New York Times bestselling for adults, young adults, and children Kirsten Miller (Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books and How to Lead a Life of Crime) in conversation with Pat Conroy Literary Center executive director Jonathan Haupt.
#1 New York Times bestselling for adults, young adults, and children Kwame Alexander (The Door of No Return and Black Star) in conversation with Cassie Owens Moore, middle school librarian and South Carolina Association of School Librarians Intellectual Freedom Committee chair.
#1 New York Times bestselling children’s author Raj Haldar (P Is for Pterodactyl and This Book Is Banned), who is also the rapper, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Lushlife, with a special performance of story and songs.
New York Times bestselling writer Cassandra King (Tell Me a Story) in conversation with a trio of Southern mystery authors, Agatha Award-winning and USA Today bestselling novelist Susan M. Boyer (The Liz Talbot Mysteries), Alicia Bessette (The Outer Banks Bookshop Mysteries), and Kristen Ness (At Loggerheads), with a special appearance by Gallery Books vice president and executive editor Carrie Feron.
Honoring our festival’s theme of “I Was Born to Be in a Library,” Pat Conroy Literary Center executive director Jonathan Haupt will present a brief tribute to the essential roles of librarians in the context of Pat Conroy’s legacy. Following that, the festival will present a private pre-screening (freely open to all festival attendees with advance registration) of the feature-length documentary film Banned Together.
FREEDOM TO READ PANEL: Moderated by Pat R. Scales (award-winning retired librarian and author of Banned Books for Kids) in conversation with high school librarian Karen Gareis (featured on 60 Minutes), Julia Garnett (American Library Association Banned Books Week Honorary Youth Chair), and current and past student leaders of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization (featured on Nick News and in Banned Together).
DéLana R.A. Dameron, author of the debut novel Redwood Court (a Reese’s Book Club Pick) in conversation with Ellen Malphrus, USC Beaufort writer in residence. $10/person. Followed by a book signing. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort)
Why Poetry Matters, panel discussion with poets Ron Rash (Poems: New and Selected), Jennifer Bartell Boykin (Traveling Mercy), Freya Manfred (When I Was Young and Old), and Tim Conroy (No True Route), moderated by Ellen Malphrus.
Writer and human rights advocate Homeira Qaderi, author of Dancing in the Mosque: An Afghan Mother's Letter to Her Son, in conversation with author Valerie Sayers.
The Secret Gate: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice During the Collapse of Afghanistan by New York Times bestselling author Mitchell Zuckoff, with former U.S. State Department Special Agent and diplomat Sam Aronson, in conversation with Landon K. Thorne
The Lords of Discipline screenwriter Thomas Pope in conversation with Ron Tucker, executive director of the Beaufort International Film Festival, on the making of the film.
FILM SCREENING: The Lords of Discipline
Panel discussion of The Lords of Discipline with screenwriter Thomas Pope, Citadel English professor Sean Hueston, and Pat Conroy's classmate and fellow author John Warley.
A Conversation with Bestselling Authors Mary Kay Andrews, Victoria Frank, and Mary Alice Monroe, moderated by Cassandra King, with special guest, fiction editor Carrie Feron.
New York Times best-selling author Ron Rash will discuss his new Korean War-era novel The Caretaker in conversation with USC Beaufort writer in residence Ellen Malphrus.
STORYTELLING EVENT: With Moth founder George Dawes Green, featuring MC Jon Goode, Scott Gibbs and the Beaufort Mass Choir, Steve Faulkner of Alibis, Peter Zamuka, and several local storytellers.
Thinking of writing a book? Whether you’re contemplating a novel, a memoir, or a collection of stories, embarking on a book-length manuscript of prose can be daunting.
George Dawes Green, author of the novel The Kingdoms of Savannah, in conversation with Scott Graber. Book signing to follow, at the USC Beaufort Center for the Arts.
