Friends of the Dallas Public Library Executive Director Mary Wilonsky just sent word that Arts and Letters Live founder Kay Cattarulla will receive the May Dickson Exall Award at the annual seated dinner on Thursday, November 14.
A New York transplant, Kay arrived in Dallas in 1990 and launched the Arts and Letters Live program, for its first 12 seasons allowing “important writers to read and discuss their work. One of its offshoots, ‘Texas Bound,’ features celebrities with Texas connections reading Texas-themed short fiction.”
In addition to “Arts and Letters Live” and “Texas Bound,” Kay has been a playwright (“Scott and Zelda”) and co-written the documentary “Sweet Tornado: Margo Jones and the American Theater.”
Kay’s influence and talent has been recognized by The Texas Institute of Letters that annually presented the “Kay Cattarulla Award for the best short fiction written by a Texan or with a Texas theme.”
According to Mary, “These wonderful programs are just part of Kay’s amazing contribution to the literary life of Dallas. The Exall Award was designed to honor outstanding leaders like Kay, and we are thrilled to honor all she’s done.”
Presented by Rolex, the evening will also feature best-selling author Delia Owens as the keynote speaker. A former wildlife scientist, Delia has written three best-selling non-fiction books about her work in Africa as well as the novel, “Where the Crawdads Sing.”
Co-chaired by Susan Fisk and Nicole Paquette, the dinner will take place at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will support Friends of the Dallas Public Library’s “financial support and advocacy for the city’s 29 libraries and their education programs.”
Sponsorships and individual tickets starting at $175 are available here.