we hope to see you next time. [applause] >> thank you. [applause] [inaudible conversation] [inaudible conversation] >> next, can america's annual literary gala. then america found in 1922 is focused on promoting free speech and expression. stephen king, simon & schuster ceo and others.

[inaudible conversation] >> one voice can start a trend. it can build a new. it can change the world. one voice is powerful, it's persuasive, it's dangerous. that is why tyrants of authoritarian sensors want to keep some voices from being heard. at penn america, we know the power of one voice. and the importance of protecting every voice. because when one voice is silenced, all voices are threatened.

we are in an organization of writers just as a free society expressions free expression of its writers so too must writers safeguard expressions. provocative voices on social media, new voices and publishing, creative voices, those were silenced and imprisoned at penn america, we believe the freedom to write all voices should be heard. we champion great writers, we celebrate emerging writers. we defend those who speak truth and power. we are many voices but to protect your voice and every voice we must speak as one. we are all louder together.

[applause] pan america's presidents, jennifer egan. [applause] thank you. i'm jennifer egan, presidents of penn america. i welcome all of you to the 2018 penn america gala. [applause] the first time i came to this party in 2005 was like waking up anonymous. i had always fantasized. i would like to recognize the people's whose hard work has

brought us together this evening and please hold our plus to the end. our gala chairs, the gala committee members, the entire team at simon & schuster, and our special benefactors, peter and pamela barbee, and bridget coleman. could you please stand. [applause] [applause] next, i want to celebrate the wealth of writing talents in this room. would all writers please stand, literary house, guest, trustees, waiters? [applause]

[applause] thank you for taking time away from your work to be with us. [applause] this gala has a purpose beyond celebration. that is to fuel penn america's work. thank you to everyone here we surpassed all records tonight by bringing in $2.2 million. [applause] i am supremely grateful to tonight's honorees, the legendary stephen king, a man who seems to require no introduction except -- when morgan freeman is here.

and carolyn reidy, publisher extraordinaire of mr. king, my lucky self and my brilliant predecessor and president at pen america for the past three years who had a child graduate tonight and cannot be here. -- her husband passed away last weekend. he will be deeply missed. the very first pen america dinner was held in april of 1922. it was at the coffeehouse club. just 40 guess likely included eugene o'neill and robert frost who were among the first members. a letter was read aloud by john, the first president of penn international who said we writers are in some sort of --

if we harm the human race the better we know each other, the greater the chance for human happiness in a world not as yet to happy. ninety-six years later, the world this not yet as happy. those were the statements that gets at the basic ideas behind the fontina pen. the resented power of literary values could reach into the wider world and improve it. what are the literary values? one is curiosity, a desire to move outside the frame of the individual perspective. literature was invented to let us climb inside the minds and lives of other human beings. the result is empathy. i willingness to share the feelings of another person. that experience provides

kinship. james baldwin said that you think your pain and your heartbreakre unprecedented in the history of the world. but then, you read. reading reminds us of the humanity we share across continents and centuries and civilization. as a fiction writer and journalist i am accustomed to the role of spectator, as close to invisible as possible helps me straw. what led me to accept the honor of this position is the belief that literary values, curiosity and kinship are under siege in our culture. pen america's work from fostering literary translation to mentoring and rewarding cars rated writers to the festival is geared toward enabling shared experience between people who

are structurally separated. it would be hard to createen america today, the broad optimism of its vision to celebrate and defend the freedoms that make it possible can sound quaint. the range of opinions might prove to disparate together enough of us under one umbrella. but here we are. with our strength in numbers comes the credibility to foster genuine dialogue at moments of crisis and impact. as pen america's presidents i hope to redouble these efforts. i believe that is our best hope of freeing ourselves from the segregated chambers. some of pen america's most exciting work is about campus free speech including topics like safe spaces and political

correctness. after releasing a landmark report, we convene public events and closed-door sessions at universities bloodied by conflicts over speech and sensitivity. middlebury, berkeley, the university of maryland and uva charlottesville. this included presidents and provost, faculty and students and the testimonials penn has received afterward vouch for the power of genuine conversation to do it speeches and protests can sometimes not. the professor wrote, i appreciate pen america's commitment to including conservatives like me in this conversation. uc berkeley's vice chancellor wrote, we have mounted a little box with a sign that reads, in case of free speech emergency, break glass and call pen america.

