A Benefit with Friends Opus & Olives is not your average gala. This celebration includes 900 Friends, five bestselling authors, and one lively party, all in support of your Saint Paul Public Library and local literacy projects of the Pioneer Press. EMCEE Kate Mulgrew Chris Pavone Maaza Mengiste Mark Bowden Jennifer Chiaverini Sunday, October 13, 2019 Saint Paul RiverCentre | 175 Kellogg Boulevard West, Saint Paul Presenting Sponsor Event Co-host SUPPORT LEARNING FOR A LIFETIME The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library makes libraries and their communities stronger. By sponsoring Opus & Olives, our biggest, most visible fundraising event, you are helping us make an impact in your community and beyond. Here are just some of the areas in which your support makes a difference: EARLY LITERACY – The Saint Paul Public Library (the Library) builds a foundation for learning for kids of all ages through initiatives like Summer Spark reading program, family storytimes in nine languages, the Createch studio, and Homework Centers. Support also helps the literacy projects of co-sponsor Pioneer Press and their Newspapers in Education initiative. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT – The Library provides a broad range of services for people at every level of career development including job search assistance, multi-language technology skill-building classes, small business resources, and digital literacy training and certification. LIFELONG LEARNING – The Library fosters a love of literature and learning beyond books with a variety of experiences including maker spaces, hobby classes, film screenings, lectures and demonstrations, and workshops. Libraries can help kids see the world beyond what they experience every day. – Gabrielle Union, New York Times Best Selling Author, 2017 Opus & Olives The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library acts as a catalyst for libraries to strengthen and inspire their communities. An independent, nonprofit organization established in 1945, The Friends invests in the Saint Paul Public Library through fundraising, advocacy, and programming; as a result, our Library is a nationally-recognized leader in serving its community. The Friends also serves libraries across the country and internationally through its consulting services, Library Strategies, and promotes literacy, reading, and libraries statewide as the Library of Congress’s designated Minnesota Center for the Book. 2019 FEATURED AUTHORS EMCEE Kate Mulgrew Chris Pavone Maaza Mengiste Mark Bowden Jennifer Chiaverini KATE MULGREW, EMCEE Kate Mulgrew, a native of Dubuque, Iowa, is an actress and author with an extensive career on stage and screen. From her start as Mary Ryan, the lead role on the popular soap opera Ryan’s Hope to the groundbreaking first female starship captain on Star Trek: Voyager to her acclaimed performance as Galina “Red” Reznikov on Netflix’s smash hit Orange Is The New Black, Kate brings a formidable presence and deep passion to all her projects. Her 2016 book, Born With Teeth, allowed her to add “New York Times bestselling author” to her resume. MARK BOWDEN Mark Bowden is the author of 13 books, including the #1 New York Times bestseller Black Hawk Down, and the 2017 bestseller Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam. He reported at the Philadelphia Inquirer for 20 years and now writes for the Atlantic, Vanity Fair, and other magazines. He is also the writer in residence at the University of Delaware. His most recent book is The Last Stone. JENNIFER CHIAVERINI Jennifer Chiaverini is the New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker and several other acclaimed historical novels, as well as the beloved Elm Creek Quilts series. About her historical fiction, theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel writes, “In addition to simply being fascinating stories, these novels go a long way in capturing the texture of life for women, rich and poor, black and white, in those perilous years.” A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago, she lives with her husband and two sons in Madison, Wisconsin. MAAZA MENGISTE Maaza Mengiste is a novelist and essayist born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. She is the recipient of fellowships from the Fulbright Scholar Program, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Creative Capital. Her debut novel, Beneath the Lion’s Gaze, was selected by the Guardian as one of the 10 best contemporary African books and named one of the best books of 2010 by Christian Science Monitor, Boston Globe and other publications. Her work can be found in The New Yorker, New York Review of Books, Granta, the Guardian, the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and BBC, among other places. She is a professor at Queens College and lives in New York City. CHRIS PAVONE Chris Pavone is the New York Times bestselling author of The Expats, The Accident, and The Travelers. He is the winner of the Edgar and Anthony awards for best first novel. He was a book editor for nearly two decades and lives in New York City