Babel - Just Buffalo Literary Center

On a July 2009 visit to Pages bookstore in
Toronto, the store’s “aroma” nearly knocked
me down.
The scent was innocuous enough—the
common odor shared by all independent
bookstores. But on that particular summer
day, its familiarity pressed play on a snapshot
reel of countless moments I’d spent with
my dad (and his book list) in Pages, Talking
Leaves, the Strand, the Regulator, Coliseum
Books…
I left the store knowing that books would
always be my unbreakable link to my father—
his legacy.
One month later, my dad, Russell Pawlak,
was moved from an ICU bed to one in his
living room. Confounded by his imminent
and premature death, the only thing those
who loved him most knew to do was to
get him home. Should he become lucid, we
wanted him to find himself surrounded by
his thousands of beloved books.
Their physicality, organization and scent
would comfort him, we hoped. And remind
him of the intellectual curiosity that pushed
him to lead a culturally rich, full life. He died
on August 8, 2009.
Buffalo’s “book community” was important
to my dad. He counted local booksellers
and the clerks they employed as his friends,
relished the talent Just Buffalo’s Babel series
brought to Buffalo, supported our libraries
and enjoyed the readings sponsored by
local colleges.
I’ve become increasingly grateful for it,
too. During most of my dad’s 10-month
illness, Talking Leaves was the only place
he’d venture. Also, though in a great deal
NEWS FROM
JUST BUFFALO
LITERARY CENTER
CELEBRATING OUR LITERARY LEGACY
A Father’s
Love of
Literature
by Hadley Horrigan
Russell Pawlak
of discomfort and self-conscious of his
appearance, he refused to miss a Spring
2009 Just Buffalo Babel event. It was his
last nighttime outing. After his death, friends
from Just Buffalo met me at his apartment,
and connected me with angels from Rust
Belt Books who swooped in to find good
homes for some of his book collection.
Two months after losing my dad, I became
a mother. My daughter’s quiet infancy gave
me time to read, and I read my dad’s books.
Passages he’d bracketed or asterisked
helped remind me of my father alive and
well, reacting to what he’d just read: a belly
laugh that could besiege him, and force one
hand to his heart and the other into a raised
finger signaling “give me a minute;” his eyes,
so sensitive, moved by something beautiful,
inhumane or all-too-human, and the curled
finger that would rest on his lips just before
a heavy sigh.
My own book collection helps me feel close
with my dad, too. When I miss him most, I
need only open the front cover of one of
the more than sixty books he inscribed to
me over the years. Seeing his handwriting,
his turn of phrase, places him momentarily
beside me.
Hadley Horrigan had her second child Henry on
October 20th, and regretted missing Amos Oz at
Babel. Her copy of Oz’s Panther in the Basement is,
however, signed by the author, thanks to her dad.
Hadley is a former Associated Press reporter, and
has worked in Buffalo in public and government
relations. She is a graduate of Duke University. Her
daughter’s copy of A Light in the Attic includes
the following inscription: 11.19.2009, To my Frances
on the occasion of your very first trip to Talking
Leaves. Your Loving Mother
FALL
2011
JUST BUFFALO
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mary Farallo, President
Paul Battaglia, Vice President
Thomas F. Hewner, Treasurer
Janet Kaye, Secretary
Sharon Amos
Thomas G. Aurelio
James Bachwitz
Elena Cala
Miriam C. Dow
Geri Grossman
Jeffrey Hirshberg
Kevin O’Leary
Elizabeth Pascal
Bryan Roland
Anne Y. Taylor
Franca Trincia
Timothy J. Vukelic
STAFF
Executive Director
Laurie Dean Torrell
Associate & Artistic Director
Michael Kelleher
Education Director
Barbara Cole, Ph.D.
Finance Director
Kristen Pope
Executive Assistant
Lynda Kaszubski
Program & Volunteer Coord.
