Gala Raises Record-Breaking $1.35 Million
Clockwise from top left: Honoree Kimberly Blaeser; gala chair Dominique Raccah; honoree Angie Cruz; Grove Atlantic editors and authors (from left) Morgan Entrekin, Patrick Hoffman, Francisco Goldman, Kelli Jo Ford, Elisabeth Schmitz, Betsy Lerner, Isabella Hammad, Peter Blackstock, and Michael Thomas; Deesha Philyaw (left) accepts the Writers for Writers Award on behalf of Kiese Laymon, presented by host Sloane Crosley.
“I can’t imagine another way to make sense of the world, whether it burns or it blossoms,” said author Sloane Crosley, host of the 2025 Poets & Writers Gala, reflecting on the importance of writers and writing before a crowd of more than six hundred publishers, editors, agents, booksellers, authors, and readers. “Personally I can’t imagine a better community to call my own during this time, or better luck than getting to read the work of my fellow writers…. These are the people I look up to, the people who make me laugh out loud, the people who show me parallel lives, and the people who find words when I have none.”
At the annual gala, which was held in New York City on March 24, the Writers for Writers Award was presented to Kimberly Blaeser, Angie Cruz, and Kiese Laymon, each of whom has created structures and systems of support to champion and uplift other writers. The Editor’s Award went to Peter Blackstock, Morgan Entrekin, and Elisabeth Schmitz of Grove Atlantic in recognition of their remarkable individual contributions to books of literary merit, as well as the collective and ongoing impact of Grove Atlantic on the literary conversation. Francisco Goldman, a longtime Grove Atlantic author, delivered a heartfelt introduction.
Gala chair Dominique Raccah, CEO and publisher of Sourcebooks, emphasized the vital importance of writers: “With libraries under attack, book bans on the rise, [and] diversity initiatives being vilified and eradicated…it is immensely gratifying...to honor and support the voices who enrich, entertain, and enlighten us every day. Books connect us; they expand our understanding, they challenge our thinking, and open doors to worlds we might never have imagined…. [W]hen books are silenced, so are voices. When ideas are limited, so is understanding, and when stories are kept from readers, the very foundation of a free and informed society is weakened.”
Under Raccah’s leadership—and thanks to the Poets & Writers Board of Directors and the generosity of event sponsors, including premier underwriters Books-A-Million, Penguin Random House, and Sourcebooks—the event raised a record-breaking $1,352,000 to support the organization’s programs and services that help writers navigate the literary marketplace, connect with opportunities and readers, and build community. To make a contribution to support this work, visit pw.org/donate. To become a member of Poets & Writers, visit at.pw.org/join.