Opus & Olives: A Benefit with Friends

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Thank you for joining us for another fantastic event! See you next year.

Opus & Olives: A Benefit with Friends
20th Anniversary
Sunday, October 8, 2023
5:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception | 6:15 p.m. Dinner and Author Presentations
Saint Paul RiverCentre | 175 Kellogg Boulevard West, Saint Paul

Opus & Olives is not your average gala. This celebration includes national bestselling authors and hundreds of fellow readers, all in support of your Saint Paul Public Library. When you join us for Opus & Olives, you support early literacy, workforce development, and other lifelong learning opportunities for all of us. Your support is critical. And you just might have some fun, too.

2023 Author Lineup

The Burning of the World Berg
The House of Eve_cover image
THE LEFTOVER WOMAN cover
City of Dreams winslow

Scott W. Berg

Born and raised in the Twin Cities, Scott W. Berg holds a BA in architecture from the University of Minnesota, an MA from Miami University of Ohio, and an MFA in creative writing from George Mason University, where he now teaches writing and literature. His other books are 38 Nooses: Lincoln, Little Crow, and the Beginning of the Frontier’s End and Grand Avenues: The Story of Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C.

About his latest work: 

In October of 1871, Chicagoans knew they were due for the “big one”—a massive, uncontrollable fire that would decimate the city. There hadn’t been a meaningful rain since July, and several big blazes had nearly outstripped the fire department’s scant resources. On October 8, when Kate Leary’s barn caught fire, so began a catastrophe that would forever change the soul of the city. Over the course of the next forty-eight hours, Chicago saw the biggest and most destructive disaster the United States had ever endured, and Leary would be its scapegoat. As quickly as the firefight ended, another battle for the future of the city began between the town’s business elites and the poor and immigrant working class. An enrapturing account of the fire’s devastating path and an eye-opening look at its aftermath, The Burning of the World tells the story of one of the most infamous calamities in history and the powerful transformation that followed.  

Sadeqa Johnson

Sadeqa Johnson, a former public relations manager, spent several years working with well-known authors such as J.K. Rowling, Bebe Moore Campbell, Amy Tan and Bishop T.D. Jakes before becoming an author herself. She is a New York Times bestselling author of five novels and the recipient of the National Book Club Award, the Phillis Wheatley Award and the USA Best Book Award for best fiction. Sadeqa's novels have received starred reviews from Kirkus and Library Journal and have been featured in top reads lists by NBC News.com, Good Housekeeping, Christian Science Monitor, Reader's Digest, Off The Shelf, W Magazine, Country Living, Hollywood Life, Parade, She Reads, and many others. She is a passionate public speaker, writing coach and Kimbilo Fellow. She teaches for the MFA program at Drexel University and is a writing mentor for Story Summit. Originally from Philadelphia, Sadeqa currently lives near Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and three children. 

About her latest work: 

Fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising her daughter. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed onto her like a birthright. Eleanor Quarles arrived in Washington DC with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his parents don’t just let anyone into their fold. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for. But having a baby—and fitting in—is easier said than done. The lives of these two women collide in the most unexpected way as they both face life altering decisions. The House of Eve is a fast-paced, harrowing story that hinges on what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal.    

Jean Kwok

Jean Kwok is the award-winning, New York Times and international bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee, Girl in Translationand Mambo in Chinatown. Her work has been published in twenty countries and taught in universities, colleges and high schools across the world. Jean has been chosen for numerous honors including the American Library Association Alex Award, the Chinese American Librarians Association Best Book Award, an Orange New Writers title and the Sunday Times Short Story Award international shortlist. She was one of twelve authors asked by the Agatha Christie estate to write an original, authorized Miss Marple story for Marple: Twelve New Mysteries. She has appeared on The Today Show and Good Morning America, and spoken at many schools and venues including Harvard University, Columbia University, Talks at Google and the Tucson Festival of Books.  A television documentary was filmed about Jean and her work. She divides her time between the Netherlands and New York City. 

