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Literary Honoree
HALEH LIZA GAFORI
Haleh Liza Gafori is a New York City-born translator, performance artist, writer and educator of Iranian descent. Her two volumes of translations of poetry by the 13th century sage Rumi, entitled Gold (2022) and Water (2025), were published by New York Review Books/NYRB Classics. Gafori was a 2026 and 2024 MacDowell fellow, and a 2023 recipient of the New York State Council on the Arts grant. She created a musical and cross-media performance based on the book and has presented her work, via performance and lectures and workshops, at institutions such as Lincoln Center, Stanford University, the Academy of American Poets, and Sarah Lawrence College. Her work has been published by Columbia University Press, Harvard Review, World Literature Today, Lit Hub, Paris Review, and others. She teaches at the MFA writing program at St. Joseph’s University, and her books of translations Gold and Water have been incorporated in the curricula of universities across the country.
Community Honoree
RIVERKEEPER & PRESIDENT TRACY BROWN
Tracy Brown is President and Hudson Riverkeeper at Riverkeeper, a Hudson Valley-based nonprofit organization that protects and restores the Hudson River from source to sea and safeguards drinking water supplies through advocacy rooted in community partnerships, science, and law. She is the fifth person—and the first woman—to lead the organization since its founding in 1966 as the Hudson River Fishermen's Association.
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.
A resident of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., Tracy is a founder of the Peabody Preserve Outdoor Classroom, co-chair of the Westchester Coalition for Clean Water, and a member of the Pleiades Network, a national community of women leaders in environmental and social causes. She is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. In her free time, she can usually be found swimming or paddling in the Hudson, or hiking somewhere within the watershed.
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Sponsorship Opportunities
To purchase by check or for more information, please email gala@writerscenter.org
$25,000 Champion
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Two tables for 20 guests
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Full page ad in Gala program
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Prominent recognition in the Gala program and digital marketing
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Sponsorship of one fully-funded scholarship to the 2027 HVWC residency at the Pocantico Center
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One afternoon or evening rental of our historic Philipse Manor train station (up to six hours)
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Sponsorship of one fully-funded scholarship for a 6-week workshop
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Two intensive (1-day) workshops in 2027
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​$22,100 is tax deductible
$10,000 Sustainer
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One table for 10 guests
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Half page ad in Gala program
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Prominent recognition in the Gala program and digital marketing
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One afternoon or evening rental of our historic Philipse Manor train station (up to six hours)
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Sponsorship of one fully-funded scholarship for a 6-week workshop
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One intensive (1-day) workshop in 2027
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​$8,275 is tax deductible
$5,000 Preservationist
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One table for 10 guests
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Quarter page ad in Gala program
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Prominent recognition in the Gala program and digital marketing
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Sponsorship of one fully-funded scholarship for a 6-week workshop
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One intensive (1-day) workshop in 2027
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​$3,875 is tax deductible
$2,500 Advocate
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One table for 10 guests
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Prominent recognition in the Gala program
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Sponsorship of one fully-funded scholarship for a 6-week workshop
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One intensive (1-day) workshop in 2027
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​$1475 is tax deductible
$1,500 Protector
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Two Gala tickets
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Prominent recognition in the Gala program
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One intensive (1-day) workshop in 2027
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​$1235 is tax deductible
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Champion
Michael Quattrone
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Sustainer
Margo and Donald Stever
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Preservationist
Nicholas Robinson
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Advocate
Ann Bookman
Alan and Marion Brown
Jennifer Miller
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Updated as of 9/1/26
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Purchase a Program Ad
Support the event by purchasing an ad in our printed and digital gala journal:
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Full Page: $750 (includes logo in gala slideshow)
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5" W × 7.5" H (Vertical)
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Half Page: $500,
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5" W × 3.75" H (Horizontal)
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Quarter Page: $250
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2.25" W × 3.375" H (Vertical)
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To purchase a Program Ad, please email gala@writerscenter.org
Thank You to Our Benefit Committee
Ann Bookman
Elizabeth Bracken-Thompson
Alan and Marion Brown
Barbara Casey
Benjamin Hale Cheever
County Legislator Margaret A. Cunzio
Evelyn Hadad
Sleepy Hollow Village Mayor Marjorie Hsu
County Executive Kenneth Jenkins
Angelina Mak
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Gail and Brian Payne
Clare Pierson and Peter Humphrey
Michael Prescott
Michael Quattrone
Shelley and Nick Robinson
Assemblymember Shimsky
Margo and Donald Stever
Heidi Torpey-Condon
Westchester County Poet Laureate Phylisha Villanueva
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Photos of the HVWC 2025 Gala by Margaret Fox Photography
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