The annual PEN America gala, held Thursday night at the American Museum of Natural History, raised over $2 million for the century-old literary and free expression organization, even as reports from PEN and the American Library Association documented a continued surge in book bans across the U.S., with thousands of works being pulled from schools and libraries. This significant capital accumulation for the organization occurred while writers and journalists globally face intensifying persecution. The event served as a platform for prominent figures in literature and film to discuss freedom of expression, largely within the confines of existing power structures.
Author and bookseller Ann Patchett accepted the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award, a recognition tied to a corporate entity. Patchett, speaking from the museum setting, suggested the audience "take a breath" and consider the world's history of beauty and violence, stating, "The history of nature is made up of both extreme beauty and violence, volcanoes and butterflies, shifting tectonic plates and marsupials, the bones of the stegosaurus and the light of Milky Way." She added, "To spend a day in this museum is to understand that the world had plenty of action before we got here, and it will continue to have plenty of action. And so, let us marvel that people still want to write books, and that we want to read them." This perspective, while poetic, sidestepped the immediate, human-made violence of censorship and economic control over information.
Film producer Jason Blum, known for profitable horror franchises, received PEN’s Business Visionary award. Actor-singer Maya Hawke introduced Blum, describing him as a role model who "builds a safe and boundaried structure and then gives creatives freedom and control within that. Like a good father, or godfather." This description highlights the controlled environment within which capitalist enterprises permit creative labor, ensuring it operates within profitable parameters. Blum himself noted that "all forms of storytelling, especially when they’re new and different, need protection from the forces of snobbery and suppression," referencing historical criticisms of the novel.
Capital's Philanthropy and Censorship's Reach
The gala's fundraising success underscores a pattern where significant capital is directed towards managing the symptoms of systemic issues rather than challenging their root causes. The $2 million raised will support an organization that, according to co-CEO Summer Lopez, believes "hidden in the horrors of this moment is also an opportunity — to mobilize people and ignite a movement for free expression, here and everywhere." This framing positions "freedom of expression" as a primary right, suggesting that its defense can be achieved through mobilization within existing frameworks, rather than through a fundamental reordering of power relations that dictate who controls information and its dissemination.
The documented surge in book bans directly impacts the working class and economically dispossessed, who often rely on public libraries and schools for access to diverse ideas and information. These bans represent a systematic effort to control narratives and limit intellectual access, particularly for those without the means to purchase books or access alternative sources. The withdrawal of thousands of works from public institutions constitutes a privatization of the commons of knowledge, restricting collective intellectual resources.
The State's Hand in Information Control
The state's role in suppressing free expression was also acknowledged, albeit implicitly through the awards. The Iranian writer-dissidents Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee and Ali Asadollahi received the PEN/Barbery Freedom to Write Award for facing government harassment and imprisonment. PEN President Dinaw Mengestu noted their absence, signified by two empty chairs, and asked the audience to imagine a time of no empty chairs "on this stage or on any stage in this world." This recognition of state repression abroad stands in contrast to the domestic context where state-sanctioned book bans, often driven by local government bodies, are eroding access to information within the U.S.
Grassroots Resistance vs. Liberal Solutions
Amidst the gala's proceedings, a moment of genuine resistance was highlighted. The Tennessee-based activists Tatiana Silvas and Keri Lambert, representing the anti-censorship Rutherford County Library Alliance, received one of the night’s longest ovations for their fight against book bans in their area. Their alliance won the PEN/Benenson Courage Award. Lambert stated, "Libraries are not simply buildings filled with books. They are one of the few institutions that truly belong to everyone, regardless of age, income, background or beliefs." She added, "Defending libraries is really about defending democracy itself. A healthy community depends on informed citizens, open dialogue and the freedom to explore ideas. Libraries make all of that possible." While Lambert's statement frames the defense of libraries as a defense of "democracy," it foregrounds the collective ownership and access that libraries represent, a stark contrast to the commercial interests celebrated elsewhere at the gala. This grassroots struggle directly confronts the forces attempting to privatize and control public knowledge, offering a material challenge to the systemic erosion of intellectual commons.