The Book Lovers' Ball

Related Event: Book Lovers' Ball

On Thursday, February 9, 2012, the Toronto Public Library Foundation threw the seventh annual Book Lover’s Ball at the local landmark hotel, The Fairmont Royal York. The evening saw many bibliophiles mingle with many well-known figures in the literary, fashion, and media industries as they all came together to show their love and support for the city’s libraries. All of the proceeds from the evening have been donated to the Toronto Public Library Foundation so that the organization can provide more to the millions of people who hold a library card.

As the busiest urban public library system in the world, the Toronto Public Library plays a huge role in our city. It’s more than just a place that people can come in to borrow books and their free internet. With ninety-eight branches in the city, the library is a cultural institution in and of itself. For years, it has provided services and resources to everyone and anyone who needs them. In the words of Janet McKelvey, the city’s libraries bolster “early literacy, work force readiness, cultural exchange, and economic development.” The library is a refuge for those who need access to these services. It is an integral part of the development of Toronto and its citizens.

For those who believe that ‘book lovers’ are mousy introverted creatures incapable of enjoying a good party will be shocked to see the immense amount of fun and glamour that ensued during the ball. Throughout the night, guests got their chance to meet some of Canada’s best-selling and prolific authors as well as media personalities in a grand spacious banquet room. One of the biggest literary stars who appeared that night was the Canadian fiction legend Margaret Atwood. In addition, present at the event that evening was Lawrence Hill, the author of the best-selling novel “The Book of Negroes” and Linden MacIntyre, author of the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize “The Bishop’s Man.”

During the cocktail reception, guests enjoyed several different elegant hors d’oeuvres prepared by the celebrity chef, David Rocco. As guests dined on the hors d’oeuvres, they also took part in the silent auction, which featured many fabulous prizes spanning from overseas trips to celebrity cookbooks to enjoying tea with Margaret Atwood. Throughout the reception, there were moments when the guests spilled from the banquet room into the hall.

After dinner, the guests were treated to a literature inspired fashion show. The MC of the fashion show was Tracy Moore, the host of morning show, Cityline. Staged in six scenes, each designer was paired with a novel from different authors of various genres. Each collection is a fashionable interpretation of their respective novels and featured a wide range of styles from chic and simple to elaborate and ethereal. The novels chosen for the show were the following: The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa; Made in Italy by David Rocco; Red Means Run by Brad Smith; In Other Worlds by Margaret Atwood; The Witch of Babylon by D.J. McIntosh; and Jerusalem Delivered by Torquato Tanno. The collection inspired by David Rocco’s cookbook was casual, energetic, bright, and fun yet refined; much his cooking style. Designed by Joeffer Caoc, the collection opened with an accordion player who stepped onto the runway and played as the models walked out in pink, blue, and orange mini shirtdresses. Adrian Wu’s collection featured contemporary dancers that looked exactly like the extra-terrestrial figure on the cover of “In Other Worlds”, Atwood’s recently released sci-fi essay collection. There was a futuristic feel to the collection where the models wore headpieces shaped as atoms and dresses that looked like the ornate neoclassical style dresses (circa 1790s) but set in the year 3000 with its pastel colours and high bouffant hairstyles. The fashion show came to a wonderful conclusion with the announcement from Tracy Moore that the Adopt-a-Branch charity foundation raised a total of $19,550 that night.

After Tracy expressed closing “thank yous” to the sponsors, authors, and guests, everyone returned to the banquet to enjoy the incredible dessert display. The centerpiece of the display was a massive realistically styled cake that was fashioned to look like a pile of books by various Canadian authors.

The Book Lover’s Ball was an outstanding elegant success. The evening unified many of Toronto’s citizens who support and appreciate the social and cultural benefits of the Toronto Public Library.