The Poets & Writers Gala celebrates the indispensable contributions of writers both to our national discourse and to the inner lives of readers. Funds raised will enable Poets & Writers to provide broad access to information about publishing and help writers from all backgrounds connect with opportunities, advance their careers, and build community.
The 2026 Gala took place on Monday, March 23, at Pier Sixty in New York City. The event raised $1,150,000 to support our programs and services for writers. We extend grateful thanks to our community for this generous outpouring of support.
David Shelley, CEO of Hachette Book Group, was our gala chair. Tina Chang, Khaled Hosseini, and Eugene B. Redmond were honored with the 2026 Writers for Writers Award. Jordan Pavlin of Alfed A. Knopf received the 2026 Editor's Award. Ophira Eisenberg was our host. To learn more about the 2026 honorees, read the press release.
(Clockwise, from top left: Writers for Writers Award recipients Tina Chang and Eugene B. Redmond with Gala Host Ophira Eisenberg, Poets & Writers Executive Director Melissa Ford Gradel, Gala Chair David Shelley, and Editor's Award recipient Jordan Pavlin; not pictured: Writers for Writers Award recipient Khaled Hosseini. Tina Chang with Ophira Eisenberg. Eugene B. Redmond accepts the Writers for Writers Award. Jordan Pavlin with Knopf authors Maggie Shipstead, Julie Orringer, Megha Majumdar, Ayana Mathis, Michelle Zauner, Tommy Orange, Susan Minot, and Eliza Minot. Also pictured are poet Major Jackson, third from left, and members of Pavlin’s family—Elias, Jules, and Ari Haberberg, far right. Credit: Kyo Morishima Photography.)
LITERARY TABLE HOSTS
Gala Host: Ophira Eisenberg
Ophira Eisenberg is a stand-up comedian, writer, and podcast host (NPR, CBS, The Moth, HBO, Comedy Central, iHeart) who headlines theaters and comedy venues across the world, tours regularly with The Moth Mainstage, and hosts the weekly parenting-comedy podcast Parenting is a Joke (Webby Finalist for Best Host). Her new comedy special, produced by Lewis Black/Stark Raving Black Productions, will be streaming in spring 2026. She also hosted NPR’s trivia comedy show Ask Me Another for nine years. Her breakout memoir, Screw Everyone: Sleeping My Way to Monogamy (Seal Press), has been optioned for a television series, and her solo show Leaving a Mark: A Comedy About Scars won the Women in the Arts & Media Award for Solo Show Scripts. (Credit: Mindy Tucker.)
Literary Table Hosts
Melissa Coss Aquino
Amy DuBois Barnett
Mahogany L. Browne
Belle Burden
Brian Castleberry
Colin Channer
Cathy Linh Che
Christina Cooke
Sloane Crosley
Angie Cruz
Jeanine Cummins
Michael Cunningham
Cornelius Eady
Nathan Englander
Joshua Ferris
Janet Fitch
Temim Fruchter
Christopher Gonzalez
Xochitl Gonzalez
Andrew Sean Greer
Yaa Gyasi
Kimiko Hahn
Jimin Han
James Hannaham
Adam Haslett
Corey Ann Haydu
Major Jackson
Marlon James
Tyehimba Jess
Katie Kitamura
Min Jin Lee
Joanne Leedom-Ackerman
Sandra Lim
Megha Majumdar
Eduardo Martinez-Leyva
Ayana Mathis
Anna Sophia McLoughlin
Eliza Minot
Susan Minot
Lena Moses-Schmitt
Tommy Orange
Julie Orringer
Chris Pavone
Imani Perry
Jodi Picoult
Roxana Robinson
Jonathan Santlofer
Vijay Seshadri
Reena Shah
Maggie Shipstead
Patricia Smith
Patricia Spears Jones
Emma Straub
Lynn Steger Strong
Terese Svoboda
Jiaming Tang
Stephanie Wambugu
Sarah Wang
Meg Wolitzer
Michelle Zauner
Ada Zhang