Hallie Winter
Grantwriter
Kathleen Kearnan
Just Buffalo Literary Center is a
registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization, and your donation
is tax-deductible to the fullest
extent of the law. For copies of our
financial information, or information
about any of our programs, please
contact us at (716) 832.5400 or visit
the website www.justbuffalo.org
Creating and strengthening
communities through
the literary arts.

2
DECEMBER 2
2011 / 8pm
NAOMI
SHIHAB
NYE
KLEINHANS
MUSIC HALL
$10 Students
$35 General Admission
$100 Patron Reserved
(includes author reception)
SPECIAL
Use your B&ECPL library card
to purchase general admission
tickets for only $25
PURCHASE ONLINE AT
JUSTBUFFALO.ORG/BABEL
PURCHASE BY PHONE AT
716.832.5400
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Mary E. Farallo
Board President
This past year many WNY cultural and
community-based organizations—including
Just Buffalo Literary Center—experienced
significant cuts in government funding.
An organization often faces challenges
with sustaining its identity and fiscal
stability under such circumstances. Yet,
as a testament to its 36 successful years
of bringing acclaimed authors, innovative
education programs, and community
outreach to WNY, your literary center did
not sit quietly and worry about its future.
Based upon the creative and insightful
thinking of current and past Just Buffalo
board members, the concept of the Literary
Leadership Circle was developed.
The Literary Leadership Circle provides an
avenue for recognizing our most loyal and
generous donors who have consistently
demonstrated their commitment to fostering
the awareness, participation, and continued
support of the literary arts. These literary
leaders have made an inspiring commitment
in joining the Literary Leadership Circle,
pledging a gift of $5,000 or more payable
over three years in support of Just Buffalo.
We recognize that each and every
member of the Just Buffalo Literary Center
community is vital to our existence. The
time, commitment, and support provided by
our membership is truly valued and is key
to our mission of creating and strengthening
WNY communities through the literary arts.
Sustaining
Support:
The Literary
Leadership
Circle
The Literary Leadership Circle will further
strengthen our ability to remain a strong,
innovative and enduring resource for this
region. To thank and recognize our Literary
Leadership Circle members, we will invite
them to participate in an exclusive dinner
with Naomi Shihab Nye on December 1st.
We currently have 8 members. Our goal is to
have twelve people (and their guests) seated
at the table with Ms. Nye. This tradition of a
special dinner will continue each year.
I ask you to consider the opportunity
to become our next Literary Leader. If a
commitment of this kind is not possible at
this time, please keep it in mind for the future.
By joining me in this group, your support will
go a long way to ensuring that Just Buffalo
will be able to continue providing the means
of recognition for Buffalo and WNY as a
world class literary region. Just Buffalo will
be able to focus on the continuation of
the programs and events you have come
to expect, including Writing with Light,
Wordplay, Big Night and, of course, Babel.
Play your part in sustaining Just Buffalo’s
presence and future in our community by
joining the Literary Leadership Circle today.

An ethical will is a document or letter written
to convey values to loved ones. I’ve recently
started one, and wanted to share with you
how meaningful this simple document can be.
Writer and physician, Barry K. Baines, M.D.,
who popularized the concept, says this
practice stems from an ancient tradition of
passing on personal values, beliefs, blessings,
and advice to future generations. “In ancient
times... ethical wills were particularly
advantageous outlets for women, since
society’s rules usually precluded them from
writing a legal will or dispensing property as
they wished. Historians have found examples
of ethical wills authored by women during
the medieval period, usually in the form of
letters or books to their children.”
In his book, Ethical Wills: Putting Your
Values on Paper, Baines shares a story of
discovering the concept of ethical wills,
and then retrieving it when his own father
became ill—asking him to write a letter
about the things he most valued. Baines’
father gave him two handwritten sheets—
something that has meant more to him than
any possession ever could.
