“My grandfather’s Heaven is bloodless and I am not. Let him offer a better place, where we may love and sing and grow as we are wont, where our children and our children’s children may join us, and I will go.”
~ Jacqueline Carey, Kushiel’s Dart
The Longest Night Midwinter Masque is an all volunteer event, celebrating the Kushiel’s Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey. The annual masquerade ball is an opportunity for fans of the book series to meet and socialize at a formal costume party. An original storyline, taking place between the second and third trilogies of the series, provides guests with a framework for a night of live action role play.
We honor people of all identities under Blessed Elua’s tenet of “Love as thou wilt.”
Originally conceived as a charity fundraiser, the first and second Masques – in December 2016 and 2017 – were held in Eastern Pennsylvania. The event changed hands with a move to Northern Virginia in January 2019. In 2022, a new leadership group took over operation of the Masque.
Our Board of Directors
Kris Hopper (she/they)
Kris (she/they) has joined the planning committee for the Longest Night Midwinter Masque this year as the committee chair. Mostly this involves checking in and keeping things on track to be ready in time. They were first introduced to the world of Terre d’Ange while visiting friends in another province while in high school. They managed to borrow and read the first two books over the course of a two week visit while also being social. Ever since she has been in love with the world so naturally, when seeing a social media post in 2016 for the first Masque, they absolutely had to go. She is one of the people who attends every year from what has been lovingly named the Canadian Contingent. During the Longest Night they play Tryphosa Katseros nó Valerian, Second of Valerian House.
Lucinda Bennett (she/her)
Lucinda (she/her) has been involved with planning the Longest Night Midwinter Masque since 2018. She works as the Decoration Director for the event. This responsibility includes searching for lovely items all year round, designing the ballroom layout, transporting the decorations, and assembling the final look. She also serves as Secretary to the Board of Directors during monthly meetings. The first time she read Kushiel’s Dart was in college, when a copy was handed over with clear instructions – read this book, you wont regret it. When not planning the masquerade, she enjoys collecting romance novels and traveling. During the Longest Night she plays Rosanna Baphinol nó Valerian, Dowayne of Valerian House.
Az Funk (they/them)
Az (they/them) has been involved with planning the Longest Night Midwinter Masque since 2018. They serve as the Entertainment Coordinator for the event. Their duties include choreographing the Winter Queen and Sun Prince pageant, arranging the live music and performances, and leading the period dance classes. Their love for Terre d’Ange started when they found copies of the first trilogy backstage in the green room of the theatre they were working in at the time. They read the first book backstage and took all three books home with them when the show closed and never looked back! They play Odilia nó Dahlia at the Longest Night Masque. Check out Odilia’s story and the blog.
Brittany Cruz (she/her)
This is Brittany’s (she/her) first year being involved with planning the Longest Night Midwinter Masque, though she has attended 5 previous masques, including the first one where she had the honor of portraying the Winter Queen. She is the Finance Director and the WebMistress. She is a finance professional with a life long passion for academia, specifically religions, science, and math. She first found the Kushiel’s books back in 2005 while at a book store looking for a completely different book, of course she bought both and she is very happy with the decision. During the longest night, she is Aliksandria nó Cereus, Dowayne of Cereus house.
Amy Fowler (she/her)
Amy (she/her) has been an attendee since 2017 and joined the Board as Communications Director in 2022. The Communications Department handles Social Media posts, emails, and general correspondence. She was exposed to the world of Jaqueline Carey through close friends who were also fans of the series. Amy has a special passion for costuming and cosplay which she puts to use as one of our costume contest judges. She also loves history and travel. Her D’Angeline alter-ego is the much belabored third of Cereus House, Aimee nó Cereus.
Amy Norton (she/her)
Amy (she/her) joined the committee in 2023 after experiencing first hand how open & welcoming the community has grown. She is hoping her marketing ideas bring more people into the fold. A lifelong bibliophile, her library is her pride & joy, second only to her kids. Now that her kids are adult(ish), she hopes to travel to events more in the future. The story of how Amy found the books is a strange one that proves fate plays a long game (she’ll gladly tell you if you ask).
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