Salman Rushdie makes first in-person appearance at PEN America gala.

Salman Rushdie made his first in-person appearance at a public event since being stabbed last August, attending the annual gala of PEN America and giving the event's final speech as he accepted a special prize, the PEN Centenary Courage Award. Rushdie, whose attendance had not been announced beforehand, spoke briefly, and dedicated some of his remarks to those who came to his help at the Chautauqua Institution, a nonprofit education and retreat center. Other honorees Thursday included "Saturday Night Live" producer Lorne Michaels and the imprisoned Iranian journalist and activist Narges Mohammadi, who was given the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award.