Special to the Times
The Associates of the Boston Public Library hosted its 35th annual Literary Lights Dinner on April 27 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, raising more than half a million dollars to preserve and protect the BPL’s Special Collections. Associates Board Chair Alyce Lee celebrated the 2025 honorees and announced that author of Wicked, Gregory Maguire, will deliver the keynote address at next year’s April 26, 2026, Literary Lights Dinner.
This black-tie celebration honored critically acclaimed writers from the Northeast including David Grann (Killers of the Flower Moon), Elin Hilderbrand (Swan Song), Curtis Sittenfeld (Prep), Ilyon Woo (Master Slave Husband Wife), and Elizabeth Strout (Olive Kitteridge). Awards were presented by Nathaniel Philbrick, Meredith Goldstein, Tom Perrotta, Caleb Gayle, and Richard Russo, respectively. Each honoree spoke passionately about the critical importance of libraries, particularly in times like these—a sentiment the audience embraced with enthusiasm and heartfelt applause.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout delivered a moving keynote address, reminding guests of the urgent need to safeguard libraries as living, breathing institutions. She highlighted the importance of the Associates’ work to “conserve and digitize the remarkable collection that is already present,” ensuring public access to treasures like John Quincy Adams’ library and abolitionist papers—vital pieces of our shared history and the enduring spirit of liberty.
President of the Boston Public Library, David Leonard, reminded guests that Literary Lights not only celebrates contemporary authors and historic collections, but also underscores the urgent need to defend libraries as essential pillars of democracy, equity, and access to knowledge. Dinner Co-Chairs Natalie Lemle and Karen Osborn celebrated a sold-out evening, thanking sponsors and guests for their generous support. Emcee, Jared Bowen, GBH’s Executive Arts Editor and Host of The Culture Show, engaged over 420 guests from Boston’s business, literary, arts, and philanthropic communities.
Notable guests included Ray Liu, Chair of the BPL Trustees; Christian Westra and Joseph Berman, BPL Trustees; Executive Vice President and Head of Wealth Management at Cambridge Trust, a division of Eastern Bank, Jeffrey Smith; Co-Founder and Co-Owner of Trinity Financial, Patrick Lee; Peter R.V. Brown, Nutter partner and former Associates’ Board Chair; and authors James Caroll, Megan Marshall, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Joseph Finder, along with former Museum of Fine Arts Director, Matthew Teitelbaum, among others.
The Associates is an independent non-profit that raises funds to preserve, digitize, and promote the Boston Public Library’s Special Collections and its historic, literary, and artistic treasures. Since its inception in 1972, the Associates has been the driving force and sponsor behind an extensive range of programs, including the Writer-in-Residence program, the Pierce Performance Series, and the Hundred-Year Book Debate. For more information, please visit www.AssociatesBPL.org or connect with us on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook, or LinkedIn.