 'no issues connecting' despite coming from different generations because they share a lot of 'common interests.' 'We both like doing things that involve art like go to the theater to watch plays,' she gushed. 'We both enjoy being out in nature, so we go hiking together and we're making plans to go skiing. 'We're both adventurist so I don't feel like there's anything that I'd like to do that I wouldn't be able to do with him - we'll even eventually go sky diving together. 'If anything he's more fit than me to do crazy things like mountaineering, which he's done. And of course we both love traveling and exploring the world.' But there are some differences, like her love of clubbing and bars - which he has little interest in. She added, however, that Edgar is 'very open' and willing to embrace the things she loves even if he doesn't. When it comes to their sex life, she stayed coy, telling the Daily Mail: 'I am attracted him, but anything concerning our sex life we would rather keep private.' Diana said she is 'not concerned' about what will happen as Edgar gets older. 'If he ends up needing care later in life then we'll see if we get him a caretaker, something he's mentioned he'd get, and of course I'll participate in his care too,' she said. 'But it's definitely not something that concerns me right now due to how fit he is. He is very healthy and maintains his strength by going to the gym at least three times a week.' She concluded: 'Edgar brings out the best in me – and I bring out the best in him. I love being with someone who is mature, patient and understanding. I've met my soulmate; there's no one my age like him.'
