Site Navigation Menu
The Camden Public Library continues its Millay Society Author Series with a special Author Teatime and Discussion featuring Annabelle Tometich and Abi Balingit in our beautiful Reading Room. This event is free for Millay Society members and is open to the public with a suggested donation of $15.
Join us in the historic Reading Room of the Camden Public Library on Monday, July 28 at 3:00 p.m. for a delightful afternoon of tea and literary inspiration. Acclaimed food writer, Annabelle Tometich, and author/baker, Abi Balingit, will discuss food, family, and the nurturing power of storytelling. This special event offers a rare opportunity to connect with these talented authors in an intimate setting, while enjoying a selection of fine teas and some of Abi’s lovely treats! The Mango Tree and Mayumu will also be for sale at the event with an opportunity for signing. Millay Society members receive a 20% discount on book purchases!
When the pandemic started her lonely work-from-home life in 2020, Abi Balingit channeled all her energy into the one thing that brought her joy: baking. In her tiny, dimly lit, shared kitchen, she produced hundreds of “pasalubong” (souvenir) boxes filled with especially creative treats that blended the Filipino treats and Western style baked goods she grew up with. Each time, she’d sell out within hours and donated the proceeds to support her community in need.
Now Abi shares some of these cult-favorite desserts with Mayumu (which means “sweet” in one of the 8 major languages in Philippines), an incredibly fresh baking book of 75 recipes that span from the never-before-seen, incredibly inventive flavor combinations that Abi dreamed up, to the more familiar, classic Filipino favorites.
Throughout, essays following Abi’s heritage and self-discovery introduce the flavors and experiences that have shaped her life, from visiting the motherland and her parents’ birthplace in Pampanga, Philippines, to California where she grew up and went to school, to her current home, Brooklyn, NY. This beautiful book is a celebration of the Filipino American experience, perfect for home bakers wanting both nostalgic and excitingly new recipes.
Annabelle Tometich went from medical-school reject to line cook to journalist to author. She spent 18 years as a food writer and restaurant critic for The News-Press in her hometown of Fort Myers, Florida. Her first book, The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony was called “sweet, sharp” by The New York Times, and was named among the best books of 2024 by The Washington Post and NPR.
With clear-eyed compassion and piercing honesty, The Mango Tree is a family saga that navigates the tangled branches of Annabelle’s life, from her childhood days in an overflowing house flooded by balikbayan boxes, vegetation, and juicy mangoes, to her winding path from medical school hopeful to restaurant critic. It is a love letter to her fellow Filipino Americans, her lost younger self, and the beloved fruit tree at the heart of her family. But above all, it is an ode to Annabelle’s hot-blooded, whip-smart mother Josefina, a woman who made a life and a home of her own, and without whom Annabelle would not have herself.
The Millay Society recognizes individuals and businesses who support the future of the library with a minimum annual donation of $1,250 or monthly recurring gifts of $105. These donors take up the mission of ensuring a solid base of support for continual improvement of library collections, programs, and the grounds of Harbor Park and the Amphitheatre.
The Millay Society is named in honor of Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950). Millay, raised in Camden, was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in poetry. Her life and her poetry are celebrated examples of freedom and individualism. Millay was committed to intellectual pursuits and the liberation of ideas – ideals kept alive at the Camden Public Library.