Arts & Entertainment
Hudson Valley Writers Center Announces 2026 Annual Gala: “Your Waters, Your Melodies”
Event to honor poet and Rumi translator Haleh Liza Gafori alongside Riverkeeper and President Tracy Brown at Tappan Hill Mansion.
TARRYTOWN, NY — September, 2026 - The Hudson Valley Writers Center (HVWC) is pleased to announce its 2026 Annual Gala, themed “Your Waters, Your Melodies: A Benefit Celebrating the Power of Language in Concert with Our Natural World.” The gala will be held Thursday, October 8, 2026, from 6-9 p.m. at Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill Mansion in Tarrytown, New York.
Overlooking the Hudson River, the evening will bring together writers, artists, environmental advocates, and community leaders for cocktails, a gourmet dinner, a live auction, and a special reading and performance by Gafori. Proceeds directly fund HVWC’s community initiatives, including scholarship funds, youth creativity camps, after-school workshops, and literary outreach programs at HVWC’s vital community center and across the Hudson Valley.
This year, the Hudson Valley Writers Center is proud to recognize two honorees whose work bridges storytelling, culture, and environmental stewardship:
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- Haleh Liza Gafori (Literary Honoree): A New York City-born translator, performance artist, poet, and educator of Persian descent. A 2024 MacDowell Fellow, Gafori is the premier translator of the 13th-century Persian mystic and poet Rumi. Her translation collections, Gold (2022) and Water (2025), published by New York Review Books Classics, bring ancient poetic wisdom to contemporary audiences. With support from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), she has also created dynamic cross-media musical performances celebrating Rumi's work.
- Riverkeeper & President Tracy Brown (Community Honoree): Riverkeeper protects and restores the Hudson River and its tributaries while safeguarding the drinking water supply for nine million New York City and Hudson Valley residents. Led by Sleepy Hollow resident and President Tracy Brown, Riverkeeper continues a nearly six-decade legacy of community-supported advocacy, environmental enforcement, and watershed restoration. During her tenure, Tracy has helped grow Riverkeeper's iconic water quality monitoring program, expand its fleet of boats engaged in patrol and science work on the River, and spearhead the passage of key environmental legislation.
“Our annual benefit highlights the vital intersection between creative expression and the world around us,” said Beth Whitaker, Executive Director of the Hudson Valley Writers Center. “This year’s theme, ‘Your Waters, Your Melodies,’ celebrates the deep connections between language, storytelling, and nature. We are thrilled to honor Haleh Liza Gafori, whose translations and performances give voice to timeless human truths, and Riverkeeper under Tracy Brown’s leadership, whose dedicated stewardship protects the majestic Hudson River that serves as the inspirational setting for our Center.”
Board Chair Michael Quattrone said “Now in its 38th year, the Hudson Valley Writers Center has long depended on support from the local and regional communities it serves. This year’s gala is a special opportunity to gather in person to celebrate the vitality of the literary arts in the Hudson Rivertowns and beyond.”
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The event is supported by community patrons and sponsors, with gala ticket levels and tiers including Champion ($25,000), Sustainer ($10,000), Preservationist ($5,000), Advocate ($2,500), and Protector ($1,500).
Sponsorship packages and digital/printed journal advertisement opportunities remain available for businesses, organizations, and individuals wishing to support the Center's mission. To inquire about becoming an event sponsor, placing an ad, or purchasing tickets ($275 per ticket), please email gala@writerscenter.org or visit writerscenter.org/gala.
About the Hudson Valley Writers Center
Located at the historic Philipse Manor Railroad Station in Sleepy Hollow, New York, the Hudson Valley Writers Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing writers and readers together to celebrate the essential art of the written and spoken word. HVWC serves artists of all ages, backgrounds, and skill levels through writing workshops, author readings, community outreach programs, and Slapering Hol Press, its chapbook publishing imprint. For more information, visit www.writerscenter.org.