About her latest work: 

Jasmine Yang arrives in New York City from her rural Chinese village without money or family support, fleeing a controlling husband, on a desperate search for the daughter who was taken from her at birth. But with her husband on her trail, she’s forced to make increasingly desperate decisions if she ever hopes to be reunited with her daughter. Meanwhile, publishing executive Rebecca Whitney seems to have it all: a prestigious family name and the wealth that comes with it, a high-powered career, a beautiful home, a handsome husband, and an adopted Chinese daughter she adores. But when an industry scandal threatens to jeopardize not only Rebecca’s job but her marriage, this perfect world begins to crumble and her role in her own family is called into question. The Leftover Woman finds these two unforgettable women on a shocking collision course. Twisting and suspenseful and surprisingly poignant, it's a profound exploration of identity and belonging, motherhood and family 

Don Winslow

The son of a sailor and a librarian, Winslow grew up with a love of books and storytelling in a small coastal Rhode Island town. He has written 21 novels, many of which have attracted the attention of filmmakers and actors such as Oliver Stone, Michael Mann, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio.  Twentieth Century Fox has optioned his next novel about a NYPD cop as well as The Cartel and The Power of the Dog.  Earlier books Savages and The Death and Life of Bobby Z were made into films, too. In addition to his novels, Winslow has published numerous short stories in anthologies and magazines such as Esquire, the LA Times Magazine and Playboy. His columns have appeared in the Vanity Fair, Vulture, Huffington Post, CNN Online, and other outlets. Winslow is the recipient of the Raymond Chandler Award (Italy), the LA Times Book Prize, the Ian Fleming Silver Dagger (UK), The RBA Literary Prize (Spain) and many other prestigious awards. He lives in California with his wife of thirty-one years. 

About his latest work: 

On the losing side of a bloody East Coast crime war, Danny Ryan is now on the run. The Mafia, the cops, the FBI all want him dead or in prison. With his little boy, his elderly father and the tattered remnants of his loyal crew of soldiers, he makes the classic American migration to California to start a new life. But the Feds track him down and want Danny to do them a favor that could make him a fortune or kill him. Then he falls in love with a beautiful movie star who has a dark past of her own. As their worlds collide in an explosion that could destroy them both, Danny Ryan has to fight for his life in a city where dreams are born. City of Dreams is a sweeping saga of family, love, revenge, survival and the fierce reality behind the dream. 

2023 Tickets

Ticket sales are closed.

Reading Ambassador:

$1,500/table
$150/individual ticket

Guests receive tickets (tables seat up to ten), a three-course plated dinner, complimentary valet parking, and recognition for table host(s).

Library Champion:

$3,000/table
$300/individual ticket

Guests receive premier seating tickets (tables seat up to ten), a three-course plated dinner, complimentary valet parking, and recognition for table host(s).

Because The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, all but $75 of each ticket is tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Ticket sales are final and nonrefundable.

Sponsorship

Support Learning for a Lifetime

By sponsoring Opus & Olives, our biggest, most visible fundraising event, you are helping us make an impact in your community and beyond. Your partnership supports The Friends who invests in the library through fundraising, advocacy, and programming. Together we support library innovation, engagement for children and families, and digital literacy and economic development.

Entertain and Enjoy

Opus & Olives is a celebration of the power of libraries to help communities thrive. Each year we host bestselling authors that deliver engaging presentations with personal stories about their work, their inspiration, and the importance of libraries on their journey.

Opus & Olives is recognized nationally as one of the premier literary and social events of the year. Whether you’re entertaining clients or mingling with Twin Cities leaders, you’ll find an audience of smart, savvy, influential Minnesotans.

Get Involved

If you are interested in learning more about sponsorship opportunities, contact Diana Konopka, Senior Director of Development, at 651-366-6494 or [email protected].