Friends Of The Dallas Library Fundraiser Is Going To Be “Wild” With Cheryl Strayed

When you think of a fundraising library dinner, you probably think a sedate gathering with everyone talking in whispers about such raucous topics as the pros and cons of book bindings, the thrill of mastering the Dewy Decimal System or the largest fine for an overdue book.

Oh, that’s so past tense thinking!

For instance, the upcoming dinner on Wednesday, October 24, at the Hyatt Regency Dallas benefiting the Friends of the Dallas Public Library is not for the ho-hum crowd. Why? The speaker is Cheryl Strayed, author of best-seller “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.”

Oh, great! A travel book. Think again. It’s a journey of the mind as well as by trekking and the discovery of answers for a young woman who had lost her mother and marriage all in one year. BTW, Cheryl’s life before those losses wasn’t exactly like living in the Park Cities.

But Cheryl’s talents are not limited to writing best sellers and impressing good old Oprah. She has also become known as “the ultimate advice columnist for the Internet age” for her Dear Sugar column.

For her appearance in Dallas, she’ll be interviewed a la a chat with D columnist Sarah Hepola, who isn’t too shabby either. You can bet that neither of these gals is known for being shy and retiring, so the fundraiser should be impressive.

Funds raised from the event will be the “primary means of raising support for the Dallas Public Library system and enables it to provide much-needed funds for library materials (books, DVDs, CDs, periodicals, etc.), for technology such as the new self-check machines in the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library and several branches and for family programs, lectures, workshops and other essential services for Dallas residents.”  Whew!

Photo provided by the Friends of the Dallas Public Library