Press Releases

Authors Guild Foundation to Honor Percival Everett, Dr. Carla Hayden, and Amy Tan on April 20, 2026

Guild News

November 13, 2025

• Share
• on Twitter (opens in a new tab)
• on Facebook (opens in a new tab)
• on Linkedin (opens in a new tab)
• via email

NEW YORK, NY—The Authors Guild Foundation announced today that acclaimed authors Percival Everett and Amy Tan, along with former Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden, will be honored at its annual gala on Monday, April 20, 2026, at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

Percival Everett will receive the Baldacci Award for Literary Activism, which recognizes writers who harness the power of storytelling to drive social change. A Distinguished Professor at USC, Everett’s novels, including Dr. No, The Trees, and Telephone, offer unflinching examinations of race, history, and justice in America. His novel Erasure was adapted into American Fiction, which won the 2023 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Dr. Carla Hayden will receive the Champion of Writers Award for her extraordinary dedication and steadfast support of the literary community. As the 14th Librarian of Congress from 2016 to 2025—the first woman and first African American to hold the post—she redefined and modernized the national Library’s mission to engage and inspire the public.  Now a Senior Fellow at the Mellon Foundation, she continues to champion equitable access to knowledge and the preservation of diverse voices.

Amy Tan will receive the Preston Award for Distinguished Service to the Literary Community in recognition of her four decades of transformative contributions to literature and advocacy for creative expression. The bestselling author of The Joy Luck Club and six other novels, her work has been translated into 35 languages and continues to deepen our understanding of family, culture, and identity.

“In an era when access to books and truth in storytelling are under threat, Percival Everett, Amy Tan, and Dr. Carla Hayden represent different fronts in the same battle,” said Deborah K. Wilson, executive director of the Authors Guild Foundation. “They remind us that defending writers, readers, and the freedom to write is essential to ensuring that diverse voices and ideas endure for generations.”

Past honorees of the Authors Guild Foundation Gala include Margaret Atwood, Robert A. Caro, Salman Rushdie, Louise Erdrich, and Jesmyn Ward, among others.

Proceeds from the gala support the Foundation’s nationwide advocacy, legal work, and educational programs that protect authors’ rights and defend the freedom to read and write. 

Sponsorships are now available. Tickets will go on sale in February 2026. 

For more information, please visit authorsguild.org/gala or contact Nikki Maniscalco at gala@authorsguildfoundation.org.

About the Authors Guild Foundation  

The Authors Guild Foundation (AGF), the charitable arm of the nation’s oldest and largest writers’ organization, the Authors Guild, supports the Guild’s advocacy to protect writers, safeguard human creativity in the age of AI, and fight book bans and censorship. The AGF also provides educational programs that give writers the tools they need to thrive in an ever-changing profession, empowering them to create the diverse stories that inspire and connect readers nationwide.