Sorry I couldn’t have been at the Literacy Partners gala last night at Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers. I was still hung over from the Tony Awards!
The late night Tonys didn’t stop Oprah from showing up as a Special Guest. The other guests were pretty remarkable including a reunion of (honoree) Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, plus other honorees Erroll McDonald, Cynthia McFadden, Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Liz Smith, who put Literacy Partners on the map, would have been so happy to see her dear friend, Cynthia McFadden, get her award from the latter’s son, Spencer McFadden Hogue. Liz, that’s a godwink!
Some of Liz’s other pals were in the house including “60 Minutes” stalwart Lesley Stahl, and legendary book agent Joni Evans, plus heavy hitter publishers Jonathan Karp (CEO Simon & Schuster) and Jon Yaged (CEO, Macmillan). Also present: philanthropist Jean Shafiroff and famed psychoanalyst Elizabeth T. Peabody, plus Literacy Partners chief Asaf Bar-Tura, Courtney E.K. Lewis, and Elyse Mayer.
The event placed the spotlight firmly on the impact of adult literacy and the role community plays in empowering families through education. Proceeds from the gala directly support Literacy Partners’ life-changing programs for adults, parents and caregivers from 30 states and Puerto Rico. focusing in particular on high-need regions such as New York City, Philadelphia, Nevada, and San Diego.
Liz, Iris Love, Arnold Scaasi, and Parker Ladd had margaritas in heaven.
PS Congrats to Errol McDonald. 40 years ago, he stopped by my office at the Atlantic Monthly Press wearing headphones connected to a shiny black object about 8 x 8 inches. (I was six, he was seven.) What is that, we asked Erroll? “It’s a portable CD player,” he said. He was always ahead of everybody! Time flies!