Whereas a traditional will is about valuables,
an ethical will is about values. And it can
be done at any time—certainly in times of
happiness and contentment, as well as when
facing a loss. Baines suggests a good time
to write an ethical will is at a turning point
in your life, or when an event or situation
has made you wish to reflect. It can be done
Writing Your Legacy
Laurie Dean Torrell
Just Buffalo Executive Director
at any age, and revisited and updated over
time. Questions to consider:
• What do you stand for?
• What are your values and beliefs?
• What have been your meaningful or
instructive life experiences?
• What are your hopes for the future?
The website www.ethicalwills.com suggests
thinking of it as a love letter to your family.
The site contains a number of additional
suggestions for getting started.
Should you wish to write your own ethical
will, Baines recommends thinking in terms of
the past, present, and also the future: “Some
of our values and beliefs have been passed
on to us from our predecessors. Our own
life experiences shape our character and
help form a foundation of our values and
principles. Looking into the future, ponder
what we might yet become and what we
have left to do . . . get a few sheets of paper
and a pencil or pen, and you’re ready to
begin.”
For more on ethical wills, see Barry K. Baines,
M.D., Ethical Wills: Putting Your Values on
Paper, (Perseus Publishing, 2002) and
www.ethicalwills.com.
Read Laurie Dean Torrell’s most recent article, “Creative
Entanglement: The Promises and Challenges
of Collaboration” in CultureWork: A Periodic Broadside
for Arts & Culture Workers at
http://culturework.uoregon.edu
MARCH 21
2012 / 8pm
ZADIE
SMITH
KLEINHANS
MUSIC HALL
$10 Students
$35 General Admission
$100 Patron Reserved
(includes author reception)
SPECIAL
Use your B&ECPL library card
to purchase general admission
tickets for only $25
PURCHASE ONLINE AT
JUSTBUFFALO.ORG/BABEL
PURCHASE BY PHONE AT
716.832.5400
3

4
Salman Rushdie
Isabel Allende
Chinua Achebe
Maxine Hong Kingston
BABEL
&
A Library Card
Lead to a Literary Path
Around the World
by Anne Taylor
If you’re a reader, as I am, Buffalo is a wildly
exciting place to be. A subscription to Just
Buffalo Literary Center’s Babel series, a library
card and a handful of coins are all you need
to follow a literary path that takes you around
the world.
Since its inception five years ago, Just
Buffalo’s international author series Babel has
brought four world class authors to Buffalo
each year. As a subscriber from the very
first presentation, I have had the opportunity
to hear such renowned writers as Salman
Rushdie, Isabel Allende and Chinua Achebe
impart their wisdom to Western New York’s
reading public. Winners of the Nobel Prize
for Literature, the Booker Prize, the National
Book Award and others, Babel’s speakers
have represented all corners of the globe,
broadening our worldview and stretching our
minds with their insights.
It would be enough just to read the featured
book that has been suggested for each
author. But why stop there? With the virtually
inexhaustible supply of resources available
through the Buffalo & Erie County Public
Library System, one can explore the entire
context of each of the novelists. In preparation
for V.S. Naipaul’s lecture at Kleinhans last
October, for example, I borrowed the featured
book, A House for Mr. Biswas, from my
nearby library. It cost me a quarter to have it
transferred from another library, and saved me
the time and effort of picking it up elsewhere.
Because I wanted to know more about the
Nobel Prize-winning author after finishing
that book, for another twenty-five cents, I
requested his biography, The World Is What It
Is, by Patrick French. There, I discovered that A
House for Mr. Biswas was based largely on the
life of Naipaul’s father. How interesting! After
reading the biography, I borrowed another
V. S. Naipaul
of Naipaul’s many novels from the library. Lo
and behold, the opening line of A Bend in the
River is “The world is what it is.” Ah, so that’s
where Naipaul’s biographer got his title. How
exciting! What a fascinating, meandering path
that stimulated my curiosity and brought
me to a far greater understanding of the
literary process in general and the author in
particular. I love knowing the full context of
what I’m reading. All this at the bargain price
of seventy-five cents.
