Written in the Stars: Biblio Bash 2025 Lights Up the Night for Youth Programs
Written by Fête Chinoise Editorial Team (Kayla Lo)
Photography: George PImentel, Provided by Toronto Public Library Foundation
The Toronto Public Library (TPL) Foundation’s Biblio Bash returned to the Toronto Reference Library yesterday. This annual black-tie fundraiser is known for its elegant evening at the iconic library, where celebrated authors joined guests for dinner throughout the atrium. Funds raised from the event support TPL’s vital programs.
Last year’s event raised funds for the Foundation’s Newcomer Community Initiative, and this year, Biblio Bash surpassed its fundraising target, bringing in an impressive $1,070,100 to support youth programs and initiatives focused on social health and mental wellness for teens across Toronto.
Co-chairs of Biblio bash 2025, Claire MacNamara and Farah Nasser
TV Personality Tommy Smythe (Left) and City Librarian Vickery Bowles (Right)
With over 100 branches citywide, other than a place for books, TPL is a vital community hub offering inclusive and accessible programs for all ages. For teens, TPL provides book clubs, workshops, and after-school youth hubs, creating safe spaces for social connection and personal growth.
At the event, Arden, a registered nurse, took the stage to share how the Library’s Teen Council volunteer program helped him overcome anxiety and realize his career aspirations. His story, told alongside TPL Librarian Claire Argyropoulos, was captured in a short ilm supported by The MacNamara Family.
Recognizing the growing need to support teen social health and mental wellness, the funds raised by Biblio Bash will expand and strengthen these essential programs, fostering social connections and addressing the loneliness may young people face.
The sold-out gala welcomed 425 guests and 37 authors, including John Irving, Zalika Reid-Benta, Carley Fortune, David A. Robertson, Scaachi Koul, Robert Rotenberg, Jane Urquhart, Ian Williams, and more. The evening was hosted by Elamin Abdelmahmoud, writer, author, and host of CBC Radio’s Commotion.
Will Scott, Chief Executive Officer of Toronto Public Library Foundation
“Loneliness rates have doubled and middle and high schoolers report significant levels of psychological distress. Libraries play a vital role in fostering a sense of belonging and connection. They can truly change lives and uplift entire communities.”
(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) Moez Kassam, Adrian Rocca, Mayor Oliva Chow, Marissa Kassam
Author Elle Douglas (LEFT), Vanessa Yeung (Right)
This year’s Biblio Bash was themed "Written in the Stars," offering guests a magical experience from sunset to late night. Air Canada created a special “Photo in the Stacks” opportunity, allowing guests to capture moments among the bookshelves, illuminated by twinkling stars. Other interactive experiences included the Poem Apothecary by Poesy, where guests received personalized poetry keepsakes, a late-night lounge, and live music by the Supersonic Hearts band. The live auction, energized by the dynamic Layne, the Auctionista, featured exhilarating prizes including an exclusive "Dinner in the Stacks" with best-selling author and Academy Award-winner John Irving.
Toronto Public Library continues to provide invaluable resources and social connections to the community. The funds raised at Biblio Bash will enable the library to enhance and expand its essential services, continuing its meaningful impact for Torontonians.
For those wishing to support the Foundation, public donations are now being matched up to $50K until June 13th. Visit tplfoundation.ca/match to donate.
Authors Highlight on Chinese-Canadians
Every year, a select Canadian author is invited to join each guest table, mingling with book lovers and hosts. This year, debut Chinese-Canadian novelists Liann Zhang and Rachel Phan joined the circle.
Julie Chan is Dead
Liann Zhang, julie Chan is Dead
Julie Chan, a supermarket cashier with nothing to lose, finds herself thrust into the glamorous yet perilous world of her late twin sister, Chloe VanHuusen, a popular influencer. Separated at a young age, the identical twins were polar opposites and rarely spoke, except for one viral video that Chloe initiated (Finding My Long-Lost Twin And Buying Her A House #EMOTIONAL). When Julie discovers Chloe’s lifeless body under mysterious circumstances, she seizes the chance to live the life she’s always envied.
Transforming into Chloe is easier than expected. Julie effortlessly adopts Chloe’s luxurious influencer life, complete with designer clothes, a meticulous skincare routine, and millions of adoring followers. However, Julie soon realizes that Chloe’s seemingly picture-perfect life was anything but.
Liann Zhang is a second-generation Chinese Canadian. Julie Chan Is Dead is her first novel.
Rachel Phan (Left) and Liann Zhang (Right)
Restaurant Kid
Rachel Phan, Restaurant Kid
When Rachel Phan was three years old, her parents opened their family restaurant. For her parents—whose families fled China under Japanese occupation and later survived the horrors of the Vietnam War—it was a dream come true. For Rachel, it was something quite different. The restaurant became not just a home but the force that defined her childhood and fractured her family.
Growing up as a ‘restaurant kid’ meant living between two worlds: the relentless demands of her parents’ dreams and the pressures to fit in. At home, she was the ‘good Chinese daughter,’ while outside of it, she struggled to be seen as a ‘real Canadian.’ As the only Chinese girl at school, she shifted between roles—Asian sidekick, geek, fetish—hiding her culture, language, and true self to meet the expectations of others.
Now, with her parents nearing retirement, Rachel faces the uncharted territory of getting to know them beyond the restaurant’s walls. She struggles with the tension many children of immigrants face: balancing the weight of her parents' sacrifices with her desire to live on her own terms. In this deeply personal journey, she confronts the ways their shared history of love and hardship shaped who they are—and who she has become.
Restaurant Kid is Chinese-Canadian author Rachel Phan’s debut memoir.
More photos from the evening
(From left to right) Leanne Toshiko Simpson, Zalika Reid-Benta, Chika Stacy Oriuwa
Christie Himmelheber
Erin & Winston Bennett
Nolan Bryant (Left) and Zeina Esmail (Right)
Author Carley Fortune (Centre) and guests of Biblio Bash sponsor CIBC
(From Left to Right) Victor Dodig, Andrew Pringle, Chris Tambakis, and Valerie Pringle
Tracy Tong (Left) and Michelle Dubé (Right)
More from Fête Chiniose
The Toronto Public Library (TPL) Foundation’s Biblio Bash returned to the Toronto Reference Library yesterday. This annual black-tie fundraiser is known for its elegant evening at the iconic library, where celebrated authors joined guests for dinner throughout the atrium. Funds raised from the event support TPL’s vital programs.
Last year’s event raised funds for the Foundation’s Newcomer Community Initiative, and this year, Biblio Bash surpassed its fundraising target, bringing in an impressive $1,070,100 to support youth programs and initiatives focused on social health and mental wellness for teens across Toronto.