NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Sarah Jessica Parker will be this year's recipient of PEN America's 鈥淟iterary Service Award." The 鈥淪ex and the City鈥 star, a longtime advocate for reading and literacy, will be honored May 15 at the free expression organization's annual spring gala.
Jon Yaged, CEO of , will receive the "Business Visionary Award."
Parker has been involved in numerous literary projects, whether as founder of her own publishing imprint or serving as executive producer of the anti-book banning documentary 鈥淭he Librarians,鈥 which premiered last month at the .
The PEN/Audible Literary Service Award had previously been given to an 鈥渋mportant writer鈥 who has attracted a wide audience and 鈥渉elped us understand the human condition,鈥 with previous winners including and The criteria is now 鈥渁 writer or advocate who has served the literary community through their words or work.鈥
鈥淲e are now at a crisis point with books by underrepresented writers being pulled from school libraries and classrooms," PEN co-CEO Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf said in a statement released Friday. 鈥淪arah Jessica Parker is pushing back against these bans as an indispensable defender of the freedom to read and by shining a light on exceptional new voices of American contemporary literature through her publishing imprint SJP Lit.鈥
As head of Macmillan, Yaged publishes authors ranging from and to S.A. Cosby and . The business visionary award is given for 鈥渙utstanding leadership鈥 that 鈥渆mbraces the power of literature to shape democratic and humane values.鈥
PEN co-CEO Summer Lopez praised Yaged for his 鈥渆loquence and force鈥 in opposing book bans and other restrictions.
"For decades, Jon has been a stalwart defender of the right to read and a champion of ensuring publishing represents diverse voices and perspectives, understanding the fundamental role of these values in a democratic society," Lopez said in a statement. "We are honored to give him the spotlight as a 鈥榲isionary鈥 for his big-hearted, expansive, and principled approach to literary publishing.鈥
A former Macmillan CEO, John Sargent, is among the previous winners of the business award, along with former publishing executives Markus Dohle of Penguin Random House, Michael Pietsch of Hachette Book Group and Caroline Reidy of Simon and Schuster.
