I mean, who doesn’t find something magical about lights in trees? They bring out your childlike sense of wonder, don’t they? If you’re uncertain, we’ve got a good test: Join us Saturday, July 25, 7:30pm at Downtown Home & Garden, 210 S. Ashley, for our Summer Garden Party. We’ll have drinks and snacks, live bossa nova music, and dancing, and yes, lights in the trees.

The whole shebang is to celebrate that new publication of ours you’ve been hearing so much about, How To Rise or, I Put My Heart Into the Close. Featuring truly memorable memoirs, poetry, and some short fiction by forty-six graduating seniors at Ypsilanti High School, we couldn’t be prouder of this book. Volunteer Nicole Premo came in the other day and said, “I bought the book, and then I stayed up until two in the morning reading it … it’s SO GOOD.” Yes, Nicole volunteers here, so she could be biased, but Nicole is also not the type of person to say something like that if she didn’t mean it.

In addition to celebrating a year’s worth of dedication and hard work by all the students and volunteers involved in the project, the Summer Garden Party will also help us raise much needed funds to continue this program for schools in need of our free literacy and writing programs in the coming academic year. You know how every year we tell you about the AWESOME new publication we’ve put out, and we tell you about the INCREDIBLE stories the students shared, and we say how INSPIRING and EMPOWERING the whole process was for these students? Wouldn’t you like to be part of that? Come to the Summer Garden Party! Your ticket ($15 at the door, $10 advance, includes one drink ticket) will make it happen for next year’s project!

Get your tickets here before they sell out. Lights in trees! You don’t want to miss it.