Texas’ foremost literary arts organization, Inprint, once again writes the book on partying like a poet for a very good cause and raised a record breaking $530,000 for readings, scholarships, and literary programs. Inprint supporters and bibliophiles gathered at the River Oaks Country Club for the annual Poets and Writers Ball, chaired by Brittany Sakowitz Kushner and Kevin Kushner, and featuring a true Lone (literary) Star, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and playwright Lawrence Wright.
As is Inprint gala unique tradition, the evening began with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres amid intimate salon-style readings from three up-and-coming writers who have benefitted from Inprint fellowships and awards while in the University of Houston creative writing program. All three authors also paid tribute to Inprint and described how they would not have been able to pursue their writing dreams without that support.
Poet and professor Stalina Emmanuelle Villarreal read provocative poems and creative nonfiction composed in response to visual artworks. Nick Almeida had audiences laughing with a comic short story from his award-winning chapbook Masterplans. Dino Enrique Piacentini had listeners likely placing online orders after he read an excerpt from his mysterious and magical novel, Invasion of the Daffodils.
After savoring these delectable literary appetizers, guests were ready for the Texas themed dinner, a menu designed by chef emeritus Robert Del Grande of The Annie Café & Bar and inspired by Lawrence Wright’s novel Mr. Texas.
After dinner, Wright treated guests to a delicious chronicling of his great loves: writing, Texas, and writing about Texas. For Wright, few states produce so many colorful, real life characters. Wright told avid guests tales of these real Texas stories and true characters. Some of those characters seem so implausible, he has to fictionalize them and call the work a novel just so non-Texan readers will suspend their disbelief.
Ball patrons and guests went home with a bit of Mr. Texas spirit in the form of a handmade, limited-edition chapbook created by artists Fiona McGettigan and Alan Krathaus of CORE Design Studio (with the help of a number of bookbinding volunteers) featuring an excerpt from the novel and signed by Lawrence Wright.
Proceeds from the event help to support all of Inprint’s programs, including the Inprint Margarett Root Brown Reading Series, their Cool Brains! kids series, Escritores en la casa Series, Inprint Poetry Buskers, writing workshops for aspiring writers, senior citizens, K-12 teachers, healthcare providers, and the incarcerated, along with fellowships and prizes for students of creative writing.
Among the 450 donors and guests were Karen and Mike Brisch, Heather Brown and Henry Segelke, Laura Calaway, Bettie Cartwright, Carolyn and Platt Davis, Mark Deaton and Brad Telford, Sarah Flournoy, Cece and Mack Fowler, Debbie Gary, Matt Henneman and Kimberly Cutchall, Elaine Howard, Sis and Hasty Johnson, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, Sabria and Kevin Lewis, Noelle and Eric Reed, Katie Padden and Rick Evans, Nikita and Atman Shukla, Mark Wawro and Melanie Gray, Cyvia Wolff and Marc Grossberg, and Gail and Stephen Zaruba.
Photo by Michelle Watson with CatchLight Group
Kevin Kushner, Brittany Sakowitz Kushner, Rich Levy, Lawrence Wright, Chinhui Juhn, and Eddie Allen.
