Join us for a night dedicated to the power of writing and sharing stories featuring the top names in literary in New England.
Don’t miss this highly anticipated, purposeful night of free expression and written word on Thursday, November 6, 2025, to benefit GrubStreet.
The night kicks off with a Dine-Around Reception featuring live entertainment, followed by the Lit Up Program, which includes inspiring stories, a live auction, and an awards presentation honoring #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Jodi Picoult, the visionary leadership of Founder Eve Bridburg, and 28 years of literary community. The night culminates with a post-party Speakeasy featuring literary performances and a piano sing-along, giving guests the chance to experience the allure of GrubStreet. Over 300 guests will attend, including sponsors, authors, business leaders, artists, and members of the philanthropic community. —JOIN US!
Lit Up Highlights:
Honoring #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Jodi Picoult
The visionary leadership of Founder Eve Bridburg
Mingle with our esteemed authors on our Literary Host Committee
Exclusive live auction
A post-party, Speakeasy (limited due to capacity)
We invite you to support Boston’s dynamic writing community, creative youth programming, and unique cultural center. Your support helps GrubStreet, the largest literary arts center of its kind in the U.S., provide programming for teens and adults and amplify local and global narratives from writers of many backgrounds.
Thursday, November 6, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.
Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
26 Fan Pier, Boston, MA
Questions? Contact our event office, AJ Events at 617-267-2244 or email AJ Williams at AJ@ajwevents.com
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Davio’s Seaport
6:30 - 9:30 PM
Lit Up Boston
Lit Up begins with a Dinner Dine-Around Reception serving Davio’s perfect combination of handmade pastas, fresh seafood, and Davio's signature steaks, live entertainment, and wines by Josh Wine Cellars. Mix and mingle with our Literary Host Committee, and each attending guest will receive an autographed book from a member of the committee. You’ll hear moving stories of first-hand experiences from GrubStreet’s writers.
This year’s Grubbie awardee is #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult, introduced by New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman. A special tribute will be made to the visionary leadership of Founder Eve Bridburg. The program will also feature a live auction and spoken word performances by writers from GrubStreet.
A post-party, Speakeasy-themed event offering a unique and exciting atmosphere with a piano sing-along, giving guests the chance to experience the allure of GrubStreet.
Hosted by Massachusetts’ Inaugural Poet Laureate and GrubStreet Board Member, Regie Gibson.
Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-nine novels, including most recently the #1 bestseller BY ANY OTHER NAME. Her landmark novel, 19 MINUTES, was recently deemed the most banned book in the United States in a recent report conducted by PEN America.
Speakeasy
GrubStreet, 50 Liberty Drive, Boston
9:30 - 11:00 PM
Special tribute to GrubStreet’s Founder, Eve Bridburg
Under Eve’s leadership, GrubStreet has grown into a national literary powerhouse known for artistic excellence, working to democratize the publishing pipeline and program innovation. An active partner to the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, Eve was the driving force behind securing chapter 91 space in the Seaport to build a GrubStreet’s Center for Creative Writing. Eve’s work has been recognized with a Barr Fellowship (class of 2019) and with the 2023 Woman's National Book Award given every two years to a living American woman who has made exceptional contributions to the book industry beyond the scope of her profession. Eve has presented on the future of publishing, what it takes to build a literary arts center, and the intersection of arts and civics at numerous local and national conferences. Her essays and op-eds on publishing, the role of creative writing centers and the importance of the narrative arts have appeared in The Boston Globe, Huffington Post, Cognoscenti, Writer's Digest and TinHouse. Eve serves on the Advisory Board of The Loop Lab, a Cambridge-based nonprofit dedicated to increasing representation in the Media Arts and on the Advisory Board of Getting to We, a nonprofit dedicated to civic rights and social action.
“It wasn’t long before I started hearing from students who told me that GrubStreet classes had transformed or even saved their lives. I didn’t really believe it at first. But the stories kept coming.”
