Reading Between the Wines offers a nice, relaxing time
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on September 17, 2017 1:45 AM
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This year's Reading Between the Wines will take place at the home of Michael and Dawn McDonald. A tour of the home is included in the event.
For an intimate and relaxing evening, some tasty hors d'oeuvres and a short trip into the mind of an author, the Reading Between The Wines event is the place to be.
It's a fundraiser for Literacy Connections, to be held Oct. 21 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The first one was held in 2012 and the event has grown since then.
It was the brainchild of Literacy Connections board member Jane Rustin.
"We were at a board meeting in 2011 and it came up that Literacy Connections need to have a fundraiser," said board member Lee Hulse. "As we were walking out of the meeting, board member Jane Rustin said she'd had this great idea for years of an event in someone's home that's very intimate and a little bit elegant and different from traditional fundraisers in our area. It gives us a niche that speaks to literacy and that's what we're all about. It's special."
"It's been a pretty stable fundraiser because we sell a set number of tickets," said Suzie Acree, Literacy Connections executive director. "We generally bring in about $10,000 each year."
So what is Reading Between The Wines?
The evening starts very casually with an opportunity for guests to come in and mingle, Mrs. Hulse said. Two local musicians, Pat Preston on the piano and Scott McConnaughey on the saxophone, provide background music. Guests can tour the host home and have some wine and hors d'oeuvres.
About 30 minutes into the event, the guest author speaks about his or her craft, character development, the process of writing or other topics.
After a question and answer session, the author will then sign books, which this year will be sold by Books-A-Million. Or guests can take their own books to be signed.
Then guests mingle some more.
"It's a very relaxed even, Mrs. Hulse said.
This year's author will be Diane Chamberlain, who grew up in Plainfield, N.J., moved to San Diego then eventually settled down in North Carolina.
She said she penned some novellas at the age of 12, then put fiction aside for many years to pursue her education.
"I'd had a story in my mind since I was a young adolescent about a group of people living together at the Jersey Shore," Ms. Chamberlain said. "While waiting for a doctor's appointment one day, I pulled out a pen and pad and began putting that story on paper. Once I started, I couldn't stop."
She said her stories are often filled with twists and surprises, and she hopes they also tug at readers' emotions. The primary focus of her 24 novels are relationships between men and women, parents and children, sisters and brothers.
"I can't think of anything more fascinating than the way people struggle with life's trials and tribulations, both together and alone," Ms. Chamberlain said.
Her newest novel, "The Stolen Marriage," comes out right before Reading Between the Wines.
This year's host home is the house of Michael and Dawn McDonald. Their Georgian home was created as a replica of the George Wythe house in Williamsburg, Va., built in 1750. It was originally built by Christian and Jack Cobb in 1966 and renovated by the McDonalds in 2014.
The two-story foyer has a cantilevered balcony with his and hers warming rooms on either side. There are two master suites, one on each level. The house also features many built-ins, a large butler's pantry and two wood-burning fireplaces.
The McDonalds completely renovated the kitchen, adding an hourglass-shaped glass tile backsplash, new pale-colored countertops and two-tone blue cabinets with wood accents. This updated kitchen flows seamlessly into the dining room, with its original silk wallpaper from the 1960s and a crystal chandelier.
During the renovations, the walls of the open entryway were hand-painted by a North Carolina artist. The house also features paintings by many local artists, including Jack Cobb, the original owner of the home.
A turn-of-the-century mill house from Borden Cotton Mill sits in the backyard. It was moved to the property in the spring of 1973. The Mill House has a full kitchen, dining area, living room, bedroom and a bathroom with a cast iron claw foot tub. A brick fireplace was added to the Mill House when it was moved to the property.
Proceeds from Reading Between the Wines go to support programming at Literacy Connections.
"There are some things grants will cover and some things that they won't cover," Ms. Acree said. "Proceeds from Reading Between The Wines will help purchase educational materials that help adults who are here learn to read, learn to do basic math, learn basic finance and computer skills, all necessary things for a variety of things.
"Oftentimes it's to get that next job or get a GED so they can work. We have some seniors who have come in and want to help their grandchildren just by sitting down and helping them with their homework questions or reading stories to them. Some of them have never had that opportunity before. We work with people who are at the beginning and get them to that place where they can connect with the important services to help them."
Mrs. Hulse said it's been amazing over the years to see the progress Literacy Connections clients make.
"Sometimes it's a very slow process," she said. "It's not always that immediate gratification. But to see it is wonderful.
"We have a gentleman who comes into the center regularly and has been for years. He is reading out loud to us. He's working on very set material. He has truly learned to read. He can pick up new material now and just start reading. And he tells us what it means to him. So it's not just that he's reading the works, but he's got a level of comprehension, the thinking skills that are required with that.
"We had a student recently who worked with a tutor here for years and was able to go on to college and secure her GED and go into the college program. This spring she graduated and is looking forward to the next step. That is obviously a huge level of success. There are things that we see regularly that are phenomenal and are much needed in Wayne County."
Tickets are on sale now for $60 per person. They are available at the Goldsboro branch of the Wayne County Public Library, at Literacy Connections or on the website at www.literacyconnectionsofwaynecounty.org.
For more information call Literacy Connections at 919-735-1990.