Thrity Umrigar, author of the novel Honor, in conversation with Margaret Evans. Book signing to follow, at the USC Beaufort Center for the Arts
FILM SCREENING OF CONRACK, also featuring live vocal performances by Marlena Smalls, teacher recognitions, and a new scholarship announcement, at the USC Beaufort Center for the Arts
Honoring the 50th anniversary of Pat Conroy’s 1972 teaching memoir The Water Is Wide, the panel discussion will include Conroy’s Daufuskie Island student turned celebrity chef and cultural historian Sallie Ann Robinson, historian Larry Rowland, and two of Conroy’s teaching colleagues, George Westerfield and Peter Walter, moderated by Ellen Malphrus
Panel discussion with four winners of the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction: Nathan Harris (The Sweetness of Water), De’Shawn Charles Winslow (In West Mills), Bren McClain (One Good Mama Bone), and Mindy Friddle (Secret Keepers).
Have you ever found yourself stuck, not knowing how to move forward in your writing? Ever wished your writing had more finesse? Or wondered what goes into the making of a fine poem? This class that explores “poetic ingredients” in the areas of content, sound, and form...
Have you ever found yourself stuck, not knowing how to move forward in your writing? Ever wished your writing had more finesse? Or wondered what goes into the making of a fine poem? This class that explores “poetic ingredients” in the areas of content, sound, and form...
The Pat Conroy Literary Festival and the USCB Center for Arts present the publication day book launch for Cassandra King Conroy's highly anticipated new memoir, Tell Me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy. At 7:00 p.m., Cassandra King Conroy will be interviewed by award-winning journalist David Lauderdale on stage at the USCB Center...
We're pleased to announce that the Southern Icons A-Z Photography exhibit curated by Meryl Truett, Donna Rosser, and Rob McDonald will be on display at the USCB Center for the Arts during this year's third annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival...
Join us for a BBQ reception and cash bar, followed by a musical performance by the Tony Award-winning North Carolina string band The Red Clay Ramblers who appears prominently in Pat Conroy’s novel Beach Music...
Acclaimed southern writer Rick Bragg will discuss his new book The Best Cook in the World and his longtime friendship with Pat Conroy in conversation with his interviewer Walter Edgar, South Carolina’s preeminent historian...
"The strands are all there: to the memory nothing is ever really lost," Eudora Welty says, and memoir writing is a great way to discover and explore some of the strands in the rich tapestry of memory we all carry. These two sessions will introduce you to the process of writing memoir by focusing on an important person or moment in your life.
This year’s annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival poetry reading will feature writers Tim Conroy, Melissa Ginsburg, Anthony Grooms, Ellen Malphrus, Quitman Marshall, and Michael O’Keefe reading pieces inspired by our festival theme of the Foundations of Faith, Family and Friendship...
Learn how Pat Conroy became a book collector and what you need to know to become one too. Immortalized in Conroy’s My Reading Life, Cliff Graubart of the Old New York Book Shop treats you to the ins and outs of collecting, how to spot a first edition, and the pitfalls to avoid when...
Southern-based novelists F. Rutledge Hammes (author of A Curious Matter of Men with Wings), Melissa Ginsburg (Sunset City), Chris Offutt (Country Dark), Brian Panowich (Bull Mountain), and moderator Ellen Malphrus (Untying the Moon) will discuss the sometimes dark...
I took one crown jewel from my Jesuit immersion at Gonzaga High School. When the scholarly, charismatic Joseph Monte walked into [our classroom] that first day, he radiated an owl-like authority and a passion for literature I’d never come across…. He brought his love of books and words and fine writing to u...
We're pleased to announce that the Southern Icons A-Z Photography exhibit curated by Meryl Truett, Donna Rosser, and Rob McDonald will be on display at the USCB Center for the Arts during this year's third annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival...
Here’s the deal: Any one thing contains its opposite. It’s true of characters, too. No one is all good or all bad. All weak or all strong. I got this expression from Pulitzer-Prize winning author Rick Bragg, who used it in an interview about his biography of rock n’ roller...
An accomplished group of literary and humanities scholars will trace Pat Conroy's developing and defining interests in issues of faith over decades. Most immediately, panelists will consider Conroy's relationship to specific religions, including Catholicism, the faith he was born into, and Judaism, a faith that fascinated him from boyhood...
Chris Offutt has written screenplays for the award-winning cable TV series True Blood, Treme, and Weeds. Offutt’s Screenwriting Basics workshop offers participants an overview of the skills necessary to write a successful screenplay for TV or film. Topics will include (but are not limited to): software and formatting, techniques for using...
