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.

Celebrate the 4th 52 Stories Up

Sky-High Fourth of July kicks off at 6:00pm with a one-hour welcome reception with an open bar and passed hors d’oeuvres, followed by a five course seated dinner. Live music will be provided by The Liz Tobias Trio until the simulcast of the Boston Pops performance from the Hatch Shell. Guests will also have a perfect view of the fireworks over the Charles River, beginning at approximately 10:30 (weather permitting).

MENU

PASSED HORS D’OEUVRES
Crab Meat Cucumber Cup with Citrus Aioli;
Beef Carpaccio Crostini with Lemon Peppercorn Sauce;
Honeydew & Mint Gazpacho;
Smoked Salmon Canape with Caviar & Chive Crème Fraiche

PLUS DISPLAY STATIONS
Jumbo Cocktail Shrimp; Crab Claws; Cape Cod Oysters
New England Cheese Board; Nuts & Fruit Preparations;
Grilled, Roasted & Raw Summer Vegetables; Assorted Dips;
House Made Hummus & Baba Gannoush; Grilled Pita Bread;
and more.

Dinner
Appetizer Sampler
Alaskan King Crab Legs with Sriracha Aioli
Seared Tuna Crudo with Pineapple Chili Salsa
House Made Bread Stick with Truffle Butter, Prosciutto di Parma
Chicken Liver Pate with Grilled Peach Relish

Lobster, Grilled Corn, Tomato & Watermelon Salad
Thai Chili Vinaigrette

Lemon Ricotta Caramelle Pasta
English Pea Puree, Summer Tomatoes, Corn Shoots

Slow Roasted Sliced Beef Tenderloin
Grilled Miso Rubbed Jumbo Shrimp
Boursin and Scallion Potato Cake, Summer Vegetables,
Bearnaise Sauce

Blueberry Cheesecake, Red Currant Mousse
White Godiva Chocolate Sauce

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.

Provence on the Patio in Celebration of Bastille Day

In celebration of Bastille Day, join French chef Olivier Senoussaoui of Precinct Kitchen + Bar for a 4-Course culinary experience of French fare and wine on the Patio of Precinct Kitchen + Bar for Bastille Day in Provence.

Feel transported to the countryside of France with white tablecloths, outdoor umbrellas, themed entertainment and more. Originally from the Dordogne region of France, Chef Senoussaoui has created a menu full of seasonal foods and local produce paired with French wines from and authentic pastries from local French bakery, Praline.

Take a peek at the menu here:

First Course
Moules Marinière
Mussels in white wine, garlic, herbs, crème fraiche
La Bulle Sparkling Rose

Second Course
Sea Scallop Persillade
Camargue rice, Provençale tomato, fleur de sel
Maison Angelvin AOP Côtes de Provence

Main Course
Steak Frites
Hanger steak, shallot tarragon butter
Pommes Frites, Green salade
La Cavale Rouge

Dessert
Tarte au Citrons a le Meringue
Tarte Tatin
Tarte au fruits
Sweets courtesy of Praline

Join the 5th Annual Dana-Farber Unmask Cancer Gala to Benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund.

This exotic rainforest-themed evening will include dancing, dinner by-the-bite, creative cocktails, and music by DJ Joey Carvello. There will also be a live and silent auction, as well as exciting opportunity drawing items from various sponsors.

UnMask Cancer will begin at 8 p.m. Cocktail attire is suggested, and masks are encouraged. Tickets start at $350 and sponsorships are available starting at $5,000. Visit www.unmaskcancer.org for ticket and sponsorship information.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute doctors and researchers work tirelessly to unmask the secrets of cancer and discover the latest developments and breakthroughs to treat patients. UnMask Cancer will raise critical funds to support this lifesaving mission and is made possible by a dedicated committee led by co-chair Mark Scribner.

May 12, 1669 was the first gathering of Old South.

In the 350 years since, Old South Church has taken bold stances and pursued justice and mercy. The church of Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Adams, of Phillis Wheatley and the Boston Tea Party, they continue to make history in the 21st century. And they think that deserves some celebration! The schedule of events for the day includes:

• 11:00am Festive Anniversary Worship Service
• 12:30pm Ceremony: Heraldic trumpets, dignitaries, an interfaith blessing.
• 1:00pm 350th Birthday Party: Cupcakes & ice cream, magician, games, reenactors, and dance music by Keytar Bear & DJAB Entertainment
• 2:30pm Finale: Pealing of the Tower Bell.

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.

The French Cultural Center presents an evening of French and Bostonian composers.

American artists Matthew Hoch (baritone) and Aaron Larget-Caplan (guitar) present an Art Song Recital by French and American composers, including a world premiere by Boston composer Francine Trester.

The concert is a journey from a poetic French café and countryside, to the gardens and landscapes of Spain and America. This concert marks the celebration of Larget-Caplan’s recent award from the Société Académique Arts–Sciences–Lettres. It will be a dramatic and intimate event by two splendid artists.

Composers: Reynaldo Hahn, Roland Dyens, Joaquin Rodrigo, John Cage, Matyas Seiber, and Francine Trester.  

The Bristol at the Four Seasons Hotel Boston is hosting a chic tequila dinner with Clase Azul.

Enjoy a six-course meal as Clase Azul ambassador Cris Colle pours tastes of the entire Clase Azul portfolio.

Menu