Would I have discovered this without my library
card? No. I would never have bought all three
books and dipped into the intellectual waters
surrounding V.S. Naipaul so fully. But I’ll borrow
anything for free or a quarter. I can dabble in
any direction my inclination takes me, and it
costs me next to nothing. If reading about life
on the island of Trinidad puts me in the mood
for calypso music—which originated there—
there are dozens of compact discs listed in the
library database. Caribbean cooking? There’s
more than one cookbook to choose from.
Babel brings some of the world’s most
respected authors to Buffalo. We’ve heard
writers from Africa, Asia, the Middle East,
South America. It’s a huge asset for WNY, a
tremendous credit to Just Buffalo, and a really
big deal.
And, best of all, the journey can begin at
the public library—that most wonderful and
accessible of public institutions, available
to each and every one of us, whatever our
circumstances. With its full collection of books,
music and film, we can indulge to our heart’s
content.
Adapted from “My View” feature in the
Buffalo News.
Photographs by Bruce Jackson

Creative Ways
to Give
Jeffrey Hirshberg, CPA
Just Buffalo Board and Development Committee Member
The mission of Just Buffalo Literary Center is, and always has been, to foster creativity
and to celebrate the imagination, to create strong communities through the literary arts.
Giving, too, can be creative. Yes, we’re always grateful for a simple check, always
appreciative of our donors’ generosity. Yet we also know that many supporters of the
creative arts are looking for other ways to maximize the value of their gifts. Consider the
following, among a host of giving alternatives:
� Gifts of stocks or other appreciated property. Donors may reap the benefits of
helping the organization, taking a charitable deduction for the full fair market
value on the date of the gift, yet never having to recognize a capital gain.
� Gifts of IRAs or similar assets. If you’re over 70, current legislation still allows
you to directly roll over as much as $100,000 of your Required Minimum
Distribution from a retirement account directly to Just Buffalo. (You don’t get
a charitable deduction, but you don’t have to report the income either; and
there are often many other benefits for not having to recognize income). This
opportunity is set to expire at the end of 2011.
� Gifts in Trust. Donors may want to consider establishing a “split-interest” trust.
They’re called “split interest” because the donor can benefit both the charity
of his or her choice and some other family member. For instance, Just Buffalo
could receive the income from such a trust for a designated term of years,
at the end of which the remainder would revert to one’s family or other noncharitable
beneficiary (a “Charitable Lead Trust.”) Or, the donor may wish to
create exactly the opposite situation: a designated non-charitable beneficiary
could receive the income for a period of time, at the end of which Just Buffalo
would receive the remainder (a “Charitable Remainder Trust.”). Each of these
trusts allows a donor to benefit Just Buffalo, her own family members, and
take advantage of a charitable tax deduction as well.
� A fourth alternative, generally less administratively cumbersome than a gift
in trust, is a charitable gift annuity: the donor makes a charitable gift (this,
too, could be appreciated stock), and receives or designates someone else
to receive an annuity for the rest of his life. The rates for these annuities are
especially attractive and are based on the age of the annuitant. Just Buffalo
would most likely collaborate with another charitable organization (such as
the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo) to assure that the annuity is
secure and that the donor’s wishes are followed.
Any of these gifts may be used to underwrite specific programs—to sponsor a Babel
speaker, for instance, or to support our award-winning Writing With Light education
programs. Each of these creative ideas is technically sophisticated, which is why the
Board of Just Buffalo has assembled an advisory team of attorneys and accountants
who will be happy to work with your professional advisors to assure that your goals and
objectives are met. We’d welcome the opportunity to discuss these and other charitable
giving opportunities with you at any time.
