Hundreds of writers, editors and publishers have gathered for PEN America’s annual gala hosted by Amber Ruffin and featuring a tribute to actor-publisher Sarah Jessica Parker.

PEN America gathered Thursday night for its annual gala, a high-profile event raised even higher because some wondered if it would be held at all.

From an imprisoned Ukranian journalist to a high school activist in Florida, PEN America paid tribute Monday night to democracy and free expression and warned about the dangers faced in the U.S. and abroad.

The teenager who recorded the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May will be honored in December by PEN America, the literary and human rights organization. Darnella Frazier will be presented the PEN/Benenson Courage Award. The 17-year-old Frazier will share the Courage Award with Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who was pushed out by the Trump administration. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, PEN had postponed its annual gala from May 19, six days before Floyd’s death, to Dec. 8, and will host the event online. “Darnella Frazier took an enormous amount of flak in the wake of releasing the video,” Nossel told The Associated Press.

NEW YORK – The teenager who recorded the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May will be honored in December by PEN America, the literary and human rights organization. The 17-year-old Frazier will share the Courage Award with Marie Yovanovitch, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine who was pushed out by the Trump administration. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, PEN had postponed its annual gala from May 19, six days before Floyd's death, to Dec. 8, and will host the event online. “Darnella Frazier took an enormous amount of flak in the wake of releasing the video,” Nossel told The Associated Press. We wanted to go back and recognize and elevate this singular act.”Others being honored by PEN in December include the author and musician Patti Smith and Chinese dissident Xu Zhiyong.

NEW YORK – Neil Gaiman, Anita Hill and Ann Patchett will be among the contributors to Book the Vote, an online initiative to provide information on the electoral system, voting registration and civic topics. Book the Vote is a collaboration among Penguin Random House, PEN America, the non-profit organization When We All Vote and the literary retailer Out of Print, which is owned by Penguin Random House. One feature is called “How America Works” and covers four topics: the right to vote, voting for the president, the Supreme Court and the electoral college. “Truth, facts, press freedom, and the future of open discourse are all on the ballot this November,” PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said in a statement. Noseel and Penguin Random House U.S. CEO Madeline McIntosh said they were pleased to be working together to provide credible and authoritative information about the U.S. election and voting rights.