Redbud Writing Project presents: An Enchanted Evening Gala & Fundraiser

We are so thrilled to announce that we’re going to be holding our third annual fundraising gala on Saturday, November 7 at The Honeysuckle Tea House in Hillsborough. This fabulous event will be fairytale themed!

The night will include:

• A buffet dinner from Med Deli
• An open bar (beer and wine!)
• Outdoor and indoor spaces decorated with dark fairytale enchantment
• Photo oppertunties
• Fairy hair
• A reading from NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green
• A silent auction with prizes from amazing local businesses including Figulina, the Umstead, Filaree, Deco Raleigh, M Sushi, and many more
• PLEASE NOTE THAT COSTUMES ARE NOT REQUIRED! You can dress up if you want (Pinterest board to come) but if you want to wear normal cocktail attire, that’s also completely fine.
• For those who select the VIP ticket: you are cordially invited to arrive at the venue at 4 p.m. for a special VIP experience. From 4-5 p.m., you'll get to herd sheep with a professional shepherd onsite at the farm. Then, from 5-6:30 p.m., you're invited to a special cocktail hour featuring champagne, hors d'oeuvres, swag bags, live music, and a chance to talk to local literary luminaries who will also be in attendance. At 6:30, the main gala begins!

WHY A FUNDRAISING GALA?

Creative writing changes lives. It’s fun, meaningful, and an essential tool of wellness and healing. But too often, creative writing courses are not accessible to people who need them most.

That’s what Redbud aims to change. We are a community organization whose goal is to provide the community, catharsis, and craft of writing to everyone, not just those who can afford it.

This gala will be Redbud’s main fundraiser for 2026. All proceeds from ticket sales and from the auction will go towards:

—Keeping Redbud tuition costs affordable. We provide subsidized tuition options for our writing classes, and 98 percent of our students over the years have benefited from that option. Supporting Redbud means keeping our tuition costs low and accessible.

—Our scholarship fund. To date, Redbud has offered more than $25,000 in scholarships to students who cannot afford to pay any tuition for our courses. Our scholarship fund has helped low-income single mothers to write their books in our Novel Intensive; it’s helped writers of color craft short stories in our Intro to Fiction courses. More scholarships means more opportunities for writers who hail from marginalized or under-represented backgrounds.

—Completely free classes for marginalized and under-represented writers. To date, Redbud has offered tuition-free community classes for people in addiction recovery; incarcerated people; survivors of domestic violence; BIPOC writers; unhoused writers; low-income seniors living in a rural area; writers seeking to set down their stories of reproductive justice; and more. We’ve partnered with Healing Transitions, InterAct, Planned Parenthood, the Durham Center for Senior Life, RUMAH, Raleigh Rescue Mission, and more to create safe spaces for hundreds of students to connect with others and tell their stories. As one student, L, said, “This class changed my life.” And another, J, said, “The class provides such a beautiful space for survivors of domestic violence to come together to not only process various trauma through creative writing, but also to build community.”

Our goal is to raise $50,000 to support the above initiatives.

Get your ticket today and mark your calendar for November 7!