The 2022 PEN America Literary Awards Ceremony returns to the Town Hall to celebrate exceptional voices in literature, from first time authors to living legends. Hosted by writer and Emmy Award-winning late night host Seth Meyers—an “influential recommender of books” (The New York Times), the Ceremony features captivating winner announcements, musical direction by Ulysses Owens, Jr., and dramatic readings from selected works in a celebration of this year’s most resonant literature.

This year, PEN America will present 11 book awards recognizing the finest fiction, nonfiction, poetry, biography, essay, science writing, translation, and more published in 2021.

The Ceremony will also feature the presentation of the PEN/Mike Nichols Writing for Performance Award to Elaine May in recognition of her unparalleled contributions to American film, television, and comedy. Writer and activist Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o will receive the PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature, and the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award will be conferred on playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury.

For over five decades, PEN America's Literary Awards Ceremony has honored the creators and the works that shape our culture. This year, PEN America will confer nearly $350,000 to writers and translators. Learn more about the 2022 Literary Awards Judges here (https://pen.org/meet-the-2022-literary-awards-judges/) and view the 2022 Finalists here (https://pen.org/literary-awards/2022-pen-america-finalists/).

Join us for an evening of writers celebrating writers, in what has become one of the defining literary events of the year.

Cocktail attire.