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

Superstar DJ Calvin Harris brings North American arena tour to Houston

Photo courtesy of Calvin Harris

DJ Calvin Harris will perform at the Toyota Center on April 23, 2027.

Scottish DJ and producer Calvin Harris will embark on his first headline tour across North America in 2027, which will include a stop at the Toyota Center in Houston on Friday, April 23.

The limited tour starts on April 1 in Boston, Massachusetts, traveling to 18 cities across the United States and Canada over the course of two months.

In addition to Houston, Harris will perform in Fort Worth on April 24 and Austin on April 25.

Harris' tour will coincide with the 20th anniversary of his 2007 debut album, I Created Disco. That release and his 2009 sophomore album, Ready for the Weekend, made him a big name in his native UK, but didn't gain much traction in the U.S.

His status changed when he collaborated with Rihanna on her megahit "We Found Love" in 2011, which first appeared on her album, Talk That Talk.

Harris subsequently included the song on his 2012 album, 18 Months, which also featured hit collaborations with Ellie Goulding, Florence Welch, and Ne-Yo.

He would re-team with Rihanna on another huge hit, "This Is What You Came For," in 2016, co-written by Taylor Swift, whom he was dating at the time.

That song was later included on his 2024 album, 96 Months, along with collaborations with singers like Dua Lipa, Sam Smith, and Goulding.

Tickets for the tour will be available starting with Reserved by Spotify on Monday, October 19 at 10 am, followed by an artist presale beginning on Tuesday, October 20 at 12 pm.

Fans can register for artist presale access now at CalvinHarris.com. The general on sale begins Thursday, October 22 at 12 pm at CalvinHarris.com.

Tour dates:

Thu 04/01/27: Boston, MA - TD Garden
Fri 04/02/27: Baltimore, MD - CFG Bank Arena
Thu 04/08/27: Philadelphia, PA - Xfinity Mobile Arena
Fri 04/09/27: Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
Mon 04/12/27: Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
Fri 04/16/27: Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
Sat 04/17/27: Hamilton, ON - TD Coliseum
Fri 04/23/27: Houston, TX - Toyota Center
Sat 04/24/27: Fort Worth, TX - Dickies Arena
Sun 04/25/27: Austin, TX - Moody Center
Thu 04/29/27: St. Paul, MN - Grand Casino Arena
Fri 04/30/27: Chicago, IL - United Center
Wed 05/05/27: Salt Lake City, UT - Delta Center
Fri 05/07/27: Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
Fri 05/14/27: Seattle, WA - Climate Pledge Arena
Sun 05/16/27: Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
Fri 05/21/27: San Diego, CA - Viejas Arena
Thu 05/27/27: Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum

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