APRIL 12
2012 / 8pm
ALEXANDER
McCALL
SMITH
KLEINHANS
MUSIC HALL
$10 Students
$35 General Admission
$100 Patron Reserved
(includes author reception)
SPECIAL
Use your B&ECPL library card
to purchase general admission
tickets for only $25
PURCHASE ONLINE AT
JUSTBUFFALO.ORG/BABEL
PURCHASE BY PHONE AT
716.832.5400
5

6
Honoring
Sherry Robbins, Poet and Teaching Artist
&
Corinne and Victor Rice, Literary Arts Supporters
Thursday, February 23rd at 6:30pm at Babeville
Make your reservation by calling (716) 832.5400
Dinner $100 each or 2/$175
Includes 1 limited edition gift
Literary Underwriter $500
Includes 2 dinner reservations, limited edition gift
& listing in program and on event signage
Table of eight $1,000
Includes program and table listing and gift for each guest
For more than a generation, Just Buffalo Literary Center
has connected the Western New York community with
great voices in literature. So many people over the years
have contributed to Just Buffalo’s growth and vitality.
Our work has been made possible through a visionary
founder, the support of committed board members, the
dedication and hard work of a small staff, collaborators,
donors, funders, audience members, educators—and,
always, the writers who have shared with us their words
and imaginations.
Just Buffalo created the Literary Legacy Award to honor
individuals who have made a significant contribution to
the literary legacy of Buffalo. We have in general tried to
follow the model of the first dinner, at which we honored
Robert Creeley for his literary accomplishments and
Debora Ott for her dedication to the literary community
through her work in founding Just Buffalo. That is, we
want to honor the significant accomplishments of an
individual writer and also of an outstanding supporter of
the literary arts.
Literary Legacy
Awards Dinner
2012
The dinner is a biennial fundraiser for the organization
which includes a catered meal, an awards ceremony and a
gift of a broadside of a poem or other work by the literary
honoree. It is also a special occasion to come together as
a literary community—weaving together threads from the
past, present, and emerging future to affirm the value and
worth of these most important leaders and visionaries.
Previous honorees:
2004
Robert Creeley, Debora Ott, JBLC founder
2006
Jimmie Margaret Gilliam
2007
Alexis DeVeaux, Jonathon Welch
2009
Emanuel (Manny) Fried, R.D. Pohl
We hope to see you there.

JUST BUFFALO LITERARY CENTER
Our mission is to
create and strengthen
communities through
the literary arts.
PRESENTATION
Significant authors and poets
in community settings
Reaches 8,800
• Babel
• Big Night
• Babel Extras
Presentation including Babel
costs $300,000
EDUCATION
Supporting young
writers, fostering
audiences of the future
Reaches 3,000
• Writing With Light
• Babel in the Schools
• Spotlight on Youth
• Wordplay Anthology
Education Program costs $170,000
COMMUNITY
Services to benefit the community
and field as a whole
Reaches 114,730
• Comprehensive website
• Literary Buffalo
• Babel @ Betty’s
• Writers Critique Group
Community Services cost $35,000
LEGACY
Stewardship of the mission
over time
Reach: 36 years and counting
• Literary Legacy Awards
• Literary Leadership Circle
• JBLC Archive at UB Poetry
Collection
Legacy, G&A, Fundraising costs $75,000
Just Buffalo envisions a community that fully
supports and values the love of reading,
the art of writing, and the power of the
literary arts to transform individual lives and
communities.
Your support helps make this vision a reality.
7

617 Main St., Suite 202A, Buffalo, NY 14203
BIG NIGHT is Just Buffalo Literary Center’s monthly series that puts poetry in
conversation with other art forms. Held at the Western New York Book Arts
Center, it features younger and mid-career poets from around the country
performing alongside local artists, filmmakers, musicians and a professional
chef who creates a themed feast for each event. Information about Big
Night, and all of the literary events going on around town can be found at
www.justbuffalo.org.
Please consider
a year-end gift
to Just Buffalo
(716) 832.5400
or www.justbuffalo.org