Literary world gathers for PEN America dinner-gala hosted by Amber Ruffin

NEW YORK (AP) — Amber Ruffin looked out upon hundreds of writers, publishers and editors gathered for PEN America's annual gala and shared her experience of being on the receiving end of censorship.

“I'm officially a banned book,” the comic-writer joked, referring to her being dropped as a speaker at April's White House Correspondents Dinner. “They booked me and then they banned me.”

Thursday night's event at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City was a protest against the suppression of speech and a celebration of being permitted to say what you pleased.

Ruffin presided over a dinner-fundraiser that included a tribute to actor-publisher-bibliophile Sarah Jessica Parker, imprisoned Egyptian poet-songwriter-activist Galal El-Behairy, Wesleyan University President Michael Roth and Macmillan CEO Jon Yaged.

One of the biggest ovations was for a non-speaker, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who during a White House meeting in February challenged President Donald Trump over her support for transgender athletes, When Trump suspended funds for a Maine child nutrition program, Mills sued in federal court and prevailed.

PEN America, the century-old free speech organization, brought in Ruffin to host soon after the WHCA withdrew its invitation, contending it wanted to focus on the achievements of journalism. Ruffin is a blunt and sometimes profane critic of Trump and duly went after him Thursday, calling him “gross," “incompetent,” “racist” and “sexually deviant.” She also praised PEN for the chance to speak out.

“Thank you to PEN America for asking me to host and more importantly, thank you, PEN America, for Googling me at least once before asking me to host,” she said. “I’m looking at you, White House Correspondents Association.”

Parker was presented the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award, given in previous years to Patti Smith, Robert Caro and Stephen Sondheim among others.

Parker has been a longtime champion of books and literacy and runs the publishing imprint SJP Lit, where authors include Lucy Caldwell, Linda Grant and Elysha Chang. At the Sundance Film Festival in January, she premiered a documentary film for which she served as executive producer, “The Librarians,” about the fight against book bans.

“To censor a book is to limit imagination, curiosity, connection, empathy and inspiration,” Parker said during her acceptance speech. "Libraries aren't just buildings with shelves. They are a beacon. They are warm in the winter and cool in summer, and they are sanctuaries of possibility. They are a heartbeat of the neighborhood."

El-Behairy, who has been imprisoned off and on since 2018 on charges of terrorism and “spreading false news,” won the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, given to dissidents who have been jailed. The prize was accepted by his sister, Naiera, and father, Abdelfattah, who noted his son "paid the price for his opposition with the best years of his life wasted in prison.”

Taye Diggs presented the Business Visionary award to Yaged and joked that he liked the Macmillan executive because he didn't publish his children's books just because Diggs was an extremely handsome and successful Black actor.

Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth, a leading critic of Trump’s threats to cancel research funding at Columbia University and other schools, won the PEN/Benenson Courage Award. During a speech that was loudly cheered, he remembered a happy, outspoken and admittedly privileged childhood during which threats to democracy were rarely considered.

“We are going to have to draw on love and support if we are to resist the slide towards authoritarianism that has gathered momentum across the land," Roth said.

PEN is still recovering from a tumultuous 2024. Allegations that leadership was reluctant to criticize Israel's invasion of Gaza and slow to respond to the suffering of Palestinians, including Palestinian writers and journalists, led to so many writers withdrawing from PEN's spring awards ceremony and World Voices festival that both were canceled. PEN CEO Suzanne Nossel departed at the end of the year and a permanent replacement has not yet been announced.

The awards night and World Voices returned this month, although with reminders of the ongoing war in Gaza. Several prize nominees withdrew from competition, including two of the five finalists for the $75,000 Jean Stein Book Award for a work of “originality, merit, and impact.” The daughters of Stein, the late author, editor and philanthropist, decided the prize money would be donated to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund and to Palestine Legal, a U.S.-based defense organization.

Governor of Maine Janet Mills attends the PEN America Spring Literary Gala at The American Museum of Natural History on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

Author Sebastian Junger attends the PEN America Spring Literary Gala at The American Museum of Natural History on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

Actor Sarah Jessica Parker attends the PEN America Spring Literary Gala at The American Museum of Natural History on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

Actor Sarah Jessica Parker attends the PEN America Spring Literary Gala at The American Museum of Natural History on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

Comedian Amber Ruffin attends the PEN America Spring Literary Gala at The American Museum of Natural History on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

Sarah Jessica Parker appears at the premiere of "Hocus Pocus 2" in New York on Sept. 27, 2022, left, and Amber Ruffin appears at the 28th annual Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 15, 2023, (AP Photo)

The NFL set a record for fewest punts per game in 2025, and wild-card weekend was filled with fourth-down fun and folly as punters were mostly spectators, especially Chicago's Tory Taylor, who never stepped off the sideline in the Bears' come-from-behind win over the Green Bay Packers.

