POETS & WRITERS IS MORE than a magazine. We are a nonprofit organization that puts money directly into the hands of writers who give readings and lead workshops in museums, prisons, homeless shelters, libraries, and senior centers. Your subscription to Poets & Writers Magazine supports the all-important work of cultivating literary activity in urban and rural communities throughout the United States.
In Celebration of Writers
| The Numbers Behind the Poets & Writers Benefit |
|
| Number of years the benefit has been held: 20 |
|
| Number of guests at this year’s dinner: 388 |
|
| Number of authors who served as table hosts: 37 |
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| Number of additional guests at the after party: 145+ |
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| Dollars raised: 400,000+ |
Clockwise: Honoree Pat Strachan, P&W executive director
Elliot
Figman, honorees Junot Díaz and Maxine Hong Kingston, dinner chair John
Makinson, P&W founder Galen Williams, and honoree M. L. Liebler; Karin Grafstrom, a member of the P&W board
of
directors, with author Tom Wolfe; after
party hosts Sapphire and Nick Flynn offer a
toast
to “forty more years” of P&W; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her husband,
Ivara
Esege; John Makinson, author Sue Monk Kidd and her husband, Sandy
Kidd.
Credit: Christopher Smith
On March 18, nearly four hundred writers, publishers, editors, agents, and other members of the literary community attended the annual Poets & Writers benefit dinner at Capitale in New York City. As part of the evening's program, the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award was presented to three writers—Junot Díaz, Maxine Hong Kingston, and M. L. Liebler—for their work on behalf of other writers. In addition, the second annual Editor's Award was given to Pat Strachan of Little, Brown. The master of ceremonies was humorist Dave Barry, and awards were presented by Susan Isaacs, chair of the Poets & Writers Board of Directors. Galen Williams, founder of Poets & Writers, was also recognized on the occasion of the organization's fortieth anniversary. Following dinner, the celebration continued at an after party hosted by Nick Flynn, Rivka Galchen, and Sapphire. This year's dinner chair was John Makinson of Penguin Group, a provider of underwriting for the event along with Arvato Print USA, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Hachette Book Group, and Theodore C. Rogers. Proceeds of funds raised by the benefit support P&W's programs such as Readings/Workshops and its Web site, pw.org.