Literary Legacy
Bridburg founded GrubStreet as a tiny grass-roots organization with just eight students and it has grown into the largest creative writing center in the country. Bridburg, who’s been with GrubStreet for nearly 30 years, will continue to advise the organization.
GrubStreet: A National Model For Transformative & Inclusive Writing Education
GrubStreet started with eight students gathering to share their writing and has grown into a national literary powerhouse and a beloved Boston institution. We believe that the storytellers who shape our culture should reflect the full diversity of our world, and that sharing our stories fosters more understanding, connection, meaning, and joy.
Proudly celebrating 28 years of the literary community, with highlights including:
#1 Center for Creative Writing in the nation, providing free public programming and fueling Boston's creative economy
$10.5+ million paid to teaching artists for leading innovative, nationally recognized programming
8,000+ high school students served through our teen writing programs
14,000 adult writers served through free, multilingual programs at the Boston Public Library
1,715 student publications, including 249 books over the past five years, demonstrating that inclusive networks promote unprecedented publishing success
With your support, over the next year we will:
Serve 400+ Metro Boston high school students
Provide 2,000+ students fully funded programming and mentorship
Award 765+ students with scholarships and fellowships
Reach 50,000+ arts lovers at the Center for Creative Writing, and amplify the impact of arts partners with access to our space
Thank you for helping GrubStreet write a more just and connected future!
Your Support Helps Writers Achieve Their Dreams
Your generosity funds scholarships and free programs, allowing more teen and adult writers to participate in creative writing workshops at our new center in the Seaport, in neighborhoods around Boston, and online.
$280
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Lit Up Tickets
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$280 ⋆ Lit Up Tickets ⋆
Tickets to Lit Up are $280 per person and include the following:
Dinner Dine-Around and Open Bar
Program, Live Auction, and an Awards Presentation
Each attending guest will receive an autographed book from a member of the Literary Host Committee
* No Refunds or Exchanges
Write. Read. Together.
Our Literary Host Chairs
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Sharissa Jones
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Daniel Medwed
Our Literary Host Committee
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Steve Almond
Author of 12 books of fiction and nonfiction, including the New York Times bestsellers Candyfreak and Against Football.
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Lorri Berenberg
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Kerry Brett
Shot At Love: A Celebrity Photographer's Unfiltered Lens on Dating and Finding Love. Author of Boston, Inspirational Women
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Linda Button
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Julie Carrick Dalton
Author, St. Martin's Press
New England-based author of The Last Beekeeper, longlisted for the Massachusetts Book Award, and Waiting for the Night Song.
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Steve DiFillippo
Author, restaurateur, owner of Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
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Regie Gibson
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Elin Hilderbrand
Known as “The Queen of Beach Reads,” having written more than 30 novels. Her 2023 bestseller, “The Five-Star Weekend,” is now being adapted into a Peacock series, while she promotes her upcoming novel, “The Academy.” After wrapping up the Netflix miniseries adaptation of her novel, The Perfect Couple.
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Gish Jen
Author of 10 books, her latest is Bad Bad Girl. Her honors include fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Radcliffe Institute, and the Fulbright Foundation, as well as the Lannan Literary Award and the Mildred and Harold Strauss Living Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Her stories have been chosen for The Best American Short Stories five times, including The Best American Short Stories of the Century.
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Marjan Kamali
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Margot Livesey
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Tom Perrotta
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Kathy Sherbrooke
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Sandra Taylor
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Michelle Toth
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Rob Wilstein
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Karen Winn
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HAVE QUESTIONS? let’s chat.
Contact us.
Have questions about tickets, sponsor opportunities, or the overall experience? Contact our event office, AJ Events. We will be happy to answer any of your questions or fill out the form above, and we will respond within 24 hours.
AJ Events / 617-267-2244
Event Team
AJ Williams, Event Producer, Culinary Contact, Auction
Carla Beaudoin, Guest and Sponsor Relations
Questions About Grub Street? Contact
Mariona Lloreta
Director of Development & Engagement
857-209-6277