2023 Festival History

2023 Schedule (October 26-29)

October 26, 2023

12:00 pm TOURS: Pat Conroy Literary Center
2:00 pm WORKSHOP: Say What? A Playful Dialogue Workshop Led by Valerie Sayers
6:30 pm BOOK CLUB: My Losing Season

October 27, 2023

9:00 am WORKSHOP: From Bad to Good to Unputdownable Led by Sean A. Scapellato
11:00 am AUTHOR EVENT: New York Times best-selling author Ron Rash
12:00 pm TOURS: Pat Conroy Literary Center
12:30 pm WORKSHOP: The Gift of Family Led by Freya Manfred
2:00 pm AUTHOR EVENT: Leading Ladies in Southern Fiction
4:00 pm FILM PANEL: Panel discussion of The Lords of Discipline
6:00 pm FILM SCREENING: The Lords of Discipline

October 28, 2023

10:00 am FILM DISCUSSION: The Lords of Discipline
10:30 am WORKSHOP: Excavating Memory into Poetry Led by Jennifer Bartell Boykin
11:15 am AUTHOR EVENT: The Secret Gate: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice During the Collapse of Afghanistan
12:00 pm TOURS: Pat Conroy Literary Center
2:00 pm AUTHOR EVENT: Homeira Qaderi, author of Dancing in the Mosque
3:30 pm POETRY PANEL: Why Poetry Matters
3:30 pm WORKSHOP: Writing a Great Fiction Query Letter Led by Carrie Feron
7:00 pm RECEPTION: 2023 Wrap Party

October 29, 2023

12:00 pm TOURS: Pat Conroy Literary Center
3:00 pm POSTPONED TO 2024: WITNESS TREE PARK RIBBON CUTTING

Partners & Sponsors

The 8th Annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival was made possible by the generous support and collaboration of

  • Robert S. Handler Charitable Trust
  • South Carolina Arts Commission
  • Oyster Cay Collection
  • Eugene A. Rugala & Associates
  • Patricia A. Denkler
  • Hahn Family Wines
  • Lowcountry Real Estate
  • The Cunningham Team – Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
  • Bank of America
  • Bay Street Jewelers
  • Grayco
  • Nadine O’Quinn – Real Estate
  • The Greenery, Inc.
  • Mike McFee, Real Estate

2023 Presenters

SCHEDULED PRESENTERS

Valerie Sayers, Sean A. Scapellato, Ron Rash, Freya Manfred, Mary Kay Andrews, Victoria Benton Frank, Mary Alice Monroe, Cassandra King, Carrie Feron, Thomas Pope, Dr. Sean Heuston, John Warley, Ron Tucker, Jennifer Bartell Boykin, Mitchell Zuckoff, Samuel Aronson, Landon Thorne, Homeira Qaderi, Tim Conroy, Ellen Malphrus, Jeanne Meserve, Jeffrey Blount, and The Beaufort Mass Choir.