[applause] at our general meeting last march we hosted a panel of diverse perspectives on the me to movement. men, women, 20 and 50 something, the conversation was fiery but always respectful. in washington, d.c. we have opened an office to deal and work with republicans and democrats for credible reporting and fight the spread of fraudulent news. freedom of the press and fact-based reporting. [applause] as an organization, pen america must be curious and open to other points of view. in february we j forces

with the former penn center usa in los angeles which had broken away out of frustration with the domineering provincialism of new york. i cannot imagine what they were talking about. i am delighted that marvin is with us tonight along with several other la-based guest. [applause] if they glamour quotient in the room seems higher that mystery is solved. now with members in all 50 states, we are becoming a national organization mobilizing our members and hubs across the midwest, the south in texas. if we are serious about the power of language we cannot do it all from new york. but we can do is heed the words of virginia, one cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if

one has not dined well. so, please enjoy the program. and over the course of the night eat, drink, and get to know your neighbor. [applause] >> presenting for penn literary service award, stephen king, please welcome home, morgan freeman. [applause] >> thank you very much. my friend stephen king is a champion of forbidden words. his work over 60 novels have riveted, terrifying, and inspired generations of leaders, have made long train rides, bedtimes and rainy afternoons into unforgettable new words and

into the depths of our own fears. but compelling and impossible to put down writing and indelible stories is a reason pen america has chosen to honor stephen tonight. stephen king is the embodiment of three threads at the core of pen america. the writer is humanitarian, the writer to bring on scene and on heard human experiences to light. the writer is activist, using the power of the pen to shape the world. his humanitarianism is a boundless generosity and profound humility.

her close to the heart of the literary community gathered in this room. nearly 20 years ago stephen was struck by a car during the daily walk. he could not right for about ten months. shortly after, a close friend of his saw his career as an audio reader ended after a head injury. jarred by the flight of creative and individuals, stephen founded the haven foundation to assist freelance artist who face personal misfortune. that foundation is a long-standing supporter of the pen america emergency found which assist authors who have fallen on hard times. those who need surgery or therapy, prosthetic limb, help with a rent check, or an attorney's fee for an asylum

application. all the assistance is anonymous. this year, thanks to the haven foundation, stricken writers got back to work after hurricanes in puerto rico. through his writing, stephen king brings often remote stories and experiences into focus. when i first read the script of shawshank redemption, inspired by stephen king, i said i would be willing to play any part. i did. and i would have. stephen brought compassion into humanity into the forgotten. getting readers and audiences invested in the future. and their freedom.

the work touches upon much of what pen america stands for. encouraging the incarcerated to tell their own stories through pen america's prison writing program and the penn prison writing award. the only words anywhere that recognize the best writing from the inside. [applause] providing access to books in prison as pen america has done across the country it is a cause embodied in the present library and shawshank. a place of refuge, wonder and spiritual escape. stephen's per trail for the yearning and shawshank was so potent that when they managed to prison break the first few years

back one of the first thing they did was ban the words shawshank on social media and internet searches. they knew that stephen king's words and story had the force to inspire, a power they were determined to crush. finally, harley lease, the writer is activist. it was among pen america's darkest hours when the advance supreme leader declared -- with firebombings triggered by a dictator, bookstores were fearful for the safety of their employees and customers, so they began pulling the verses from the shelves. stephen king called up the head

of a major chain of stores and gave him an ultimatum. you don't sell this, you don't sell stephen king. [applause] so the store reversed its course, you cannot let intimidation stop books king said. it's as basic as that. books her life. a fierce opponent of censorship he is outspoken about the dangers of pulling books from the shelves of schools and libraries. in an age of new assaults on the press and truth, stephen has taken his public platform and transformed it into a vehicle of

unfiltered dissent. stephen calls it -- it is a voice of unfurnished, sometimes harsh truths. some people cannot take it. and would rather not hear the truth. to block stephen king on twitter he came right back to the president declared him locked from seen stephen king's next film. stephen is a champion of what pen america stands for. the freedom to write. thank you, stephen for your

boundless contribution to writers, readers and all of us who believe that fear can hold you prisoner but hope can set you free. [applause] [applause] we present tonight it is an honor to present this award to my friend, stephen king. [applause] [applause]

