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Literacy Partners
Food for Thought Luncheon |
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Jacqueline Weld Drake, Wally Lamb at podium.
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On February 8, 2011, Literacy Partners, New York’s only nationally accredited adult literacy program, held the second luncheon in their annual Food for Thought series. The intimate event featured a presentation by Wally Lamb, bestselling author of The Hour I First Believed and two Oprah’s Book Club picks, She’s Come Undone, and I Know This Much Is True. Literacy Partners Honorary Chair Jacqueline Weld Drake hosted the insightful and often poignant Q&A.
During their conversation, Lamb discussed the impact that running a writing workshop at the York Correctional Institution, Connecticut's only maximum-security prison for women, has had on his life. Lamb even shared a short excerpt of one of his student’s stories. He and Weld Drake also addressed the recent shooting in Tucson, Arizona – a topic close to Lamb, as his most recent novel, The Hour I First Believed, includes a fictionalized account of the Columbine High School shootings.
Weld Drake also spoke with Lamb about his writing process, how he handled overnight fame, and his reaction to an unexpected phone call from Oprah Winfrey. Lamb recalled his conversation with Winfrey about the impact reading had on her life.
“In 1992, she called and thanked me for writing She’s Come Undone, “Lamb explained. “Oprah told me that reading basically saved her life during a rough childhood.” Five years later, Winfrey called again, requesting to feature his novel in her then newly formed “Oprah’s Book Club” segment. In 1998, Lamb’s book I Know This Much Is True was his second book featured on the show.
During his interview with Drake, Lamb noted, “When the universe gives you a gift, you want to give something back. That’s why when a group like Literacy Partners calls, I’m here; to try and even things up for the people who haven’t had the same chances I have.”
Literacy Partners Honorary Chair Jacqueline Weld Drake is chairing the luncheons, all of which are being held at the legendary New York restaurant Le Cirque.
Luncheon Committee members in attendance included Alexandra Anderson, Martha Bograd, Patricia Beard Braga, Ellie Cullman, Barrett Frelinghuysen, Jacqueline M. Garrett, Sharon King Hoge, Lois Nasser, Marjorie Reed, Susan W. Rotenstreich, Betty Sargent, Molly Schaefer, Anne Sitrick, Joan S. Steinberg, and Stephanie Stokes.
The event was also attended by Literacy Partners Chairman Mark Jackson, Executive Director Susan McLean, and Board Members Peter Brown, Sharon King Hoge, and Katharine Raymond. Notable New Yorkers Alicia Jahn, Catherine Cahill, Cristina Grassi, and Coco Kopelman were also present at the luncheon.
The next Literacy Partners Food for Thought author event will take place on April 6, 2011, featuring Tracey Jackson, screenwriter for films such as Confessions of a Shopaholic – and now author of the forthcoming Between a Rock and a Hot Place: Why Fifty Is Not the New Thirty.
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Literacy Partners Chairman Mark Jackson.
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Peggy Obernauer.
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Anne Sitrick, Peter Brown.
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Executive Director Susan McLean, Alisa Rottenberg.
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Pat Beard Braga, Susan W. Rotenstreich, Coco Kopelman.
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Jacqueline Weld Drake, Jean Shafiroff.
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Jacqueline Weld Drake, Wally Lamb, Anne Sitrick, CeCe Black, Catherine Cahill.
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Enrica Arengi-Bentivoglio, Martha Bograd, Joan Steinberg.
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Cristina Grassi, Molly Schaefer, Pat Beard Braga.
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Ann Rapp, Wally Lamb, Enrica Arengi-Bentivoglio.
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Etan Merrick, Lois Nasser.
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Wally Lamb, Gaetana Enders.
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Jacqueline Weld Drake, Alicia Jahn, Martha Bograd.
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| Photos: Natalie Licini Photography |
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