Taylor Alison Swift is an American singer-songwriter. She is known for narrative songs about her personal life, which have received widespread media coverage. At age 14, Swift became the youngest artist signed by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house and, at 15, she signed her first record deal.
Her 2006 eponymous debut album was the longest-charting album of the 2000s in the US. Its third single, "Our Song", made her the youngest person to single-handedly write and perform a number-one song on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Swift's second album, Fearless, was released in 2008.
Buoyed by the pop crossover success of the singles "Love Story" and "You Belong with Me", it became the US' best-selling album of 2009 and was certified diamond in the US. The album won four Grammy Awards, and Swift became the youngest Album of the Year winner.
PEN America Cancels 2024 Awards Ceremony Amid Criticism Of Org’s Response To Israel-Hamas War
deadline.comProminent literary organization PEN America has canceled its annual awards ceremony, which was due to be held next week, after 28 authors chose to withdraw their books from consideration.
The group has faced increasing backlash over its response to the Israel-Hamas War. Among those dropping out was debut novel finalist Rachel Eliza Griffiths, wife of former PEN president Salman Rushdie, according to the Associated Press.
Of those withdrawing are also nine out of the 10 authors nominated for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award. The Literary Estate of Jean Stein has directed PEN America to donate the $75,000 award to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, representatives said on Monday.
The decision to cancel the awards comes in the wake of escalating upset against PEN America. A series of open letters signed by PEN nominees in recent weeks have criticized the group for allegedly choosing sides against Gaza in the war that started after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the BBC reported.
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