Chatfest fosters networking and friendships

"Table Talk" fundraiser celebrates the gift of gab

Honorees Mayor Annise Parker and Commissioner Sylvia Garcia
Photo by Sarah Gish
Chairs Andrea Georgsson and Sarah Cooper
Photo by Sarah Gish
Emily Suchomel, left, Heidi Horton and Ana Hernandez
Photo by Sarah Gish
Marian Luntz, left, Patricia Gras and Brené Brown
Photo by Sarah Gish
Iska Wire and Laura Mayes
Photo by Sarah Gish
Abby Whitmire and Karen Walrond
Photo by Sarah Gish

Pack the ballroom at the Hilton Americas with more than 500 women and you will hear more than the walls talking. The Friends of Women’s Studies hosted its 13th annual “Table Talk” fundraiser yesterday, and everyone had so much fun gabbing that it was hard to hear University of Houston Women’s Studies Director Elizabeth Gregory announcing raffle ticket sales over the din.

Chaired by Andrea Georgsson and Sarah Cooper, the event grossed $110,000 and benefited the Women’s Archive and Research Center (ARC) and the UH Women’s Studies Program. This year’s special honorees were Mayor Annise Parker (who agreed to take part in the fun several months ago before the election) and Harris County Commissioner Sylvia Garcia.

This is one of my favorite fundraisers because I’m a girl who loves to gab, and “Table Talk” is one big chatfest. There were 50 conversationalists, one at each table, who shared their life experiences and discussed their careers and areas of expertise with guests.

You couldn’t miss 6-foot, 7-inch Heidi Burge Horton – former WNBA star and one of the “world’s tallest twins” – as she held court. Lawyer and Cinema Arts Festival Houston founder Franci Crane were conversing, as were t’afia owner Monica Pope, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra founder Alecia Lawyer, shame researcher Brené Brown, peace activist Lee Loe, construction CEO Laura Bellows, and even CultureMap’s socialmeister Shelby Hodge. Artist Gael Stack extolled creativity with fellow artists Lynn Randolph and Mary Ross Taylor. And as we chatted with our conversationalist, journalist Kalyani Giri, we veered off into the topic of the multiculturalism of Houston and stories about immigrant grandparents landing here.

“Table Talk” proves that getting together for a good chat can lead to lifelong friendships and business mergers. Just ask Daniel Kornberg and James Harrison, founders of HarrisonKornberg architects, whose wives Mary Scott Hagle and Shannon Buggs met at TT in 2002.

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Concert News

R&B singer Bryson Tiller blazes into Houston on fall 2026 tour

Photo courtesy of Bryson Tiller

R&B singer Bryson Tiller will perform in The Woodlands on October 15, 2026.

Singer/rapper Bryson Tiller will return to the road in 2026 with the headline tour Bryson Tiller Presents: The Neo Trapsoul Tour, which will include a stop at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands on October 15.

The expansive 61-date run features 42 concerts in North America, starting in West Valley City, Utah on August 27. That run, going through November 1, will be followed by 19 more dates in Europe, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

In addition to Houston, Tiller will go to Dallas on August 31 and Austin on October 13.

He'll be joined by special guests Majid Jordan, Ty Dolla $ign, and Austin Millz on all North American dates.

Tiller celebrated the 10th anniversary of his 2015 debut album, T R A P S O U L, in 2025. On this tour, he'll continue that celebration, and also highlight his latest album, Solace & The Vices, which was released in 2025.

Tiller is also gearing up to release a brand-new album, recently putting out a new single “IT’S OK,” from the upcoming project.

Tickets for the tour will be available first through the Artist Presale on Wednesday, June 3 at 12 pm in North America, the UK, and Europe.

Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale starting Friday, June 5 at 12 pm at Ticketmaster.com.

BRYSON TILLER PRESENTS: THE NEO TRAPSOUL TOUR DATES

Thu, Aug 27 - West Valley City, UT - Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sat, Aug 29 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Mon, Aug 31 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion
Wed, Sep 2 - Atlanta, GA - Lakewood Amphitheatre
Thu, Sep 3 - Charlotte, NC - Truliant Amphitheater
Fri, Sep 4 - Raleigh, NC - Coastal Credit Union Music Park
Sun, Sep 6 - Baltimore, MD - CFG Bank Arena
Wed, Sep 9 - Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
Thu, Sep 10 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
Sat, Sep 12 - Belmont Park, NY - UBS Arena
Sun, Sep 13 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
Tue, Sep 15 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheater
Wed, Sep 16 - Toronto, ON - RBC Amphitheatre
Fri, Sep 18 - Camden, NJ - Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
Sat, Sep 19 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
Sun, Sep 20 - Burgettstown, PA - The Pavilion at Star Lake
Tue, Sep 22 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
Wed, Sep 23 - Hartford, CT - The Meadows Music Theatre
Fri, Sep 25 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
Sat, Sep 26 - Clarkston, MI - Pine Knob Music Theatre
Sun, Sep 27 - Tinley Park, IL - Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
Tue, Sep 29 - Milwaukee, WI - American Family Insurance Amphitheater
Wed, Sep 30 - Shakopee, MN - Mystic Lake Amphitheater
Fri, Oct 2 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Music Center
Sat, Oct 3 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
Sun, Oct 4 - Kansas City, MO - Morton Amphitheater
Tue, Oct 6 - Memphis, TN - FedExForum
Wed, Oct 7 - Louisville, KY - KFC Yum! Center
Fri, Oct 9 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sat, Oct 10 - West Palm Beach, FL - iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
Tue, Oct 13 - Austin, TX - Moody Center
Thu, Oct 15 - The Woodlands, TX - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Sponsored by Huntsman
Fri, Oct 16 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP
Sun, Oct 18 - Albuquerque, NM - First Financial Credit Union Amphitheater
Tue, Oct 20 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
Thu, Oct 22 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
Sat, Oct 24 - Chula Vista, CA - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sun, Oct 25 - Inglewood, CA - Intuit Dome
Tue, Oct 27 - Concord, CA - Toyota Pavilion at Concord
Thu, Oct 29 - Portland, OR - Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Fri, Oct 30 - Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
Sun, Nov 1 - Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena

concerts dos equis pavilion music