Save this story Save Story Save this story There’s just one night of the year when the majestic steps outside the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue are covered in candles as opposed to tourists; when the metal detectors in Astor Hall are momentarily replaced by cocktail high-tops; when the long oak study tables in the historic Rose Main Reading Room are transformed into tablescapes laden with crimson roses and peonies. It is, of course, the Library Lions gala.
On Monday, guests made their way to the beloved institution for the annual black-tie affair that raises funds to sustain the library’s mission to support its 92 locations and inspire lifelong learning, while honoring notable literary figures in the arts, culture, and letters. This year’s line-up recognized the contributions of Joy Harjo, Stephen King, George Packer, Aaron Sorkin, Martha Stewart, and Jesmyn Ward.
Held on the eve of Election Day, the evening also carried an emphatic plea: support the library, perform your civic duty, and in doing so, champion democracy. “As we gather in this turbulent moment, on the precipice of what we’re told is no less than a dawn of a new technological age, your presence here tonight and your support for the New York Public Library is a strong statement and commitment to timeless, humanistic values,” said Abby Milstein, chair of the Board of Trustees of the New York Public Library, in her opening speech. “The library embraces the potential of the new age while it stands strong as a [haven for] free expression, knowledge, and learning…and access and opportunity for all of it.”
Anthony Marx, president of the New York Public Library, echoed her sentiment. “We are and will remain the source of trustworthy information. All too rare these days, trustworthy information as a public good is the foundation of an informed democracy, which will be relevant tomorrow and the foundation for everyone’s economic opportunity,” he said. “Millions depend on us.”
The program continued with a video featuring all six newly minted Lions, where Sorkin said it best: “I think libraries are one of the fundamental institutions, not just of a literate society but of a democracy. And the less we invest in them, the more we try to use political power to control what’s in them, the weaker our democracy becomes.”
To drive home the message, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer took to the stage to deliver one final statement, which was met with thunderous applause. “Libraries provide a place open to all where anyone can learn facts through knowledge or just be excited and entertained by a great book, as I was on so many visits to the library when I was young,” he said. “But sadly, across America, fact and logic are under threat. So many in our country want to whitewash our history, censor our teachers, and force libraries to ban books. Let me tell you this: Banning books ain’t going to fly in New York or in America.”
Make no mistake: The evening was still a joyful celebration of the awe one experiences from reading and the community one finds in a library. Packer described it as “a charge.” “When you go into a library, you’re surrounded by strangers, and everyone’s focused on whatever they’re doing, but because we’re human, we look up at each other,” he said. “It’s that exchange of looks across the table.”
There was certainly some kind of charge in the air when King met his wife at the Fogler Library in Maine. “I asked her, ‘Do you ever read science fiction?’ And she said, ‘Yes, I do,’ and things progressed from there,” he recalled. “I’m not saying the library is anybody’s version of Tinder, but it’s a nice place to be.”
Indeed, the library—and the Reading Room, especially—is worth its weight in gold. Ward remembers walking into the Reading Room for the first time and finding herself “speechless.” “I think I felt that feeling of safety, but also wonder at the collection of knowledge and stories,” she added.
The gala also paid tribute to the late Dolly Parton, renowned not only as a remarkable performer, but as one of the nation’s greatest advocates for furthering access to reading. To date, Parton’s Imagination Library has gifted over 300 million books across the nation. By the end of the evening, a string quartet played renditions of her hits while attendees were ushered out of the Reading Room and into the after-party in Astor Hall, hosted by the Young Lions.
It was hard not to be captivated by how much the library had transformed throughout the evening and in between spaces, and by the presence of so many people and their stories—all contained in its hallowed halls. That turned out to be one of the biggest takeaways of the night: “You trust the library, right?” said Harjo. “There’s a lot of power there in a place that gathers together…the stories and the history and culture of peoples. We need to figure out a story together that includes everyone that also tells the truth.”
Expand Brendon Cook/BFA.com 1/13 George Packer
Expand Marc Patrick/BFA.com 2/13 Chelsea Clinton, Marc Mezvinsky
Expand Brendon Cook/BFA.com 3/13 Martha Stewart
Expand Brendon Cook/BFA.com 4/13 Aaron Sorkin
Expand Brendon Cook/BFA.com 5/13 Expand Brendon Cook/BFA.com 6/13 Jesmyn Ward
Expand Jason Crowley/BFA.com 7/13 Alexandra Brunjes, Megan Zuckerman, Tobili Hatcher, Miranda Josephson
Expand Marc Patrick/BFA.com 8/13 Georgia McCann, Alexander Hankin
Expand Brendon Cook/BFA.com 9/13 Jordan Roth
Expand Brendon Cook/BFA.com 10/13 Joy Harjo
Expand Marc Patrick/BFA.com 11/13 Julie Menin, Tony Marx
Expand Brendon Cook/BFA.com 12/13 Stephen Schwarzman, Christine Schwarzman
Expand Brendon Cook/BFA.com 13/13 Tony Marx
Source: Lifestyle