"The strands are all there: to the memory nothing is ever really lost," Eudora Welty says, and memoir writing is a great way to discover and explore some of the strands in the rich tapestry of memory we all carry. These two sessions will introduce you to the process of writing memoir by focusing on an important person or moment in your life.
Originally screened at the Expecting Goodness film festivals in Spartanburg, South Carolina, these films are each based on short stories written by acclaimed South Carolina authors...
Join caterer and cookbook author Debbi Covington for a gourmet boxed luncheon and cooking demonstration featuring some of her favorite lowcountry recipes. You’ll get to sample some southern oldies-but-goodies with new twists, be privy to easy shortcut secrets...
We're pleased to announce that the Southern Icons A-Z Photography exhibit curated by Meryl Truett, Donna Rosser, and Rob McDonald will be on display at the USCB Center for the Arts during this year's third annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival...
Innovative changes in publishing options available to authors and would-be authors make this an exciting time to be a writer and a reader. The self-publishing industry offers independent writers the opportunity to retain creative control and rights to their work.
Finding time for writing is a challenge for many, so let’s learn to make the most of limited time through being better organized for creativity. This class offers productivity advice and tools on how to get started and keep going for maximum creative flow and minimum technical frustration.
You already have all the answers to the questions that arise on your life’s path. Does hearing this make your eyes roll…especially when you’re trying to answer one of those seemingly unsolvable questions on the road to emotional, mental and spiritual growth?
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a globetrotting travel journalist—or what it takes to become one? Travel journalists Lynn and Cele Seldon (www.seldonink.com) have the answers. With more than 45 years of experience between them, the Seldons travel the globe and average more than 100 feature articles annually for a wide variety of publications
We're pleased to announce that the Southern Icons A-Z Photography exhibit curated by Meryl Truett, Donna Rosser, and Rob McDonald will be on display at the USCB Center for the Arts during this year's third annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival...
Final performance of the musical Conrack, written and directed by Granville Burgess, produced by Bonnie Hargrove, presented by the Beaufort Community Theater and featuring an all-local cast. Based on the book The Water Is Wide, by Pat Conroy. Please note that Pat Conroy Literary Festival passes include admittance to the Saturday, October 21, performance. Tickets for the Sunday, October 22, performance must be purchased separately through the USCB Center for the Arts box office. Ticket information: Advance registration required, ticketed event - Buy Tickets Here
Humanizing Teaching: Pat Conroy and the Transformative Power of Teachers Drawn from materials in the Pat Conroy Archive at the University of South Carolina Libraries, this exhibit explores Pat Conroy as a lifelong teacher and learner. Beginning with Conroy’s time as a student at Beaufort High School during his Junior and Senior years, moving to journals and letters he wrote during his time teaching on Daufuskie and finally, highlighting addresses and writings from his career as a bestselling author where he advocated for teachers, this exhibit demonstrates how much Conroy admired, encouraged and championed educators and educational equality.
Children’s Authors & Artists Book Fair featuring Melissa Conroy and lowcountry children’s book authors and artists Patricia (Nolia) Biggerstaff, Amey Lewis, Katie Stagliano, Nina Leipold, and others. Books will be available for sale and signing.
Cake reception and book signing with William E. Dufford. Advance registration required, ticketed event includes Musical, Conversation with William Dufford and Cake Reception & Book Signing SATURDAY BUNDLE TICKET: Use this one ticket for 3 events: 1. Conrack, the Musical 2. William E Dufford in conversion with Carl B. Epps III 3. Cake reception and book signing Buy Bundle Ticket Here
2024 Festival
The ninth annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival will be held November 1-2, 2024, in beautiful Beaufort, South Carolina. Join us as we honor Pat Conroy’s legacy as student, teacher, and mentor through our 2024 festival.
Presented by the Pat Conroy Literary Center the annual festival will be held as a series of author presentations and panel discussions, writing workshops, exhibits, and virtual tours.
Pat Conroy Literary Center
601 Bladen Street
Beaufort, SC 29902 (Map & Directions)
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