The Lexington Public Library Foundation each year conducts a literary fundraising event called “A Night of Literary Feasts.” It’s a wonderfully special evening which begins with a cocktail reception at the Central Library for all the authors and guests, followed by dinner with your preferred author in a private home or venue. It’s a unique opportunity to spend quality time with some extremely talented authors, enjoy a special meal, and have the satisfaction of knowing that you are helping to support the valuable programs and services of the Lexington Public Library.

This year the Foundation has really outdone itself by putting together a slate of popular and award-winning authors, being hosted in some really fun locations. Spaces are filling up fast, so get your registration submitted soon, to be sure of getting a place at the table with your first choice author!

Here are the featured books and their authors:

Mending, by Sallie Bingham. Mending is a book of emotionally powerful short stories by this prolific author of four collections of short stories, four novels, and a memoir. Ms. Bingham was Book Editor for the Courier-Journal in Louisville and has been a director of the National Book Critics Circle. She is the founder of the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the Sallie Bingham Center for Women’s History and Culture at Duke University. Ms. Bingham’s dinner will be hosted by Linda Roach and Selma Owens at Bittersweet Farm, 3223 Paris Pike.
 

The Lake of Dreams, by Kim Edwards. Ms. Edwards is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, which has been published in more than 38 countries, and The Secrets of a Fire King, a collection of short stories. The Lake of Dreams is a complex story which interweaves family history, personal relationships, and the early women’s suffrage movement. Ms. Edwards’ honors include the Whiting Award, the British Book Award, USA Today’s Book of the Year, the Nelson Algren Award, a National Magazine Award, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. She is an Associate Professor at the University of Kentucky. Ms. Edwards’ dinner will be hosted by Denise and Paul Nierzwicki and Buzz Carmichael at 515 West Main Street, Apartment 509.

The Whole Package, by Cynthia Ellingsen. Ready for some Chick Lit? The Whole Package is an absolutely delightful romp of a story about 3 lifelong friends – Jackie, Cheryl, and Doris – who decide to mix business with pleasure by opening the world’s first restaurant staffed exclusively by very attractive men. Ms. Ellingsen’s debut novel has already been shopped by Creative Artists Agency for a film deal. Her dinner is being hosted by Amy Carrington, Elizabeth Deener, Margaret Ridley, and Stephanie Spires at Gallery B, 145 West Main Street.
 

The Kentucky Fresh Cookbook, by Maggie Green. This delicious cookbook focuses on fresh, seasonal Kentucky foods to create a year of meal plans and recipes. Ms. Green, a chef, registered dietician, and owner of The Green Apple Company includes  stories about the regional food traditions she learned growing up in Kentucky and shows how Southern culture shapes food choices and cooking methods. Ms. Green’s dinner will be hosted by Molly and Rob Lewis at 175 Old Park Avenue and will include cooking demonstrations by the author.

Death in the City of Light, by David King. Death in the City of Light reads like a finely crafted, taut thriller, but is actually the true story of a serial killer who unleashed his own reign of terror in Nazi-occupied Paris during World War II. As decapitated heads and dismembered body parts surfaced in the Seine, Commissaire Georges-Victor Massu, head of the Brigade Criminelle, was tasked with tracking down the murderer in a twilight world of Gestapo, gangsters, Resistance fighters, pimps, prostitutes, spies, and other shadowy figures of the Parisian underworld. Mr. King is the author of the acclaimed Vienna, 1814 and Finding Atlantis. A Fulbright Scholar with a master’s degree from Cambridge University, he taught Eurpoean history at the University of Kentucky. Mr. King’s dinner is hosted by Debbie and Larry Jones at The Lexington Club, 170 Esplanade.
 

The Ayatollah’s Democracy, by Hooman Majd. Opening with a dramatic recounting of the 2009 elections, The Ayatollah’s Democracy launches into a chilling description of the sometimes Orwellian bureaucracy that runs the Iranian government. From mosques where mullahs give speeches while leaning on AK-47s to the halls of government where officials speak candidly about censorship, violence, and international politics, Majd explains the complexities of the conflict between Iran and a suspicious West. Born in Tehran and educated in England and America, Hooman Majd is also the author of The Ayatollah Begs to Differ. He has written for GQ, Newsweek, the New York Times, The New Yorker, the New Republic, and many other publications. Mr. Majd’s dinner will be hosted by Meg Jewett and Alan Leavitt at Walnut Hall, Ltd. 3719 Newtown Pike.
 

The Girl in the Blue Beret, by Bobbie Ann Mason. This unforgettable novel tells the story of Marshall Stone, and American pilot who was shot down in Occupied Europe during World War II. Marshall was saved by the kindness of ordinary citizens who, as part of the Resistance, moved downed Allied airmen through clandestine, often outrageous routes to get them back to their bases in England. Many years later, Marshall wants to find them again – particularly the courageous young woman who guided him through Paris – to thank them. Bobbie Ann Mason is also the author of In Country, Shiloh and Other Stories, An Atomic Romance, Nancy Culpepper, and a memoir, Clear Springs. She is the winner of the PEN/Hemingway Award, two Southern Book Awards, and numerous other prizes, including the O. Henry and the Pushcart. She was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the American Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award, and the Pulitzer Prize. She is writer-in-residence at the University of Kentucky. Ms. Mason’s dinner is hosted by Sue Ann Truitt at L.V. Harkness & Co., 531 West Short Street.

The Kentucky Derby, by James C. Nicholson. Mr. Nicholson describes the enduring appeal of the Derby as an unlikely combination of the cherished traditions of the past and the modern, uninhibited atmosphere of a festival. The most thoroughly researched history of the Derby available, Nicholson’s account illuminates the history, culture, and mythology that give the Derby its unique identity. James C. Nicholson grew up on a Thoroughbred farm and earned a PhD in history from the University of Kentucky. Mr. Nicholson’s dinner will be hosted by Whitney and Adrian Mendiondo and Wells Bullard at West Sixth Brewing Company, 501 West Sixth Street. This dinner includes an optional special private tour of Keeneland Racecourse prior to the Library reception. The tour will be conducted by Mr. Nick Nicholson, President and CEO of Keeneland.