In all, teams converted 15 of 29 fourth down attempts on wild-card weekend, when there were only 41 punts, nine of them Monday night in the Houston Texans' 30-6 rout of Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bears first-year coach Ben Johnson was particularly aggressive, going for it a half-dozen times on fourth down Saturday night, including two backfires in the first half that led to a pair of Green Bay touchdowns and put the Bears in a 21-3 halftime hole.

Caleb Williams was intercepted on fourth-and-6 from the Packers 40-yard line, leading to Jordan Love's 18-yard touchdown throw, and Williams threw incomplete on fourth-and-5 from his own 32. That one led to Love's TD throw on fourth-and-goal from the Bears 2 that gave Green Bay an 18-point halftime cushion.

The Packers couldn't capitalize on another turnover on downs by Chicago just before halftime because Brandon McManus missed a 55-yard field goal on the final play after Williams threw incomplete deep on fourth-and-4 from the Green Bay 37.

When Prime Video's sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung asked the Bears' coach about his aggressive approach and going for it on fourth down multiple times on his own side of the field, Johnson replied, “Yeah, we want to maximize our possessions and we want to go for fourth-down plays."

Her follow-up was about how to slow down Green Bay's efficient offense.

“That's a big reason why we're being aggressive on offense, so that we can extend our drives and score points ourselves,” Johnson said. “It's a really good offense we're going against.”

Although the Bears would convert just twice on their six fourth downs — Green Bay was 3 for 3 on fourth down — that strategy paid off in the end. Williams threw a 27-yard pass to Rome Odunze to the Packers' 30-yard line, which led to the TD that pulled Chicago to 27-24 with 4:21 remaining.

Johnson said the game plan featured an aggressive fourth-down mentality, and "I think where it gets misconstrued is, there’s a lack of confidence in your defense when you do that. I think the opposite, I think it’s because I have confidence in our defense and their ability to stop teams in the red zone."

“I’m never going to apologize for being aggressive or doing things that might be a little unorthodox,” Johnson added, "if it’s what we deem is best for us to win a ballgame.”

Johnson was the Lions' offensive coordinator when Detroit blew a 17-point halftime lead and lost the NFC championship to San Francisco 34-31 after the 2023 season. In that game, Lions coach Dan Campbell went for it on fourth down twice in field-goal range but came up short, later saying he'd do it again if he could.

Those failures didn't curtail the Lions' aggressive fourth-down philosophy, one that Johnson took to Chicago when he was hired by the Bears a year ago.

He had plenty of company over the weekend as a trend from the regular season continued. There were just 3.55 punts per game per team this season and that figure fell in the first round of the playoffs with teams averaging just 3.41 punts per game.

The Panthers and Rams got the fun going Saturday when early fourth-down failures led to touchdowns by each team.

Trevor Lawrence thought he had the first down when the Jaguars went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Buffalo 9 only to see the review reveal his shin had hit the ground shy of the first-down marker, a fourth-down faux pas that proved pivotal in Jacksonville's 27-24 loss to the Bills.

The Bills twice went for it on fourth-and-1 deep in Jaguars territory. Josh Allen had a four-yard keeper on the first one and was carried nine yards on an astonishing tush push to the 1 that also led to a Buffalo touchdown.

The 49ers didn't attempt a single fourth-down conversion in their 23-19 win at Philadelphia, where the Eagles were 3-for-5 on fourth down.

The Patriots converted their only fourth-down try, on fourth-and-4 from the Chargers' 30, which led to a field goal. When the Chargers took a delay after failing to induce an offsides call and then punted from midfield, NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth said, “I think Jim Harbaugh's been watching the games this weekend.”

And when Steelers coach Mike Tomlin chose to take the three points with a 32-yard field goal try rather that chancing it on fourth-and-3 from the Houston 14 Monday night, ESPN analyst Troy Aikman commented: “We're in a time as we all know when a lot of offenses would be going for it. ... But points are going to be (at) a premium. You've got two defenses that are capable of dominating their opponent. Get 'em when you can.”

Well, points certainly were at a premium for Pittsburgh, which hung in there most of the night before the Texans' 23-0 fourth-quarter blitz in what might have been Rodgers' farewell game.

If so, Rodgers' final pass was a pick-6 by safety Calen Bullock, whose 50-yard interception return for a touchdown came on ... you guessed it, fourth down.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson reacts during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Green Bay Packers Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Huh)