Lester's owner Dan Milewski and his wife Nina are hosting a fundraiser dinner at their home on September 5 to benefit artists and writers of The Miami Rail.
The dinner starts at 8 p.m. and costs $75. And because it is a fundraiser for charity, the cost is tax-deductable.
It will be held at the Milewski's home, so space is limited to only 20 people. The small crowd means that it be casual, fun and intimate.
Details about the dinner are scarce, but it will
be a three-course meal with appetizer, entrée and dessert. Nina
Milewski-Johnson, the publisher of The Miami Rail, and a friend will be
preparing the meal.
The Super Tuscan, an Italian red wine from the Lester's
menu, will be served. The dessert will be an all-organic,
locally-sourced mango sorbet made by Nick and Tessa Mencia that is also
from the Lester's menu.
Don't expect anything like the Delano or
Barton G.; it will be a home-style dinner. Plus you will get to eat
with two Miami artists and jam with a couple of DJs who will also be
there.
The Rail is set to publish its second issue since its debut in June. This is the first
fundraiser for online and print magazine, and guests to the dinner will
receive an advance copy of the issue which is set for publication
in September.
"We were hoping to create a smaller, more
intimate event for people who were looking for the types of
conversations with the newspaper that we can have in a live format,"
Milewski-Johnson says. "The idea is just kind of a casual, fun conversation."
The Miami Rail is an independent expansion of The Brooklyn Rail in New York City.
A source of critical information on politics and culture in New York, The Brooklyn Rail is a daily web and monthly publication with a
print circulation of 20,000. This is the first time the Brooklyn
publication is licensing its name beyond the Big Apple.
Although The Brooklyn Rail publishes about 100 articles per month, the Miami version is distributed only four times per year with about 15 pieces of literature
and daily updated web content. So far Milewski-Johnson only publishes fiction,
non-fiction, essays, poetry and some political writing. Grant funds
limit the scope of published content, but she is hoping that will change
soon.
The idea for the home dinner stems from the dinner
discussions hosted by the publisher of the Brooklyn Rail, Phong Bui. And
just like in Brooklyn, you can expect the same kind of intellectual
talk about the current happenings in the Magic City.
"I've always wanted
to host these dinners. It's an excuse to have a good round table
discussion with our friends and open up our home for something
interesting and fun," Milewski-Johnson says.
Space is extremely limited, there are only five seats left. To secure a spot, send a RSVP email to Nina Milewski-Johnson at [email protected]
and she will reply in kind with info on how to get the tax deduction.
If there is good demand, there will be another dinner party for the
next issue, which comes out on December 1.
For the September
issue, 5,000 copies will be printed, with 1,500 mailed to
national subscribers. The rest can be found at places such as Lester's in Wynwood, Miami Art Museum, the University of Miami, Florida International University, Gallery Diet, The Standard Hotel and pretty much all over the rest of the city, just keep your eyes peeled for it.
And they do
take submissions. If you are interested, contact Hunter Braithwaite at [email protected].
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