with his family. A Benefit with Friends THE PERFECT EVENING FOR ENTERTAINING Your clients will be dazzled. Your book clubs will be thrilled. This extraordinary evening is the perfect blend of entertainment and sophistication that is sure to please all your guests. Now in its 16th year, Opus & Olives is recognized nationally as one of the premier literary and social events of the year. This lively and elegant evening features more than just fabulous food, drink, and conversation. Opus & Olives is a celebration of the transformative power of the written word. Each year we host five best-selling authors that deliver engaging presentations with personal stories about their work, their inspiration, and the importance of libraries on their journey. Join us for a unique and unforgettable night. EVENT DETAILS Sunday, October 13, 2019 Saint Paul RiverCentre | 175 Kellog Blvd W., Saint Paul, MN 55102 Complimentary valet parking. Cocktail attire suggested. 5:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception Author meet-and-greet, book sales and signing, complimentary wine, cash bar. 6:15 p.m. Dinner and Author Presentations Gourmet dinner and five best-selling authors. Additional book sales and signing after dinner. A Benefit with Friends SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FIRST EDITION: $10,000 • Seating benefits include two tables in preferred seating (dinner for 20 guests) • An author seated with guests • Opportunity to provide branded takeaways • Logo & corporate name recognition in: • The Friends website with links to sponsor’s website • Four e-mail blasts • Event invitation • Event program • Jumbo screens at event, with underwriting message • 1/4-page event ad in Pioneer Press featuring sponsor with logo and underwriting message • Option for inclusion in special 1/2-page ad for early sponsors in Pioneer Press (Deadline: 6/14) • Inclusion in Pioneer Press 1/4-page event ad (pre-event) • Inclusion in Pioneer Press 1/2-page “thank you” ad (post-event) • Recognition on RiverCentre external electronic marquee • Social media promotion by The Friends RECOMMENDED READ : $5,000 • Seating benefits include two tables in preferred seating (dinner for 20 guests) • Logo and corporate name recognition in: • The Friends website with links to sponsor’s website • Two e-mail blasts • Inclusion in Pioneer Press 1/4-page event ad • Event invitation • Event program • Jumbo screens at event • Inclusion in Pioneer Press 1/2-page “thank you” ad (post-event) BOOKPLATE: $3,000 • Seating benefits include one table (dinner for 10 guests) • Corporate name recognition in: • The Friends’ website • Two e-mails blasts • Event invitation • Event program • Jumbo screens at event • Inclusion in Pioneer Press 1/2-page “thank you” ad (post-event) A Benefit with Friends SPONSORSHIP OVERVIEW SPONSORSHIP BENEFITS SPONSORSHIP LEVELS First Edition Recommended Bookplate Sponsor Read Sponsor Sponsor $10,000 $5,000 $3,000 EVENT BENEFITS Number of tables (10 seats per table) 2 2 1 May purchase sets of five books by featured authors for guests at discount XX Preferred seating tables X Author seated at tables 1 RECOGNITION BENEFITS Email blasts Logo Logo Listing Website Logo with link Logo with link Listing with link Event invitation Logo Logo Listing Evening program Logo Logo Listing Jumbo screens at event Logo Logo Listing Post-event 1/2-page ad in Pioneer Press Logo Logo Listing Evites Logo Logo Listing Special 1/2-page early sponsors ad (Deadline: 6/14) Logo Listing Listing Included in 1/4-page ads in Pioneer Press Logo Listing Social media promotion X X Opportunity to provide branded takeaway X 1/4-page ad in Pioneer Press Underwriting message Recognition on RiverCentre exterior marquee X A Benefit with Friends THE BEST-SELLING LINE-UP Each year, Opus & Olives draws some of the biggest and best-selling names in the literary community. Past line-ups include: 2004 2009 2014 Lorna Landvik, emcee Mike Walsh, emcee Julia Pandl, emcee John Sandford Michael Connelly Louise Penny Robert Kurson Jeffrey Toobin Matt Richtel Laura Lippman Julia Glass Hampton Sides Lewis Lapham Jennifer Thompson-Cannino Jane Smiley and Ronald Cotton Simon Winchester 2005 Mike Veeck, emcee 2010 2015 Anita Diamant Stanley Trollip, emcee Jason Gay, emcee Bruce Feiler Michael Stanley Homer Hickam Jonathan Eig Roy Blount Jr. Paula McLain J.A. Jance Joshilyn Jackson Emily St. John Mandel Dave Kindred Al Roker 2006 Adriana Trigiani Rudy Maxa, emcee 2016 Bob Greene 2011 Faith Salie, emcee Shira Nayman Frank Delaney, emcee Candice Millard Sena Jeter Naslund Erik Larson Terry McMillan Phillip Margolin Karin Slaughter Nadia Hashimi Mitchell Zuckoff Mary Roach 2007 Amy Waldman Katherine Lanpher, emcee 2017 Nikki Giovanni 2012 Paula Poundstone, emcee Dorothea Benton Frank John Taft, emcee Ben Blum Dave Zirin Richard Russo and Kate Russo Jamie Ford Frank Delaney Cheryl Strayed Tom Perrotta Gillian Flynn Gabrielle Union 2008 Mark Shriver Vince Flynn, emcee 2018 James M. McPherson 2013 Leif Enger, emcee Jon Jefferson (Jefferson Bass) John Searles, emcee Lisa Genova Val McDermid Bill Bryson Casey Gerald Brad Meltzer J.