Boston Flora

Tag: Syracuse University

  • Sunday, April 27, 6:00 pm – Literary Lights 2025

    The Associates of the Boston Public Library are delighted to announce the lineup for the 35th annual Literary Lights dinner on April 27 at the Fairmont Copley Plaza. This black-tie-optional event is our annual opportunity to honor outstanding writers from the Northeast and to celebrate their contributions to literature while raising vital funds to support the preservation of the Boston Public Library’s Special Collections. 

    Keynote speaker Elizabeth Strout (below) is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Olive Kitteridge (2008) and one of today’s most celebrated voices in fiction. Born in Portland, Maine, her childhood experiences served as inspiration for the fictional “Shirley Falls, Maine,” the setting of four of her nine acclaimed novels. 

    A graduate of Bates College, Strout also earned a law degree and a Certificate in Gerontology from Syracuse University. After a brief career in Legal Services, she moved to New York City, where she became an adjunct in the English Department of Borough of Manhattan Community College. 

    Balancing motherhood, teaching, and her passion for storytelling, Strout began publishing in literary magazines and mainstream outlets like Redbook and Seventeen—paving the way for her remarkable career today. 

    Elizabeth will be presented by Richard Russo.

    Also honored will be David Grann, journalist and author of Killers of the Flower Moon, presented by non-fiction writer Nathaniel Philbrick, Elin Hilderbrand, author of the Nantucket novels, presented by Boston Globe columnist & writer Meredith Goldstein, Curtis Sittenfeld, author of the novels Prep and Rodham, presented by writer Tom Perrotta, and Ilyon Woo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Master Slave Husband Wife, presented by journalist and writer Caleb Gayle. Jared Bowen, GBH Executive Arts Editor and Host of The Culture Show, will be the Emcee of the evening. For more information on tickets or sponsorship opportunities please click here or contact Laura Russo, Director of Development and External Affairs, at LRusso@AssociatesBPL.org or (617) 536-3886.

  • Saturday, September 24, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Fallscaping

    Add beauty to your garden in the sweet, golden days of autumn with flowers, shrubs, trees, and vines that shine during this season. Discover plants with colorful blooms, rich foliage and dramatic seed heads, and learn strategies that will guide you in designing a vibrant fall garden. This Berkshire Botanical Garden class will take place September 24 from 1 – 2:30 pm, and is $20 for members, $25 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/fallscaping

    Jana Milbocker is the principal of Enchanted Gardens, a lecturer and author. She combines horticulture, design and travel tips to educate, inspire and delight both new and seasoned gardeners. Jana loves to visit gardens and historic sites in the U.S. and abroad and to share her trips through her books, photos and blog. She published The Garden Tourist: 120 Destination Gardens and Nurseries in the Northeast in 2018, The Garden Tourist’s New England in 2020, and The Garden Tourist’s Florida in 2021. The two-acre garden surrounding her Victorian home features more than 140 varieties of trees and shrubs, perennial gardens, peony and rose beds, water features and shady retreats. Trained as a graphic designer, Jana brings years of critical design thinking, clarity and cohesiveness to her landscape solutions. Her professional experience includes 25 years as an art director and designer. Jana holds a BFA from Syracuse University, an MBA from Boston College and coursework in horticulture and landscape design.