The Associates of the Boston Public Library is pleased to invite you to the 29th Annual Literary Lights awards dinner.

Join the BPL on Sunday, April 23, 2017, at the Boston Park Plaza for a spectacular black tie (optional) evening honoring distinguished authors from the Northeast for their contributions to literature and the written word. The evening begins with a reception at 6:00 PM, followed by dinner and the awards program at 7:00 PM.

The Associates of the Boston Public Library are honored to recognize the following authors as their 2017 Literary Lights:

Kwame Anthony Appiah 

Presented by: Hentry Louis Gates, Jr.

Appiah is a philosopher, novelist, professor and cultural theorist.  He grew up in Ghana and earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy at Cambridge University in London. Professor Appiah has lectured around the world and taught at Princeton, Yale, Cornell, Duke and Harvard Universities before moving to New York University where he now teaches in the Department of Philosophy. In 2009 Forbes Magazine named him one of the world’s most powerful thinkers, in 2010 he was on the list of Foreign Policy Magazine’s top global thinkers, and he was awarded the National Humanitarian Medal at a White House ceremony in 2012. Appiah, the author of numerous books and articles, has traveled around the world giving lectures on multiculturalism, global citizenship, courage, identity, and religion. One of his early books, In My Father’s House, which explores the role of African American intellectuals in shaping contemporary African life, won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award and the Herskovits Award for the most important scholarly work on African studies published in English. Appiah is well known for his columns and podcasts as the Ethicist for the New York Times.

Susan Faludi

Presented by: Christopher Lydon

Faludi is a journalist and author who has written extensively on gender issues. In 1991 she was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism for a piece on the leverage buyout of Safeway Stores, focusing on the “human cost of high finance.”  After graduating from Harvard University, where she wrote for The Harvard Crimson, she was a contributor to the New Yorker, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Nation, as well as many other publications. In the 1980s Faludi wrote several pieces on the feminist movement and the resistance to it, resulting in her 1991 book, Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, for which she won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction.  She went on to write Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man, The Terror Dream, and, most recently, The Darkroom, which was inspired by her father’s transsexuality. She was a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies in the 2008-2009 academic year and a 2013-2014 Tallman Scholar in the Gender and Women’s Studies Program at Bowdoin College.

Wally Lamb

Presented by: Andre Dubus III

Lamb is the best-selling author of She’s Come Undone, I know This Much is True, The Hour I First Believed, and Wishin’ and Hopin’. His first two books were selected for Oprah’s Book Club, were New York Times best-sellers, New York Times Notable Books of the Year and, between them, have been translated into 18 languages. His latest novel is We Are Water.  Lamb has also edited two volumes of essays: Couldn’t Keep it to Myself and I’ll Fly Away, written by students in his writing workshops at a women’s prison in Connecticut. He has taught creative writing in the English department at the University of Connecticut, was founder and director of the Writing Center at Norwich Free Academy, has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and Connecticut Commission for the Arts, and was honored with the Connecticut Center for the Book’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Brian Selznick

Presented by: Gregory Maguire

Selznick graduated from RISD where he studied illustration and, while there, took classes in set design at Brown University. After graduation, he worked at a children’s book store in New York City while writing his debut book, The Houdini Box. In 2008 he won the Caldecott Medal from the American Library Association, for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the first such award for a book this long; 533 pages with 284 illustrations. The book was adapted into a 2011 film, Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese. He has also been awarded a 2002 Caldecott Honor for his illustrations of Barbara Kerley’s The Dinosaurs of Waterhorse Hawkins.  In addition, Mr. Selznick has received the Texas Bluebonnet Award, the Rhode Island Children’s Book Award and the Christopher Award, given to media which “affirm the highest values of the human spirit.”

Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall (Keynote Speaker)

Presented by: David Leonard

Marshall was born in South Africa where, as a student, she led the National Union of South African Students, working to end oppressive minority rule and achieve equality for all South Africans.  Marshall first came to the US as a high school exchange student in Wilmington, DL in 1962, as the civil rights battles were beginning to boil over, and later returned to the US for graduate school, where she became involved with the anti-war and the women’s movements. After Yale Law School, she entered private practice, became President of the Boston Bar Association, Vice President & General Counsel for Harvard University, and then went on to the State’s Supreme Court, where she became the first female Chief Justice of the oldest continuously serving appellate court in the Western Hemisphere. Though she has had many accomplishments, Justice Marshall is most renowned for her 2003 opinion which led Massachusetts to become the first state in the nation to outlaw the ban on same-sex marriage. Although she loved her time on the bench, Justice Marshall stepped down in 2010. She now mentors young lawyers at her former law firm, Choate Hall & Stewart, and teaches at Harvard University.

In addition to celebrating the accomplishments of these outstanding writers, proceeds from Literary Lights support the David McCullough Conservation Fund, William O. Taylor Art Preservation Fund, Associates Endowment Fund, and the Associates of the Boston Public Library’s operations. The Associates created the McCullough Fund in 2001 to provide a consistent source of funding for the conservation and preservation of books, manuscripts, works of art and historic documents in the BPL’s Special Collections.

If you would prefer to receive a mailed invitation or for more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact the Associates office at associates@bpl.org or (617) 536-3886. Thank you.

Fourth of July at Top of the Hub

This July 4th, raise a glass 52 stories high to America as you watch the fireworks from the top of the Prudential Tower at Top of the Hub. The fun starts at 6:00 pm with a Chef’s welcome reception, a champagne toast, passed apps, and (most importantly) an open bar. At 7:30 you’ll sit for a decadent five-course dinner with a cash bar and accompanying live music, and at 8:30 you’ll be treated to a simulcast of the Boston Pops concert on the Esplanade. Finally, end the evening with a bang as the fireworks pop off at eye level.

Take a peek at the menu here:

Champagne Toast Upon Arrival

Open Bar

Chef’s Selection of Passed & Stationary Hors d’Oeuvres

Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup
Summer Berries, Avocado, Basil

Jumbo Lump Crab Cocktail
Citrus, Sea Beans, Miner’s Lettuce, Cilantro

Sweet Corn Agnolotti
Smoked Bacon, Chanterelle, Narragansett Creamery “Crescendo” Fondue

Surf & Turf
5 oz. Snake River Farms Kobe Beef Rib Cap Steak, 5 oz. Butter-Poached Lobster Tail,
Smoked Crushed Fingerling Potatoes, Roasted Mushrooms, Swiss Chard, Brown Butter Sabayon

Strawberry Shortcake
Whipped Cream, Blueberry Sauce

Tickets are $250 (nonrefundable; excluding tax, gratuity, and drinks from the cash bar), and a credit card is required to reserve. Call the restaurant for yours at 617.536.1775.

The Hottest Standup Comedy Showcase Comes to Cafeteria on Newbury

The last Wednesday of every month at Cafeteria features an unforgettable experience combining the most talented local and national comedians, including previous winners of the Boston Comedy Festival, acts that have been on Conan, Jimmy Kimmel, Late Night with Steven Colbert, Comedy Central, Sirius XM and more.

Not only is this show completely free – you can enjoy free drink samples from our sponsors* (that’s right – free alcohol!), $5 burgers, and a custom drink menu full of cocktails available exclusively during the show – if it seems too good to be true, Cafeteria invites you to come see for yourself

Doors open at 7pm, the show begins at 8pm – previous shows have packed to capacity, so while this event is not ticketed, we do recommend arriving early to reserve a seat.

You never get a second chance at a first impression.

First impressions are most important when building your network, whether it is at a business networking event or online via social media channels such as Linkedin.

Linkedin is still king when it comes to professional networking and there have been some amazing changes to the platform to encourage collaboration and engagement. A potential connection first impression of you is your Linkedin Profile, so it is essential that you dedicate time to assure you have a Linkedin Profile that stands out.

Jeffrey DeSocio, Owner/Principal of AIMC Business Solutions, will be the guest speaker and will provide a great overview of the “How to Score a Rocking Linkedin Profile” including some key tips to have an All-Star Profile.

