$10,000 and above
Calderwood Writing Initiative
Inavale Foundation
Llewellyn Foundation
National Endowment for the Arts
Anonymous

$5,000 and above
Highland Street Foundation
Glenn Morris

$2,500 and above
Nathan Hagen & Jean Kanarian
Hank Phillippi Ryan

$1,000 and above
Richard Anders
Ken Cohen & Kate Flora
The Kraft Foods Foundation
Massachusetts Cultural Council
Mt. Washington Bank
Margaret Ruttenberg
Michael T. Savage and Priscilla B. Savage
Michelle Toth
Byran & Lara JK Wilson
www.GoodMenProject.org

$500 and above
Elisabeth Babcock
Gina & Billy Bernaduci
Eve Bridburg & Evan Rosen
Richard & Helen Bridburg
Linda Button
Jeff Dolan
Joan Fitzgerald
Valerie & Mark Friedman
Ross Goldberg and Laura Johansen
Andrew & Patricia Goldstein
Kathryn Handley
Pamela & John Humphrey
Peter & Alix Keating
Holly LeCraw
Amy MacKinnon

Tel McCormick and Jack Szostak
Mameve & Howard Medwed
Newtonville Books
Octavia Randolph
Robin & Paul Regensburg
Edward & Nancy Roberts
Michelle Seaton & Larry Bean
Vineeta Vijayaraghavan and Tom DeLong

Silent Auction Donors
Actors' Shakespeare Project
Book Architecture
The Boston Athenaeum
Boston Modern Orchestra Project
The Boston Park Plaza Hotel
Brattle Book Shop
Eve Bridburg
Brookline Booksmith
Steve Buckley
Christopher Castellani
Company One
The Concord Museum
Coolidge Corner Theatre
Chris Cooper
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park
Darby Farms
Fairbank Literary Representation
Ann Forbush
Matthew Frederick
Fuller Craft Museum
Grendel's Den
Esmond Harmsworth and James Richardson
Harpoon Brewery
Henrietta's Table at the Charles Hotel
The Hotel Marlowe
The Huntington Theatre Company
Hy-Line Cruises
Tim Huggins
The Institute of Contemporary Art
JFK Presidential Library and Museum

Kathleen Kilgore
Law Offices of Kevin Daley
Margot Livesey
MASS MoCA
Merrimack Repertory Theatre
Michael Noel Painting
MIT Museum
Heather G. Murray
New England WILD Flower Society
New Repertory Theatre
Stewart O'Nan
Ondine Salima
Peabody Essex Museum
Tom Perrotta
Heidi Pitlor
Red Sox Nation
Robin Erb Skin Care
Hank Phillippi Ryan
The Sports Museum at TD Banknorth Garden
The Steamship Authority
Ten Tables
Thoughtforms
TomTom
Wellesley Booksmith
www.MyAudioBook.com
Jayson Zeeman
Zoo New England

Event Committee
Allison Adair
Linda Button
Christopher Castellani
Emily Epstein
Sonya Larson
Bret Anthony Johnston
Whitney Scharer
Lara JK Wilson

Event Sponsors
Harpoon Brewery The Wine Bottega

Piano: Jon Kracht
Trumpet: Josh McDonald

On Friday, November 7, 2008, over 200 guests gathered at the historic Gamble Mansion in Back Bay to sample delicious hors d’oeuvres, organic wines and beers at Grub Street’s 4th annual fundraiser, A Taste of Grub. During the course of the festive evening, guests noshed on nibbles from Cuisine Chez Vous, sampled wines and beers from Violette Imports and Magic Hat Brewery, and listened to inspired author readings.

The theme of the evening’s program was “literary pairings,” and four pairs of authors read sentences from their own work and the work of authors who have inspired them—in some cases, the author who was standing on the stage with them!

First up was a teen from Grub’s Summer Teen Writing Fellowship, Noelle Micarelli, who read with Peter Looney, a senior from the Memoir Project. The audience choked up a bit as Peter described a pipe stand in his home that is a constant reminder to him of his childhood and his deceased parents.

“It has been in closets, cellars, bedroom corners, but it always has been there,” Peter said. “I have been walking by it for my communion, confession, graduation from grammar school, high school, my prom, when I left for the army, the day I got married, when Ma died and when Pa died, when my children and grandchildren were born, and when I got cancer; it’s been there with me. It’s part of my past, although for a long time this stand has been taken for granted. However, because of this writing program I have recently paid it more attention and it has brought back so many memories.”

Next, paired authors Alexandra Johnson, Elizabeth McCracken, Askold Melnyczuk, Danny Rubin and Kevin Young shared a few sentences from literature that particularly inspired them as writers. Selections ranged from Nabokov’s Lolita to a line from Rubin’s own screenplay, Groundhog Day, and revealed what writers love about their craft, and why.

The night’s activities also included a literary silent auction and the first-ever “From the Desk Of…” Postcard Auction, which featured original one-of-a-kind postcards from thirty authors from around the nation. Tom Robbins, George Saunders, Charles Johnson, C.D. Wright and Tom Perrotta were among the authors whose doodles, original prose, and drawing prowess helped raise almost $4,000 to support Grub Street’s programming.

Thanks to all the generous and hard-working people who made the evening possible! A special thanks to all our sponsors for making the event a huge success. Together, we raised $50,000 to support our programming and community outreach.

Click on the photos to the left to view a flickr slideshow from the event!