Italo Calvino (1923 - 1985) was the author of numerous works of fiction and non-fiction, including The Baron in the Trees, The Castle of Crossed Destinies, Cosmicomics, Difficult Loves, If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler, Invisible Cities, Marcovaldo, Mr. Palomar, The Nonexistent Knight and The Cloven Viscount, t zero, Under the Jaguar Sun, The Watcher and Other Stories, Six Memos for the Next Millennium, The Uses of Literature, the anthology Italian Folktales, and several collections of literary essays. At the time of his death, Calvino was the most translated contemporary writer in Italy.
Kevin Kwan is the author of the internationally bestselling novels Crazy Rich Asians, China Rich Girlfriend, and Rich People Problems. The film adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians was Hollywood’s highest-grossing romantic comedy in a decade. In 2018, Kwan was inducted into the Asian Hall of Fame and listed as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by Time Magazine. His most recent novel, Sex and Vanity, was published earlier this year and named a New and Noteworthy book by The New York Times.
Bebe Neuwirth has been dancing and singing and working in theater, television, and film for the last 40 years. Some of her credits are Broadway: A Chorus Line, Little Me, Dancin’, Sweet Charity (Tony Award), Damn Yankees, Addams Family, Chicago (Tony, Drama Desk, Astaire Award, etc.), and Fosse. Off-Broadway: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Here Lies Jenny, and more. Regional: West Side Story and The Taming of the Shrew, among others. London’s West End: Kiss of the Spiderwoman. Television: Cheers (2 Emmy Awards), Frasier, Blue Bloods, Bored to Death, etc. Film: Green Card, Liberty Heights, Summer of Sam, Jumanji: The Next Level, etc. Albums: Porcelain and Stories in NYC (live at 54Below). Honors and awards: Career Transition for Dancers Rolex Dance Award, Dance Magazine Award, Honorary doctorate from Manhattan School of Music, Honorary Ziegfeld Girl, Honorary member of Local 1 (Stagehands’ Union). Current and upcoming projects include the Audible adaptation of Neil Gaimin’s series The Sandman, Broadway on Demand’s A Marvelous Party, and the film Modern Persuasion.
Isaiah Sheffer (1935 - 2012) was a writer, director, cultural entrepreneur, and impresario. He was co-founder of Symphony Space in New York City, served as the organization’s Artistic Director until 2010 and Founding Artistic Director thereafter, and was widely known as the host of Selected Shorts. In addition, he was the creator of Wall to Wall and Bloomsday on Broadway, as well as the co-creator of The Thalia Follies political cabaret.
Edith Wharton (1862 - 1937) was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, which she received for her novel The Age of Innocence. She authored more than 40 works of fiction and nonfiction, including The House of Mirth, Ethan Frome, and A Backward Glance, with subsequent collections such as Roman Fever and Other Stories published posthumously. She is best remembered for her observant narrative style and keen representations of New York aristocracy in the Gilded Age, reflecting and satirizing their lives, morals, and values. Wharton’s home, The Mount, is preserved as a national historic landmark and today functions as a cultural center celebrating Wharton’s life and career.
