Proof That the PEN is Mightier... Already in its 11th year, the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction was recently awarded at a gala hosted by theFolger Shakespeare Library. Each year, the Award is bestowed by American authors as a salute to theirliterary peers. This year’s Gala evening centered around the theme of “Endings”, and featuredthree-minute readings of works created especially for this event by the featured writers. The festiveevening began with a cocktail reception in the Folger’s Old Reading Room, which was followed by readingsin the Elizabethan Theatre, and a seated black-tie dinner in the Great Hall. Proceeds from the annualGala support the endowment of the PEN/Faulkner Awards, and the efforts of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation tomake writers and their works more accessible to larger, more diverse audiences throughout the D.C.metropolitan area. Held in conjunction with the Gala, PEN/Faulkner’s Writers in Schools Program sendsparticipating Gala authors into D.C. public high schools for a teaching-day visit. Master of Ceremonies: George Plimpton Co-Chairs: Rose Cochran, Susan Richards Shreve, andElizabeth Stevens This Year's Participating Writers Included: Edward Albee,Rilla Askew, Judy Blume, Lorene Cary, George Garrett,Herbert Gold, Jane Hamilton, Oscar Hijuelos, Chang-RaeLee, Claire Messud, Francine Prose, Richard Selzer,Anita Shreve, and Calvin Trillin.
Inquiring minds were dying to knowjust who exactly the gentleman was that came to the elegantformal affair clad in a denim shirt and corduroys. Count on Washington Life to get the answer—the free-spirited mystery guestwas none other than Washington Post staff writer Linton Weeks! |
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