AN EVENING WITH POET MAGGIE SMITH
Sacred Threads Annual Fundraiser
Sacred Threads Annual Fundraiser
May 13, 2026 | 7:00 PM
Newton Community Stage, 15 Walnut Park, Newton, MA
Join us for an intimate and inspiring evening with acclaimed poet Maggie Smith. This special event offers a rare opportunity to experience one of today’s most resonant literary voices in a thoughtful, community-centered setting.
As our annual fundraiser, this event plays a vital role in sustaining Sacred Threads, a community that strengthens women’s spiritual connections and sense of meaning across all life’s seasons through inclusive programs and a culture of compassion and support.
The evening will also include a special tribute honoring Sacred Threads’ founders, Marie LaBollita, SC, and Rosemary Mulvihill, CSJ, longtime spiritual leaders who have profoundly impacted women’s lives through the organization.
Your presence and support make welcoming, accessible programs possible, uplifting women and the communities they lead, care for, and nurture.
Maggie Smith is the author of multiple award-winning books, including Good Bones, which was named one of the five best poetry books of 2017 by The Washington Post. Her work is widely known for its clarity, accessibility, and emotional depth. Her newest poetry collection, A Suit or a Suitcase, continues her exploration of themes such as resilience, identity, and personal transformation, offering language that resonates with readers navigating life’s transitions.
Journalist Lisa Hughes, news anchor for WBZ-TV, will open the evening. Lisa has received many awards, including a 2014 Columbia DuPont Award and a 2013 George Foster Peabody Award for WBZ-TV’s coverage of the Boston Marathon Bombings, along with Emmy Awards for Best News Anchor (2014, 2016) and an Edward R. Murrow Award for reporting. In 2020, she was named one of Boston’s “100 Most Influential People” and “Best TV Personality” by Boston Magazine.
GBH’s The Culture Show Contributor, Lisa Simmons, will moderate the conversation with Maggie. Lisa is Executive and Artistic Director of the Roxbury International Film Festival (RoxFilm) which screen films celebrating people of color worldwide and support aligned filmmakers. She has received numerous awards, the Leadership Award from the Urban League Guild of Eastern Massachusetts, and The President’s Award for Leadership from Dimock Community Health Center.
We’re very excited to collaborate with Hummingbird Books, an independent, local, female-owned and operated store. A percentage of book sales will benefit Sacred Threads.
Can’t attend? You can still support Sacred Threads by purchasing a ticket for someone in the community or making a donation of any amount. Every gift helps sustain our programs and mission.
Maggie Smith is the author of seven award-winning books: Dear Writer: Pep Talks & Practical Advice for the Creative Life, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, Lamp of the Body, The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison, and Good Bones, named by the Washington Post as one of the Five Best Poetry Books of 2017, Keep Moving, and Goldenrod.
Her most recent poetry collection, A Suit or a Suitcase, is forthcoming from Washington Square Press in 2026. The title poem of Good Bones was called the “Official Poem of 2016” by Public Radio International and has been translated into nearly a dozen languages.
Smith’s poems have appeared in the New York Times, Tin House, The Believer, The Paris Review, Kenyon Review, Best American Poetry, and on the CBS primetime drama Madam Secretary.
A Pushcart Prize winner, Smith has received fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Academy of American Poets, the Ohio Arts Council, and the Sustainable Arts Foundation. She is host of the poetry podcast, The Slowdown.
“Smith’s poems affirm the virtues of humanity: compassion, empathy, and the ability to comfort one another when darkness falls.” —D.A. Powell
Community Sponsors
Supporting connection and meaning
Fiona and Joseph Horning
Compassion Sponsors
Keeping events accessible to all
Mike & Louise Tucci
Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston
Friends of Sacred Threads
Individual support from the heart of our community
Katherine McCabe
Cathy Clifford in honor of Rosemary Mulvihill and in memory of John and Jane Clifford
Anonymous Friend of Sacred Threads
Dale Masi, PhD
Boston Medical Center
Eastern Bank Foundation
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Become a sponsor today and gain meaningful visibility with a thoughtful, values-driven audience.
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Primary underwriter of the event
Premier recognition in all event materials
Top-tier logo placement on the event registration page
Dedicated sponsor feature in our newsletter
Priority verbal recognition during opening and closing remarks
Complimentary VIP access and signed books (6 guests)
Full-page ad in the event program
Opportunity for an exclusive meet-and-greet with Maggie Smith
Premier seating
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Supporting connection and meaning
Recognition in event materials and on the registration page
Verbal acknowledgment during the event
Half-page ad in the event program
Complimentary event access and signed books (4 guests)
VIP seating
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Keeping events accessible to all
Name/logo listed in event materials
Complimentary event access and signed books (2 guests)
Quarter-page ad in the event program
Priority seating
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Individual support from the heart of our community
Recognized in all event materials (name/logo optional)
Complimentary event access and a signed book (1 guest)
Reserved seating
To be recognized in the materials, please submit your sponsorship by April 30. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
For more information, please contact: Stephanie Page, Executive Director, at stephanie@sacredthreadscenter.org
Past Speakers
Past Sacred Threads program offerings include large gatherings anchored by a popular, well-known speaker, the largest event with Joan Chittister drawing over 700 people, and round table panel discussions, including Influence of Faith on Women in Leadership and Women in Media. Over 70 events, mostly led by prominent speakers, have been offered since the organization’s inception in 2009.
Renowned speakers have included:
Donna Hicks, PhD - Dignity and Conflict Resolution
Reverend Liz Walker - The Dynamics of Grace as a Mixture of Forgiveness and Compassion
Becca Stevens - Broken Dreams & New Hope: The Story of Trafficking, Addiction & Prostitution
Glennon Doyle - Are You Enough?
Rabbi Rami Shapiro - The Heart of Spirituality: Bridging the Wisdom of East & West
Margaret Silk - Weaving a Sacred Future
Andrea Campbell, MA Attorney General - Panel on Faith and Leadership
Lisa Hughes, WBZ-TV News Anchor - Panel on Living with Integrity: Balancing the Public & Private Dimensions of our LIves
Simone Campbell, SSS - Threads of Inclusion: Recognizing the Sacred in our Lives Through Dignity, Grace and Justice
