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Photography by Greg Rannells
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CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THE PARTY.
THE DETAILS
The Host
Cheree Berry and Jeff York
The Location
Their home in Compton Heights
The Menu
Pizzas and bites from Pi
The Bartender
Chad Michael George of Proof Academy
The Guests
More than 100 attended, includingKristen and Rob Armstrong, Brittany and Dr. Jeff Ciaramita, Amie and Rob Corley, Amanda and Nick Dressler, Melissa Dubman, Britni and Karl Eggers, Sam Foxman, Peter Franzen, Annette Gleason, Elise and Ben Johnson, Jen and David Meyer, Jeana and Buddy Reisinger Jr., Chris Schaeffer, and Anne Stupp.
Everything about this October evening under the stars spoke of the alphabet. The invitation created by Cheree Berry—owner of Cheree Berry Paper, author of Hoorah for the Bra, and a former designer with Kate Spade in New York—summoned everyone, friends and family alike, to gather at her Compton Heights home. The impetus: to celebrate summer’s journey into fall and then learn about StudioSTL, the privately funded nonprofit started by Beth Ketcher that urges children to pen prose and poetry. Inspired by San Francisco’s 826 Valencia writing studio, StudioSTL works to infuse children ages 6 to 18 with a love of storytelling, writing, and reading, with sessions free and open to everyone.
Small paper cups emblazoned with letters hung from tree limbs with fishing line, tea lights flickering inside. The movie screen used to show slides of StudioSTL’s students was actually the brick wall of the house next door. As guests walked in, Ann Hubbard of Fauxto-Booth snapped shots of them with an oversized No. 2 pencil, in front of a giant notebook-paper backdrop. Farther into the backyard, Chad Michael George of Proof Academy and DeMun Oyster Bar, the quintessential bartender, concocted cocktails with fresh ginger. Restaurant Pi sent over the main course: tantalizing pizza. For dessert? Iced cookies cut into all the letters of the alphabet.
Up on the deck, a voluminous raffle—the party’s main draw, both literally and figuratively—awaited, with baskets and tubs of goodies for the lucky winners. The alphabetized possibilities included a variety of books (L is for literature); Lilly Pulitzer accessories (P is for preppy); candles and a bounty for the bath from K. Hall Designs (H is for heavenly); and a collection of prizes provided by designer Jonathan Adler. Collectively, the items created a veritable X-ray of today’s top trends and tastes.
Old friends mingled with new ones under bright lights strung from the house to the trees. Then Ms. Berry and her husband, Jeff York, welcomed everyone, and Mrs. Ketcher zealously described the cause of the evening, StudioSTL.
“StudioSTL is magic to me,” Mrs. Ketcher said. “Quite honestly, I think everything is exciting. You can connect to anything. If our kids are bored, the mentors aren’t doing their job. They have to say, ‘This is soooo amazing. Come here, I want to share it with you. And let’s write it together.’ That, to me, is the power of writing—and reading. To me, that’s the crisis. If the child is not connected, they are not connected to the world. It makes people notice things and want to write about it.”
ABOUT STUDIO STL
Inspired by San Francisco’s 826 Valencia writing studio, co-founded by writer Dave Eggers, Beth Ketcher started StudioSTL in 2006—first in her home office, then in the basement of the church next door, and finally, in its current home in the Centene Center for Arts and Education. Sessions run in the spring and fall. Some are weekly and go for one hour starting at 7:30 a.m. in the schools; others are after school, on weekends, or in the summer at StudioSTL. The program is free and open to everyone—and writers of all levels attend. “It covers the spectrum from kids in Wellston reading and writing four grade levels below to ‘Oh-my-gosh-I-am-so-breathlessly-excited-what-am-I-going-to-do’ and everything in between,” Mrs. Ketcher says. Read more about the party at stlmag.com/athome. For more information about the program, go to studiostl.org.
