Last year's event, a fundraiser celebrating Descant’s 36th year:
Venezia and beyond with the Doges and Divas of CanLit
 

Under the Book Ball Tent
Andrew Sardone, Chair, Descant Book Ball
 (originally printed in the Spring 2006 Descant Newsletter)


With a batch of schmoozey fundraisers and fabulous lit-launches under our belts, you’d think the planning of the Descant Book Ball 2 would be old hat. The amount of event experience and supplies Descant has amassed while promoting its writers and artists has us wondering if we should open a side party planning and rental biz. But for the Venice-themed fall fundraiser, we wanted to create a Descanted evening like no other.

Our good friends at Toronto Life gave us flack for milking the Venice theme after two issues on the city and a summer party celebrating their release on the lawn of the Italian Consulate. The concept still had life though, and was perfect for our big annual shindig. Descant’s creative Book Ball board put their heads together to come up with a plan that shunned gondolas and masquerade masks and celebrated Venice’s street culture and modern industrial edge.

The centrepiece of the night would be the tented Book Ball Piazza. But we quickly learned that tent rental would suck up all the Book Ball’s profits and, so, on Friday, September 30, with 5 hours to go until guests started to arrive, we found ourselves assembling our homemade Book Ball tent.

The process had begun one week earlier in my kitchen as we fed three massive canvas drop sheets through a mid-80s vintage sewing machine. After digging out of a mountain of fabric, we hit the local Home Depot for the rest of the supplies. Two thick white plumbing pipes would become the centre support, anchored to the ground with a gravel tamper and a pile of concrete blocks. In the end, it stood up straight, strong and secure (daydreams of Book Ball guests drowning under a downed tent disappeared).

As guests wandered into the party just after sunset, they were met by our lovely tent. The wind ruffled it’s fabric as bright spotlights lit it from within. Under the tent, eager Book Ballers wandering through pots of colourful flowers, sampled homemade gelato to the sound of soft accordion music.

The Book Ball raised more than $17,000 and brought together old Descant friends and introduced the magazine to new readers and supporters. We’re already working on the next Book Ball and details will be coming your way very soon.

In the meantime, if anyone is having an outdoor bash, we have a very stylish tent for rent at a very competitive rate. Contact Descant Party Rentals at 416-593-2557.


 
 

BOOK BALL PIAZZA
• The Book Ball went al fresco in 2005 with our new outdoor square. Poetry and Portraits in the Piazza paired our guests with some of Toronto’s best poets and artists. Audience members were seated at their table and had their fortunes read in the form of a personalized verse or sketch

• Kensington Market Organic Ice Cream’s mustached ladies dished out delectable bowls of gelato whipped up right before guests eyes
 

CINEMA VENEZIA
• Emerging Toronto artist Lauren Dimonte created our Book Ball movie theatre where guests enjoyed private screenings of Venetian films and became part of the action
 
 

AUCTION
• The Exotic Travels with CanLit Live Auction gave audience members the chance to own a memento of Canada’s contemporary arts scene. Artists and writers from across the country including Edward Burtynsky, Barbara Gowdy and Michael Winter donated souvenirs of the places that inspire their creative process. Each souvenir came with a personalized hand-written and signed post card.

• The live auction was complemented by a silent auction of lifestyle items inspired by Venice and travel.
The list of auction items and silent auction sponsors, included:

 

ON STAGE
• 2005's Book Ball stage was filled with sounds channeling Louis Prima and Fellini film scores.

• At 8pm, some of the brightest contributors to Descant over the past year, including Josef Skvorecky and Andrew Smith, celebrated the launch of our 129: Genies and Generations Fall 2005 issue.

SPONSORS
• The 2005 Descant Book Ball was presented with the generous support of:

  
 
         
 
 
         
 
 
         
   
   

 
2005 DESCANT BOOK BALL BOARD
• Iris Birze, Alex Campbell, Tina Francisco, Vanessa Grant, Samra Habib, Mary Newberry, Mark Russell, Andrew Sardone, Laura Boudreau

• Special Thanks to the Descant Women’s Auxiliary and the Directors of the Descant Arts and Letter Foundation