The Book That Changed My Life, a unique 12-hour marathon presented on Saturday, October 22 by Symphony Space in collaboration with LIVE from The New York Public Library, will be presented at at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space, (2537 Broadway at 95th Street). The event will feature luminaries from many fields speaking about books that greatly influenced them, followed by readings of excerpts from those works by stars such as John Lithgow and Cynthia Nixon.
The event will be hosted by Isaiah Sheffer, artistic director of Symphony Space and Paul Holdengräber, the New York Public Library's Director of Public Programs Radio. The Book That Changed My Life will begin with a children's literature segment from 11 AM to Noon, featuring actor/children's author Lithgow and children's authors Sandra Boynton and Jon Scieszka discussing books they loved best while growing up. The event then continues until 11 PM with many more famous speakers and readers. A special feature will be readings from books that changed the culture, in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the New York Times best-seller list.Among the confirmed participants of the marathon are (in alphabetical order): essayist Andrè Aciman, journalist Kurt Anderson, food writer Mark Bittman, children's author and illustrator, Sandra Boynton, Jacques D"Amboise, founder of the National Dance Institute, Oscar Eustis, artistic director of The Public Theater, Clive Gillinson, executive and artistic director of Carnegie Hall, Dana Gioia, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Thelma Golden, curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem, novelist Francisco Goldman, Philip Gourevitch, journalist/editor of The Paris Review, Margo Jefferson, cultural critic for The New York Times, writer and illustrator Maira Kalman, Lithgow, congressman Jerrold Nadler, actress Cynthia Nixon, sculptor Tom Otterness, composer Ned Rorem, writer Elissa Schappell, children's book author Jon Scieszka and Nicholas Scoppetta, Fire Commissioner of New York City.
Sponsors for The Book That Changed My Life are Random House, Barnes and Noble, The National Book Foundation, LIVE from The New York Public Library, with XM Satellite Radio and The New York Times as media sponsors. Symphony Space, a pioneer in marathons, features five in-depth artistic explorations this season; besides The Book That Changed My Life, the 2005-6 season includes The Wocka Wocka Festival: A Jim Henson Celebration (a 50th Anniversary Jim Henson Company celebration on December 17); The April 29 Dance Sampler; the March 18 Wall to Wall Stravinsky; and the June 16, 25th Anniversary Bloomsday On Broadway.Tickets are $10 per segment (Symphony Space members and New York Public Library donors: $6; Students/Seniors: $8) Segments are 11 am-1:30 pm, 2:15-4:45 pm, 5:30-8 pm, 8:45-11:15 pm. (The first hour of the event is free to Symphony Space Just Kidding Club members). Telephone: (212) 864-5400, or visit www.symphonyspace.org.
