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    A Night of Inspiration

    WITS Gala highlights inspiring work of Houston poets and honors one special family

    Tarra Gaines
    Nov 13, 2017 | 9:38 am

    When we say Houston strong, we proclaim it in a multitude of diverse, beautiful voices. Writers in the School (WITS) strives to keep the youngest of those voices singing now and into the future. During their recent Many Voices | One Houston gala, supporters from across the city came together to celebrate all WITS continues to achieve but also to honor one set of extraordinary voices, the Leech family.

     

    Emceed by Houston poet laureate, Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, the event at The Astorian gave guests a dazzling view of downtown Houston as they listened to some of Houston’s rising poets, including adorable and meaningful readings from eight-year old Daniela Arnold and nine-year-old Aaron Crossland, who showed the awe-struck friends of WITS that nothing could silence him, especially after receiving a new kidney.

     

    A dynamic, poetry slamming performance from team Meta-Four Houston emphatically described what it means to be a proud Houstonian.

     

    Also introduced to the captivated crowd was another young voice Houston will be hearing great verses from, the city’s new Youth Poet Laureate, Rukmini Kalamangalam. With her laureate title, the 16-year-old Carnegie Vanguard High School student becomes the Cultural Arts Advisor to the Mayor's Youth Council.

     

    Celebration chair Sara Speer Selber and honorary chair Marcia Nichols reminded guests the important work WITS does with students across the city. Tales were told of how WITS writers spent time in the shelters after Hurricane Harvey, continuing their work even as schools remained closed.

     

    The highlight of the evening came with the introduction and honoring of the Leech family for their commitment to creativity and the arts in Houston. Opera lovers around the world know Perryn Leech as the managing director of Houston Grand Opera, but it was his wife, young adult book author Caroline Leech, who spoke for the family, including daughter Kirsty and son and actor, Rory, who could not be present because of a theater commitment.

     

    Yet many of Caroline Leech’s words came from oldest daughter Jemma Leech, an accomplished, award-winning young poet and WITS student for more than a decade. Because Jemma has cerebral palsy and cannot speak, her mother acted as her voice. Jemma’s speech brought many in the audience to tears of joyful inspiration with its story of how WITS had helped her find her poetic voice and true writer-self.

     

    Songs and poetry filled the air near the end of the evening as the Greenbriar Consortium Quartet performed two of Jemma Leech’s poems set to music by Mary Carol Warwick.

     

    Funds raised during the evening will help to give 3,500 children WITS programming for an entire year.

     

    Seen celebrating the power of Houston’s young voices were Long Chu, Stephanie Larsen, Shannon Buggs, Grace Rodriguez, Carl Josehart and Sam Jacobson, Shari Koziol, Barry Mandel and Scott Sawyer, Esther and Robin Perrine, MaryScott Hagle and David Kornberg, Melanie Malinowski and Andy Cunningham, Ana Beaven, Carliss Chatman, Josephine and William Rice, Karen McKibben and William Morris, Lucy and Sam Chambers, Cynthia and Tony Petrello, and John Arnold.

     

    Also spotted in the crowd were Dr. John and Anne Mendelsohn, Dean Gladden, Ab Sengupta, June Christensen, Philamena and Arthur Baird, Kathryn McNiel, Terrylin Neale, Nancy Powell Moore, Sandra Godfrey, Hinda Simon, Angela Lutz, Peter Selber, Robin Angly and Miles Smith, Gloria Portela, Darrin Davis and Mario Gudmunddsson, Mitra and Joshua Woody, Roberto Tejada, Giuseppe Taurino, Chanler Langham, Claire Sirois and Garrick Malone, Ryan Leach and Outspoken Bean.

     

    Youth Poet Laureate Rukmini Kalamangalam and Houston Poet Laureate Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton.

    WITS gala 2017: Rukmini Kalamangalam, Deborah Mouton
      
    Photo by dabfoto creative/event photography
    Youth Poet Laureate Rukmini Kalamangalam and Houston Poet Laureate Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton.
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    Silk and Sequins

    Cultural fashion takes center stage at Runway to Asia in Houston

    Joel Luks
    Jul 10, 2025 | 12:30 pm
    Asia Society Runway to Asia fashion show 2025
    Photo by Annie Mulligan
    Rekha Muddaraj, Shazia Sultan, Danny Nguyen, Zang Toi, Bonna Kol, Phoebe Tudor, and Leigh Smith.

    If fashion is a language, Runway to Asia spoke it fabulously fluently.

    The ballroom of The Post Oak Hotel shimmered with silk, sequins, and sartorial splendor as Asia Society Texas debuted its first-ever Runway to Asia style-studded affair — a glamorous gala-meets-catwalk moment where heritage was hand-stitched into haute couture.

    More than 300 guests filled the swanky venue for the event, greeted by models perched like living mannequins in Danny Nguyen’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection, each ensemble a fabric-forward love letter to cultural identity and avant-garde vision. This was a glamnifesto on what it means to wear your roots with pride and purpose.

    Leading the stylish charge were co-chairs Leigh Smith, Shazia Sultan, and Phoebe Tudor, who curated the afternoon like seasoned couturiers. Attendees noshed on a three-course lunch before the real feast began: a full-throttle catwalk presentation honoring two design dynamos — Danny Nguyen, Houston’s own silhouettist supreme, and international fashion luminary Zang Toi.

    Rekha Muddaraj, former KHOU 11 anchor turned emcee extraordinaire, welcomed the crowd with poise, passing the mic to Asia Society Texas president Bonna Kol, who framed the gathering as more than just fashion, but part of the nonprofit’s mission to celebrate cultural diversity through art.

    The applause crescendoed when Michael Buening, the organization’s director of performing arts and culture, announced the event had raised more than $300,000 to fund more than 20 annual programs.

    Pro tip: philanthropy always looks better in couture.

    Then came the honors. Nguyen was honored with the Texas Trendsetter Award, praised by Shazia Sultan for blending traditional elegance with avant-glam silhouettes. Meanwhile, Tudor crowned Toi with the Global Icon Award, charting his runway rise from Malaysia to Manhattan.

    Toi’s “Opulence of the Orient Express” collection brought the house down with 37 jaw-dropping looks: Ottoman-inspired caftans, midnight velvet suits, pearl-dusted evening gowns, and coat-dress hybrids that defied the laws of layering. Each ensemble whispered luxury and screamed craftsmanship.

    The raffle added a thrill of retail roulette with prizes including a luxe Hill Country escape, personal styling sessions with the honorees, and golden tickets to Zang Toi’s Fall 2026 New York show.

    Soaking in the scene were Sushila Agrawal, Nancy Allen, Fady Armanious, Kristy Bradshaw, Divya Brown, Tripp Carter, Theresa Chang, Anne Chao, Molly Crownover, Kari Dagley, Chloe Dao, Debbie Festari, Kathy and Marty Goossen, Brigitte Kalai, Mandy Kao, Sippi Khurana, Karen Kwok, Teri Lee, Kelley Lubanko, Christy Lynn, Petra Martinez, Sneha Merchant, Duyen Nguyen, Cabrina Owsley, Akemi Saitoh, Miya Shay, Sue and Randy Sim, Shawn Stephens, Y. Ping Sun, Ileana Trevino, Janae Tsai, Stephanie Tsuru, Heidi Turney, and Asha Virani.

    Asia Society Runway to Asia fashion show 2025
      

    Photo by Annie Mulligan

    Rekha Muddaraj, Shazia Sultan, Danny Nguyen, Zang Toi, Bonna Kol, Phoebe Tudor, and Leigh Smith.

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