On the evening of Wednesday, May 24, 826 Boston held its annual gala, Night of 1,000 Stories, at the Royal Sonesta in Cambridge. Thanks to everyone involved, we raised $350,000 for 826 Boston’s free youth writing programs!
Slam poets from the John D. O’Bryant High School Writers’ Room performed their poem about poetry before a rainbow backdrop of books.
We took a moment to acknowledge the dedication of Board President Kevin Whalen, who will be stepping down shortly. He read his favorite piece of student writing, “The Tiger Report.”
Newbery Medal-winning author and poet Kwame Alexander, who wrote The Crossover, spoke about the power of writing to transform the experiences of young people. One letter from a fan inspired Alexander so much, he surprised the student at his school. We were able to watch this special moment on film.
Here and Now’s Robin Young interviewed 826 Boston Executive Director Jessica Drench and Jeremiah E. Burke High School Headmaster Dr. Lindsa McIntyre. McIntyre spoke about the impact of the Writers’ Room in her school: “The 826 Boston Writers’ Room is a space that says come on in.” Drench elaborated on 826 Boston’s plan to open at least one new Writers’ Room every year for the next four years.
We were treated to another Matt Watson masterpiece—a film featuring John D. Philbrick School second graders at the New England Aquarium, bragging about their soon-to-be-published book, And Lester Swam On. Watch it here.
To close out the night, Kay Hanley, lead singer of Letters to Cleo and Dorchester native, reflected on the importance of songwriting in her own life. She performed Here and Now and other original songs.
We would like to thank everyone who attended the event, donated, sponsored, and volunteered. Anyone who wants to relive the memories or who was unable to come can visit our Night of 1,000 Stories 2017 flickr album. It was a night to remember!
Images courtesy of Anne Haggerty.
Thank You to our Sponsors:
Epic
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Saga
Kevin and Ellen Whalen
Marc Foster and Andrea Roberts
Andrew Cohn and Marcia Leavitt
Pioneer Investments
Novel
AE Events
Barton & Guestier
Brookline Bank
Holly and David Bruce
Nutter
Morgan Stanley
Putnam Investments
WilmerHale
Winston Flowers
Novella
Abigail Baird
Boston Car Service
Boston Magazine
Linda Button and Peter Vicars
John and Nancy Butman
Harvey and Cathy Cotton
Hubspot
Donna Cowan and Barry Nelson
Mimi Curran and Co Bennett
Emily D’Amour Pardo and Chris Pardo
Marla Felcher and Max Bazerman
John Fullerton and Louisa Lund
Rev. Tim House and Ann Gary
Charisse and David Howse
Carol Greenwald and John Brouder
Gillian and Bill Kohli
Lisa and Roger Krakoff
John Marshall and Lodovica Illari
Jeff Mayersohn and Linda Seamonson
The Royal Sonesta Hotel
Janet Tiampo and David Parker
Rob Wilstein and Lorri Berenberg
Ande Zellman and James Isaacs
Special Guests
Kwame Alexander
You can follow Kwame Alexander at:
Instagram and twitter – @kwamealexander
Facebook – @kwamealexanderbooks
www.kwamealexander.com
Kay Hanley
You can follow Kay Hanley at:
Instagram and twitter – @kayhanley
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