The event will take place on Monday, April 29th from 6:30pm – 8pm, at the Microsoft Store in the Prudential Center in Boston right before the upcoming Small Business Expo in Boston.

The event is a combination of networking and presentation. Here is the agenda:

• 6:30pm-7:00pm: Introductions and Networking – Get your professional headshot.
• 7:05pm-7:45pm: How to Score a Rocking Linkedin Profile
• 7:45pm-8:30pm: More Networking and Some Homework & Networking

This event is being run by AIMC Business Solutions, Mass Professional Networking & The Microsoft Store. 

Learn how to make your very own sweet and savory travel cakes, cakes that stay moist and travel well, with Executive Pastry Chef Valerie Nin!

Join Grill 23 for an intimate two hour class where you’ll prep, bake and decorate vanilla buttercake and cornbread. Optional additions of fruit, sweets, jalapenos and cheese will be available for that extra touch. Also learn how to make lemon royal glaze and chcocolate glaze. Finally, enjoy your creations with tea and coffee (or take them home) during their fun Q&A .

Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.

Tickets are limited.

Join Bright Horizons Back Bay for a pizza dinner in the park!

Bright Horizons at Back Bay invites you and your family to join us at the Frieda Garcia Park for Pizza in the Park. Meet and socialize with other Back Bay families — and enjoy some sheet painting fun with your little ones!

Come see what Bright Horizons® at Back Bay has in store for your child this year!

Are you trying to find the perfect fit for your child’s early education? Attend Bright Horizons’ Curriculum Night to find out how Bright Horizons® works with each age group to build on individual strengths and talents.  Come see for yourself how small ideas turn into big projects at Bright Horizons®.

• Learn about World at Their Fingertips® and how it works with each age group to build on individual strengths and talents.
• Meet and talk with our engaging educators and see just how passionate they are about teaching.
• Explore activities your children will get to participate in on-site.
• See our emergent curriculum and how it uses your child’s own interests to inspire learning.
• Childcare and dinner will be provided!

Join the Microsoft Store and Jeffrey DeSocio, Owner/Principal of AIMC Business Solutions for Business Networking 101.

Business Networking is the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business or the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions. Easy enough, but networking at an event can be a daunting task, but it should be a rewarding experience that help build your confidence and utimately your personal brand.

Jeffrey DeSocio, Owner/Principal of AIMC Business Solutions and founder of Mass Professional Networking, will be the guest speaker and will provide a great overview of the “How to Network At An Event and Build Your Brand.” 

The event is a combination of networking and short presentation.

This free event is being run by AIMC Business Solutions/ Mass Professional Networking. Registration is strong encouraged, as tickets are limited.

The “Shamrock Showdown” is the city of Boston’s Ultimate St Patrick’s Day Weekend Bar Crawl

Join thousands of Shamrock themed crawlers as they take over the bars of Back Bay and Downtown on Saturday March 14th.

With over 20+ bars participating around Boston, this is sure to be the biggest bar crawl you have ever seen! 

CHECK IN and grab your SHAMROCK SHOWDOWN bracelet at 1 of 2 locations:

• KINGS – 50 Dalton St.
  Back Bay Check In
  10am to 4pm
  SCHOLARS PUB – 25 School St.
• Downtown Check In
  12:30pm to 4pm
  Shamrock Showdown Crawl Stops:

All stops are FREE to enter with our special bracelet. If you do not have the exclusive SHAMROCK SHOWDOWN bracelet you could be charged a cover and or admitted.

Keep in mind the most important times are the “Check In” times for Kings and Scholars Pub. The other times listed below for the various venues are just suggested stop times.

All venues must adhere to their legal capacities and will only let in as many customers as they can legally hold. If a venue is at capacity you have the choice of waiting to get in, or move onto another venue.

BACK BAY BARS

• Back Bay Social – Noon to 8pm

• Dillions – 11am to 6pm

• Kings Back Bay – 10am to 8pm – FREE Bowling, Arcade, and Karaoke 10am to 4pm

• LIR – 10am to 8pm

• McGreevey’s – 10am to 8pm

For more about this event, please click here.