Contact
2010 Night Flight
Bedtime Stories Event Raises $110,000
Humanities Washington Announces Publication of Its First Anthology
Friday, October 1 marked a monumental night for Humanities Washington and its programs to promote inquiry, insight and inspiration. Its gala fundraiser, Bedtime Stories, raised more than $110,000 from generous supporters who gathered to hear original short stories written by Carol Cassella, Charles Johnson, Susan Rich, Jennie Shortridge and Garth Stein.
Humanities Washington also announced the release of Night Lights, a collection of 22 stories and essays read at Bedtime Stories events from 1999-2009. Contributing writers include Tom Robbins, August Wilson, Karen Fisher, Charles Johnson, Mary Guterson and others.
A launch party, with author readings and book signings, is set for October 14 at Roy Street Coffee and Tea on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. The book goes on sale to the public October 15 and will be available at humanities.org, Amazon.com and independent bookstores across the state.
Celebrity Librarian Nancy Pearl emceed the the October 1 event, and authors read their original stories on the theme “Night Flight,” most interpreting the theme literally and including many metaphorical references. Poet Susan Rich kicked off the program with a series of poems reflecting on her “night flight” from wildfires in southern Spain in 2009.
Jennie Shortridge’s story, “Night Flight,” transported the audience to a small town east of the mountains where a not-so-young woman reflects on the evolution of family relationships, set against the backdrop of an abandoned mine that is home to thousands of bats.
Garth Stein asked “have you bolted your house to its foundation yet?” and, in “The Peculiar Intelligence of Parrots” followed two young boys out of the rubble of a catastrophic west-coast earthquake with the help of a flock of feral parrots.
Carol Cassella read “Perseid Showers,” a heartbreaking tale of a young boy grappling with the death of his younger sister, a death he believes he caused.
Charles Johnson closed the evening with “Night Fight or Flight,” in which his quiet Wedgwood neighborhood is rocked by new neighbors and concludes with a sweet and humble act of kindness.
Humanities Washington thanks its many sponsors and supporters whose support made the event such a tremendous success.
