PEN America has announced that two of its tentpole spring events—the World Voices Festival and Literary Awards—will return this year. The festival and awards were canceled in 2024 after a number of authors withdrew from participation in protest of the organization's response to the war in Gaza.

The 2025 PEN World Voices Festival is slated to run April 30 through May 3, and the 2025 PEN America Literary Awards ceremony is set for May 8. The organization's third major spring event, the PEN America Literary Gala, which proceeded as planned last year, will be held May 15.

“At PEN America, we have a longstanding commitment to celebrate literature and defend writers whose voices are especially vital when free expression is under attack in the United States and around the globe as it is now,” said Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf, interim co-CEO and chief program officer of literary programming, in a statement. “We are steadfast in that commitment to our mission.”

Rosaz Shariyf continued: “Over the last year, my colleagues and I have listened and invested in repairing our relationships with members of our community. We should have done more to support Palestinian writers facing devastation from the Israeli military assault on Gaza, and we apologize.”

Last spring proved a tumultuous one for the free expression organization. The 2024 Literary Awards ceremony was canceled just one week before it was scheduled to take place on April 29 after 28 authors withdrew books from consideration for the awards over what they saw as the organization's insufficient response to the crisis in Gaza. Some awards were still conferred. A week later, PEN canceled the 20th edition of its World Voices Festival after a number of authors also withdrew from the event lineup. Much of the criticism aimed at PEN specifically mentioned former CEO Suzanne Nossel, who stepped down late last year to take a new position.

Following the cancelations, PEN committed to conducting a "review" of its work "going back a decade."

“Our work is not done to repair and regain the trust of not just Palestinian writers but all writers and members of our community,” said Summer Lopez, interim co-CEO and chief program officer of free expression, in a statement.

Lopez continued: “Writers have always played a crucial role in responding to moments of crisis, and today we are facing a virulent assault on free speech from the current White House, with language stripped from government websites, retaliation against news organizations for the words they use; and Palestinian and other student activists and scholars threatened with deportation for their viewpoints. PEN America will not be silenced, and we will remain dedicated to centering writers, supporting writers, and defending those who face threats and persecution for exercising their freedom of expression.”