By Sylvia Wagman, Member of the Kutz Senior Living Auxiliary
The Kutz Auxiliary is proud to present Emily Spivack as the featured speaker at our Annual Donor Brunch on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.
Emily grew up in Wilmington. She is the daughter of Dennis Spivack and our auxiliary member, the late Marcy Spivack. In a December 31, 2014 article about Emily by Bob Yearick in Out & About Greater Wilmington, we learned that Emily’s interest in the meaning inherent in clothing goes back to her days at Brandywine High School and her studies in art semiotics—the study of signs and symbols at Brown University:
. . . Spivack is an old soul. She has always shown an appreciation for the symbolism and meaning inherent in pieces of clothing—and people—who have seen a few years of wear. That’s why, in high school and during her days at Brown University, thrift stores were a favorite destination for her and her friends. And that’s why she enjoyed joining her maternal grandmother, Pearl Bregman, for yoga classes at the Center for Lifelong Learning at UD.
Emily began her writing career while living in New York and on the faculty of Pratt Institute. She published her debut book, Worn Stories, in 2014, a collection of over 60 narratives about articles of clothing by the people who wear them, including Greta Gerwig and Rosanne Cash. It became a New York Times bestseller. Worn in New York followed in 2017, containing first person accounts of funny and poignant stories such as one about the boots a passenger had on when his plane landed on the Hudson River. Other contributors included Aubrey Plaza, Dick Cavett, and Lena Dunham.
From 2017 to 2018 Emily was an artist-in-residence at the Museum of Modern Art, where she invited visitors to contribute to an archive of everything worn to MoMA from November 1, 2017, to January 28, 2018. It is now a permanent part of MoMA’s Archives.
In 2021 Emily added executive producer to her long list of credentials—artist, writer, teacher, and editor—when Worn Stories was turned into a miniseries on Netflix. Creator Jenji Kohan (Orange Is the New Black) adapted the eight-episode series from Emily’s bestselling book. In this funny and heartfelt docuseries, real people share the fascinating and quirky stories around their most meaningful pieces of clothing.
Just last year Emily produced the Hulu documentary Patrice: The Movie. It is about a disabled couple in their 50s, Patrice and Garry, who want to marry but risk losing their benefits if they do. Despite the risk, they decide to hold a commitment ceremony. Patrice appeared in one of the episodes of the miniseries Worn Stories. The film was a 2025 nominee for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary.
Start thinking about what you are going to wear when you join us on May 7 to hear Emily relate some of her many stories.
Callout Box Information:
A presentation by Emily Spivack
Auxiliary of the Kutz Senior Living Campus Annual Donor Brunch
Wednesday, May 7, 2025, 11:00 AM–1:30 PM
Harry’s Savoy Grill, 2020 Naamans Road,
Wilmington, DE 19810
R.S.V.P. requested by Tuesday, April 15, 2025.
Proceeds from this event will help support the residents of Kutz Rehabilitation & Nursing and Lodge Lane Assisted Living and Memory Care.
For questions contact
Iris Vinokur, 302-530-4487
Go to this link to register: https://www.kutzseniorliving.org/auxiliary/