[applause] >> that is the best damn introduction i've ever had and probably the best one i will ever get. before i go on, i have to tell you story. my wife and i live half of the year of florida. we turned 65, it's the law. [laughter] my wife does the big shopping. she is here tonight, she is my inspiration. [applause] she does the big shopping because she does not trust me to do that, but if we are out of toilet paper something she'll send me to the store. i was in publix one day and i came around the corner of the i/o. there is a women, the other way

and she was a florida resident, she had the real dark leather skin in the golf hat. she looked at me and she said i know who you are. and i said i know who i am too. she said you write those scary books like the pet cemetery book. some people like those books, you can do what you want. but i like uplifting things like that shawshank redemption. [laughter] and i said, i wrote that she said no you didn't. [laughter] anyway is a wonderful award. i want to thank morgan freeman and all of the honorees tonight. those for their bravery and defensive journalism carol from

my publishing company for her support and fernand who has edited all of my books. there are a minded me when she told me not to mention it but i am surrounded by good women at simon & schuster. [applause] they help me to mind my business. carolyn is one, susan is terrific, they have all helped to make me a better person. [applause] and a better writer. that goes double for my wife. i especially want to thank the young people from marjorie stallman douglas high school.

for their fierce advocacy and hard work in the wake of yet another horrific school shooting. not even the most recent, they had stood up admirably to this country's gun extremists who thinks the occasional blood sacrifices okay and if fence of the second amendment was written in such a time when they ar 15 and others did not exist. i feel like i'm in's link company here tonight. [applause] i'm just a guy who has loved books since childhood. when the big green bookmobile appeared in my town once or twice a month bringing adventure, mystery, horror, amusement and views of the

outside world. i met my wife at a library. take it from me, there is no other basis for books for long marriage. [applause] i have been extremely well rewarded. and extremely lucky. someone in the neighborhood of 800,000 books are published in america each year. few men and women can earn a living from their work as writers. that percentage is relatively small. just think for a moment for all the people you see on the streets staring at their phones as they walked down the street with earbuds in their air. then think of how few of them are staring at a page. yet reading is powerful.

from my earliest days of working as a high school teacher i've been telling kids that those who read can learn to write and those who can do both will eventually succeed in the world. readers learn to be fair and writers like to think. they are the crucial counterweight to those that are close minded and mean-spirited. too many are in positions of power. the intellectual dead zone known as twitter were clear thinking and kindness is often replaced by schoolyard taunts, not to mention bad spelling and bad grammar. [laughter] [applause] my wife and i believe because we are hopeful people i suppose that acting locally creates change globally. so we give mostly in our own

state and mostly to small-town libraries. we support free expression because without it the purveyors of fake news, those angry and fearful false prophets will be believed too much by too many. we raised three children, two are here tonight, four grandchildren, one is here tonight. weirs them all to read banned books because when the people in charge don't want you to know, that's what you have to find out. [applause] i don't like to talk much about what we do in the way of philanthropy. i don't even like the word. sounds like it has something to do with collecting stance. [laughter] i was raised methodist and two

of the difficult commands i grew up with with these, pray in your closet not a new street, let not your right hand know what your left hand is doing. even being here feels not wrong exactly, the second time i've had a chance to wear this monkey suit. being here doesn't feel wrong exactly but lacking humility and giving should be humble. at the same time it's important to serve as an example and to same doing this because it is right and important. if you feel the same way they go and do likewise. thank you. [applause]

[applause] [applause] [applause] , von. >> you were working then received a call when they wanted to meet. after a few hours they did not come out so they went to look for him.

-- had been arrested. >> [speaking in native language] [speaking in native language] >> near the border of bangladesh there had been a huge exodus of minority groups many had been --dash out. and how they have been rounded up by the military and police and then essentially executed.

>> we chose this because of their courage and digging out the truth about the story about our government and military that they want desperately to suppress. they don't want this known. while they supporter story from all the angles. >> i think it sends a bad signal that doing legitimate journalism is a crime. at reuters, we have trust principles that hold us to integrity. >> [speaking in native language] [speaking in native language] [speaking in native language]

[speaking in native language] [speaking in native language] [speaking in native language] >> it is moving to me to think about what it is like for them to be imprisoned separated by the families and not able to do their work. >> we believe they should be freed from prison that they have done nothing wrong. it is time for the to be up there reportedly give. >> 38 out of 42 write and journalists have been freed within an average of 18 months, partly because of the publicity and pressure from the award.

