We are thrilled to announce the return of Library Laureates. Join us to celebrate the Library that cared for us through uncertain times and emerged as a beacon of hope and stability for San Franciscans. The Library continues to light the way with its commitment to democracy, equity, free resources, and the belief that learning, curiosity, and opportunity are for everyone. 

Saturday, April 29, 2023
San Francisco Main Library
7:00 PM - 9:30 PM 
6:00 PM Sponsor Reception 

Co-Chairs 
Roselyne Chroman Swig
Luis Herrera
Tongo Eisen-Martin

Sponsorships Available

Tickets

HONORARY EVENT COMMITTEE
​Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi  
Senator Dianne Feinstein 
Reverend Norman Fong 
Daniel Handler 
Lisa Brown 
Sarah Ladipo Manyika  
Mary Lomax Ghirarduzzi 
Camilla Smith
​Sarah Smith Jones
Susan Mall 
​Connie Wolf
Robert Mailer Anderson 

MEET THE LIBRARY LAUREATES

In its time-honored tradition, Library Laureates 2023 will celebrate 35 Bay Area writers who light our way with their books and poetry. You will enjoy the signature experience of dining at a table with a Laureate, one of the authors from the constellation of Bay Area literary stars. 

Since 1961, Friends has worked to create one of the world’s most successful libraries by advocating for public support and raising private funds. Event proceeds will be invested in four Library impact areas: children and youth, lifelong learning, arts and culture, and the renovation of the Mission Branch (FriendsSFPL.org/WhatWeFund). Corporate and individual sponsorship opportunities are available now.

SPONSORS
(as of March 20, 2023)

$25,000 Library Salon Sponsor
Katie Hall and Tom Knutsen
Camilla and George Smith
Sarah Smith Jones and Jason Jones

$15,000 Leadership Sponsor
Roselyne Chroman Swig​
Sarah Ives and Michael Montgomery

$10,000 Partner Sponsor
Dodge & Cox
Randi and Bob Fisher
Mimi and Peter Haas Fund 
Daniel Handler and Lisa Brown
Matt and Margot Kenaston
IndiCo Capital
Alissa Lee and Erik Christoffersen
Robert Mailer Anderson and Nicola Miner
Bernard and Barbro Osher
Peter Wiley and Jessica Lipnack

$5,000 Innovation Sponsor
Berg Davis Public Affairs
Chronicle Books
Marie Ciepiela
Law Office of Beth Kelly
Daphne Li and Marianne O'Connor
MidWest Tape
Judy Miner
Arthur and Toni Rembe Rock
Kathleen Rydar
Seiler LLP
Swinerton
Connie Wolf and Susan Mall

$1,500 Librarian Sponsor
John Atwater and Diana Nelson
Lisa Stone Pritzker Family
eCIO, Inc.
PCS Technology
Sophie Ziegler

Library Laureates 2023
Confirmed Library Laureates (as of 03.08.23) ​

Jorge Arguta, Tierra, Tierriata, Earth Little Earth
Polina Barskova, Living Pictures  
Barbara Berman, Currents
Lisa Brown, The Hospital Book, The Airport Book  
Evette Davis, 48 States 
Cory Doctorow, Red Team Blues 
Tongo Eisen-Martin, San Francisco Poet Laureate, Heaven is All Goodbyes, Blood on the Fog 
Jewelle Gomez, Ahead of the Curve, documentary 
Andrew Sean Greer, Less is Lost  
Meron Hadero, A Down Home Meal for These Difficult Times  
Katie Hafner, The Boys  
Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Love in the Library
Daniel Handler, Poison for Breakfast 
Meena Harris, A is For Ambitious
Vanessa Hua, Forbidden City 
Sarah Ladipo Manyika, Between Starshine to Clay, Conversations from the African Diaspora  
Tom Lin, 1,000 Crimes of Ming Tsu  
Roberto Lovato, Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration, Gangs, and Revolution in the Americas 
Robert Mailer Anderson, Windows on the World (film), Death of Teddy Ballgame: A Play 
Susanne Pari, In the Time of our History 
Gary Pomerantz, The Last Pass: Cousy, Russell, the Celtics, and What Matters in the End 
Nigel Poor & Earlonne Woods, This is Ear Hustle, Unflinching Stories of Everyday Prison Life 
Katherine Seligman, At the Edge of the Haight  
Byron Spooner, Rounding Up a Bison
Lol Tolhurst, Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys 
Bonnie Tsui, Why We Swim 
Alia Volz, Home Baked: My Mom, Marijuana, and the Stoning of San Francisco
Michael Warr, Of Poetry and Protest: Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin
​Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, On the Rooftop 
Chun Yu, Little Green: Growing Up in the Chinese Cultural Revolution

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Library Laureates 2023 Sponsorship Benefits & Tickets

All sponsors who commit by April 14, 2023 will be listed in the event program. To sponsor:

• Click here to email Barbara Alvarez, Director of Philanthropy, at barbara.alvarez@friendssfpl.org, including questions about paying for sponsorships through a DAF or foundation (the fair market value of goods and services exchanged is $300 per sponsor attending the event). 
• Fill out the sponsorship form and send with a check to Friends of SFPL, 1630 17th Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
• Make a convenient online payment here.​

Sponsorship Form

Online Payment

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$50,000 
​LEAD EVENT SPONSOR

• Top billing as event sponsor
• Placement of name/logo on table, full page of program, and event website
• Acknowledgement​ from podium
• Top choice of Laureate author at your table
• Invitation for 8 to VIP reception with Laureate authors
• Table of 10 for dinner with 8 seats for you and your guests, Laureate, and their guest
• Complimentary signed copy of author’s book for each guest

$25,000 
​LIBRARY SALON SPONSOR

• Host of a salon with 5-7 tables, named for you
• Placement of name/logo on table, half page of program, and event website
• Acknowledgement​ from podium
• Choice of Laureate author at your table
• Invitation for 8 to VIP reception with Laureate authors
• Table of 10 for dinner with 8 seats for you and your guests, Laureate, and their guest
• Complimentary signed copy of Laureate’s book for each guest

$15,000 
​LEADERSHIP SPONSOR

• Placement of name/logo on table, quarter page of program, and event website
• Acknowledgement​ from podium
• Choice of Laureate author at your table
• Invitation for 8 to VIP reception with Laureate authors
• Table of 10 for dinner with 8 seats for you and your guests, Laureate, and their guest
• Complimentary signed copy of Laureate’s book for each guest​

$10,000 
PARTNER SPONSOR

• Placement of name/logo on table, in program, and on event website
• Invitation for 8 to VIP reception with Laureate authors
• Acknowledgement​ from podium
• Table of 10 for dinner with your 8 guests, chosen Laureate, and their guest
• Complimentary signed copy of Laureate’s book for each guest

$5,000 
​INNOVATION SPONSOR

• Placement of name/logo on table, in program, and in event website
• Invitation for 4 to VIP reception with Laureate authors
• Half table for dinner with 4 seats for you and your guests, the Laureate, and their guest
• Complimentary signed copy of Laureate’s book for each guest

$1,500 
LIBRARIAN SPONSOR

• Ticket for one deserving SFPL staff member
• Name or logo in event program and on invitation and website
• Complimentary signed copy of Laureate’s book
• Individual tickets sold separately

​ $500 
 Individual Ticket

The fair market value of goods and services exchanged is $300.