Literary Society Hosts Irish Book of Year Author

Colm Tóibín (Capehart)

(Press Release) (Palm Beach, FL.) – MorseLife Health System concluded the 17th season of its Literary Society Series “Breakfast with the Authors” with Colm Tóibín on March 13, 2025, at The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach. Guests listened as the Irish Book of the Year winner discussed his writing process and the inspiration behind his latest novel, Long Island. This year’s Literary Society series was hosted by Cynthia Berenson, Penny Blumenstein and Marlene Strauss.

---

Annually, the intimate morning breakfast Q&A series with esteemed authors offers not only an intimate opportunity to hear straight from prestigious writers, but also an exciting chance for President and CEO of MorseLife Health System Keith A. Myers to share updates on activities at the premier senior living facility and outreach programming funded by MorseLife. At this event, Myers spotlighted MorseLife’s Holocaust Learning Experience (HLE), a program to transform painful lessons of history into hope for future generations, to foster a deep sense of empathy and to fulfill the moral imperative Never to Forget. 
 
“Through our Holocaust Learning Experience we don’t teach the Holocaust through the history of the Holocaust; we teach lessons from the Holocaust and that’s really important in today’s society with a rise in antisemitism,” said Myers. “We want these students to understand the importance of resilience, courage, embracing civility and the forced development of strong moral hope because they will be confronted with propaganda when they go to college. The Holocaust Learning Experience has touched more than 1.3 million students and we just received word that we received a grant from the World Zionist Organization this year that will bring HLE to five more states: Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, New Mexico and California. We’re excited to share we will be offering our HLE projects in Spanish.”
 
Long Island, a poignant novel, revisits Eilis Lacey, the main character from his award-winning novel Brooklyn. Set in the mid-1970s and unfolding between Ireland and Long Island, the story delves into themes of grief, love and loneliness. Tóibín masterfully explores Eilis’s internal world as she navigates the lingering emotional complexities of her past while confronting the challenges of her present life.
 
“In the summer of 1967, my father died, and for months afterward, people from our small town came to the house every evening, offered condolences and shared gossip – some of it fascinating, some of it barely interesting, but all of it a gift to a 12-year-old aspiring novelist,” said Tóibín. “One evening, a woman came, and she spoke not about New York, not about America or Manhattan, but about Brooklyn. Her daughter was in Brooklyn and she had letters from Brooklyn. For some reason, that story stayed in my mind – I mean, all of the stories stayed in my mind – but that one lodged there…it remained with me for years, resurfacing every so often as I thought about the lives people left behind and the secrets they carried. And years later, when I was working on a novel, I realized that here was a story, maybe just a short story, maybe a novel, but it had an arc.”
 
"This season has been an incredible journey, bringing together some of the most brilliant literary minds of our time," said Ashley Robinson, Vice President of Events at MorseLife. "We are already looking forward to celebrating our 18th season next year, where we will continue to present thought-provoking discussions, compelling stories and an unforgettable experience for our members."
 
For over 40 years, MorseLife Health System has been transforming perspectives on aging by designing a dynamic integrated model of residences, healthcare and services to optimize and reaffirm life for older adults at every stage. Its programs include independent and assisted living, short-term rehabilitation, memory long-term care, private and skilled home health care, Hospice, palliative care, meals-on-wheels, cannabis-based therapies, care management and counseling, homebound Mitzvah program, MorseLife Foundation and PACE – Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly.
 
Attendance at the breakfast with authors series is by invitation only when joining MorseLife’s Annual Giving Society. For more information about MorseLife Health System or the Literary Society Series, visit www.morselife.org, email [email protected] or call 561.242.4661.