>> [speaking in native language] [speaking in native language] [speaking in native language] [speaking in native language] >> please welcome margaret atwood. [applause]

>> when democracy is in retreat, the first thing authoritarians to silence those who are telling stories. journalists -- had the misfortune of working in a country with a long record of suppressing voices. a history that appears to be hard. we may comfort ourselves by believing this kind of persecution happens only in distant countries like myanmar. but the playbook for displaying critical coverage long documented in places like russia, china, and iran was now going viral. the number of journalist gerald worldwide has recently hit an all-time high. many journalists are not even jailed, they are simply murdered.

but the united states is not putting reporters in prison, yet, the tactics of the current administration are dangerous. they include attacking and discrediting reporters by name, threatening to publish unfavorable coverage. trying to convince the public that reputable used outlets cannot be trusted in branding certain news organizations as the enemies of the american people. the u.s. administration is leading by example. fake news is now international response by strong men and dictators seeking to discredit accurate reporting and valid criticism and destroy democracy in the process. the pen organization in america have traditionally champions

persecuted writers in faraway places like myanmar, the home of well-known -- that work has become evermore important as democracy have come under attack in many countries around the world. but to the free press right here in the united states and america has redoubled its energies at home. the systematic effort to driver rift between access to knowledge and the citizens of a country is a familiar ring to this novelist. [applause]

the result that news organizations have displayed is admirable. they're reporting with gusto and their audiences have grown. according to polls, nearly half the country no longer trusts much of what they say are right. these people do not believe some other source of news, instead, they do not know what to believe. authoritarians love the state of affairs. where there is no believe there's likely to be no opposition. when i wrote, the handmade tail, i made sure nothing went into it that did not come from somewhere in history. journalists, historians and other nonfiction writers were my sources. when you publish such a novel, you hope your work will remind people that it can happen here

has simply never been true. [applause] as they say in the 1965 introduction to the radio version of brave new world, eternal vigilance is not only the price of liberty, eternal vigilance is the price of human decency. please join pen america into managing the freedom of -- imprisoned in myanmar and also in defending the sanctity of truth and the role of the press right here in the united states. [applause] now, a few words from -- who

themselves i have been given to read on their behalf. we are now in the prison just because we covered the news. we do not have a desk to write on, the truth about what happens is important for our country. without the truth, we can never solve our country's problems. that goes for every country. so, we would like to as the governments, where is the truth? where is the truth and justice? where is democracy and freedom? why are soldiers found guilty of murder get ten years while we journalists who expose the murder face 14 years in prison? do you think that is fair?

we only did our work as reporters. we want the people to understand we never betrayed the country. the government can arrest us like this and stos fm being able to write news, but we want to tell them right here that they can never hide the truth. we, journalists, will find the truth even though they are sending us to prison. we are deeply humbled to receive this award. unfortunately, we will not be able to attend the event because we are facing a very long process. we have been here for nearly half a year of we face up to 14 years in prison. we never did anything wrong, we were simply doing our jobs.

we never violated any journalist ethics. we will never live hope and will face the proceedings as best we can. we believe the truth will bring justice to us. the news need to be written and expressed openly in our country. right now, we cannot report it. we are grateful for this support of pen america, reuters and all those working on our behalf to regain our freedom. the reward is encouragement that we have the backing of people from around the world who love the freedom of the press and democratic values. we desperately miss our families, friends and news friends. your encouragement fortifies our hope. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, accepting

this award is the brother and the wife. [applause] [applause] [applause] [inaudible conversation]

[inaudible conversation] , one. >> thank you for helping pen america to draw attention to the unjust imprisonment. our collective voices and action on behalf of writers make a difference. some of you are in this room six years ago when we put the spotlight -- who is serving the first year of an 18 year prison sentence in ethiopia. his crime was being a journalist critical of the government. in february of this year we jubilantly celebrated his release and immediately sought a

visa so he could reunite with his wife and son in the united states. weeks later, he was rearrested at a private gathering of journalists and bloggers. he was thrown into a cell with 200 other prisoners. once again, we raised our voices and mobilize start efforts and tonight, he is free. better yet, he is with us in this room. [applause] ladies and gentlemen. please welcome the pen freedom to write winner. [applause]

[applause] >> thank you everyone. let me start by saying thank you to pen america for giving me this opportunity to speak on behalf of the press the voiceless, not just ethiopia but those of us throughout the world. for the cause of freedom the call of freedom. and at this point i would like to express solidarity with the chinese who despite thousands of years of history, i've yet to taste freedom.

i see the chinese people he you two shall be free monday. you to show one day enjoy these freedoms. [applause] one of the things i remember is i shall not allow -- to commit a crime for the second time. and indeed they had committed a crime and they were poised to repeat it. but the greater crimes committed were against freedom of expression. more than 2000 years later one

would have thought the world would have learned from that mistake and moved on. but this is not been the case. we live in the age of paradox. on the one hand we have countries in the first amendment where the freedom of expression has been taken for granted and ethiopia, my country where freedom to express oneself is an elusive idea. in this world of two realities i ask whether those were free have an obligation to those of us who are not free. i say, they do. this application is voluntary and should be phrase this.

those who are free should help those who are not free to help for themselves. freedom is universal right. it's for all human see respectful of their differences regardless of those differences. i see the solidarity for those of us who are not free. i see our common humanity of our differences. i see her common destiny which is freedom for all humanity. thank you. your support has helped me sustained during difficult times and to your continued support keeps me going. we are fighting the good fight. it must be fought to the very end until all humanity is free from tyranny. god bless you. thank you.

[applause] [applause] >> ladies and gentlemen, jonathan karp, president of simon & schuster adult publishing. [applause] thank you although doors cannot be here she was kind enough and generous enough to write this introduction which i would like to reach you. it is my privilege, what a special honor for me to introduce carolyn reed, my longtime publisher at simon & schuster. my good friends and this year's pen america publishers on array. the story of the love affair books begins with an image of a girl holding a flashlight under the covers so she could read her favorite book long past the time

she is supposed to be asleep. into the early hours of the morning. her love affair deepened in college and graduate school where she studied english literature on her way to obtaining a phd in becoming an english professor. it'll did she imagine the focus of her dissertation, the complex relationship between the writer and reader in a victorian novel would come to fruition from the height of the publishing industry where in a personal way she would help thousands of writers across all genres to bridge the magical state between the ask of writing in the active reading. when her husband stephen came to the business school carolyn left the program. she did eventually finish her dissertation. on the strength of her spectacular ability to type 90

words per minute, she secured an entry-level job in publishing where through many areas that covered all aspects of the business, she found her calling. carolyn said it was through her study of the victorian classics she came to understand the quality that underpin successful books of all time. her goal was to make each book her company publishes great on its own terms. then to find the largest audience for that book. the evidence indicates she has done that thousands of times over her career. weatherford crowd winning titles or popular books at the moment. relentless curiosity is at the heart of her success. on vacation she brings manuscripts and then calls or sends a note to the author.

i can testify that she is the reader of great insight and perception. i still remember the conversation about franklin and eleanor rosenfeld. she talked with me about complicated marriage and if she had known them. the greatest tribute or reader can give. her phone call after reading my memo touched it even more personal cord. she zeroed in on the relationship. she was housebound and died when i turned just 15. she pointed out that books and storytelling have become the anchor of my life. when carolyn finish reading team of rivals books are at the center of our conversation.

we talked about the hunger for reading that led abraham lincoln scour the countryside to borrow books. when he found a copy of shakespeare or king james he was also excited that he cannot eat or sleep. it's the same sense of excitement that carolyn radiates when she helps with the birth of a young writer or savers the continuing success of a veteran author. the publishing industry has experienced profound changes in the decade she has served as president and ceo of simon & schuster. she led the company through the worst a session recession navigated the digital revolution, and the ever increasing competition for readers attention. it makes 800 page books like mine a greater challenge. through it all she has remained

optimistic about the future publishing, ever ready to experiment and maintaining a steady hand. thank god carolyn is here is a common refrain among the family. as it is for all of us associated with the publishing industry which she has served with dedication for so many years. can the curiosity of a girl holding a flashlight illuminating the book pages under the blankets last a lifetime? caroline is proof that it can. along the way her contagious curiosity and enthusiasm has been conveyed to millions of readers. congratulations to a great publisher and reader. carolyn reading. [applause]

[applause] [applause] . .