The Heritage Days Symposium Subcommittee, in partnership with The Pat Conroy Literary Center, is hosting the 2024 History Symposium: Where It All Began on Friday, November 8, in Frissell Community House on Penn Center campus. The symposium focuses on the historical impact of the Gullah Geechee culture from Africa to present day Beaufort, South Carolina. Registration is from 8:00 a.m. – 8:50 a.m. with sessions starting at 9:00 a.m. Advance and at-the-door registration is $35, which includes a light breakfast and lunch. Register at https://whereitallbegan.eventbrite.com. [...]

The Pat Conroy Literary Center's monthly Open Mic Night will be held virtually on Thursday, November 14, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is poet Mamie Morgan, author of Everyone I've Danced with Is Dead. Open Mic will also feature short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres. Interested in reading as part of Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. About Our Featured Writer Mamie Morgan received an MFA from UNC Wilmington and a BA in [...]

The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with memoirist Nancy Murray, author of No Experience Necessary, on Friday, November 15, at 5:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited; please call in advance to reserve: 843-379-7025. About the Book and Author: In No Experience Necessary, Nancy Murray shares the insights, pitfalls, and strategies that she gleaned along her journey toward meaningful employment. Her [...]

Lowcountry Reads aims to bring our community together by reading a selected book chosen to spark discussion and promote cross-cultural understanding. The 2024 Lowcountry Reads book selection is The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by National Book Award winner James McBride. On Wednesday, November 20, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., the Lowcountry Coalition Against Hate will host a free community conversation about McBride’s novel at the Hilton Head Branch Library (11 Beach City Road), moderated by Dr. Raymond Cox and assisted by youth moderator Patrick [...]

The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with memoirist and cancer survivor William “Billy” Douglas, author of Hope Is All I Have, on Wednesday, December 4, at 6:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited; please call in advance to reserve: 843-379-7025. ABOUT THE BOOK AND AUTHOR The three most shocking words you will ever encounter in your lifetime are: You Have Cancer! [...]

On the first Saturday of every month, you can join the student volunteers of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization for a Teddy Bear Picnic read-aloud at the Port Royal Farmers Market (1615 Ribaut Rd.). In collaboration with the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, high school and college student volunteers from the Beaufort-based chapters of DAYLO gather at the gazebo in Naval Heritage Park from 9:30 a.m. to noon to read diverse, inclusive picture books to children and their families, inspiring a love of stories, [...]

The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host a book launch for Beaufortonian Jared Madison, author of The 30 Day Guide to Inner Peace, on Sunday, December 8, from noon to 2:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing. Light refreshments provided. Please call in advance to reserve: (843) 379-7025. About the Book: One of three writers of the “Wholly Holistics” column in Lowcountry Weekly and host of the [...]

The Pat Conroy Literary Center's monthly Open Mic Night will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on Thursday, December 12, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured presenters is Nancy E. Merrill, author of the new children's holiday book Elf Dust. Open Mic will also feature short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres. Interested in reading as part of Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. About Our Featured Presenter Nancy E. Merrill is a [...]

The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with debut novelist Andrew K. Clark, author of Where Dark Things Grow, in conversation with Dana Ridenour, author of the Lexie Montgomery Series, on Friday, December 13, at 5:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited: please reserve in advance to attend this free author event: 843-379-7025. ABOUT THE NOVEL Fifteen-year-old Leo is watching the world crumble. His father is missing, and [...]

The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host a free public drop-in book signing for local children’s author Nancy E. Merrill, author of the holiday picture book Elf Dust. Join us outside (weather permitting) on Saturday, December 14, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) in downtown Beaufort. No advance registration required. Books will be available for sale and signing. About the Book and Author: Elf Dust is a charming and captivating look into the world of elves, their visits [...]

Join the student volunteers of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization for a special bonus holiday Teddy Bear Picnic read-aloud at the Beaufort County Main Library (311 Scott St., Beaufort) on Saturday, December 21, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. In collaboration with the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, high school and college student volunteers from the Beaufort-based chapters of DAYLO will read from diverse, inclusive picture books to children and their families--including a special selection of some of DAYLO's favorite holiday books. Cozy blankets and [...]

On the first Saturday of every month, you can join the student volunteers of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization for a Teddy Bear Picnic read-aloud at the Port Royal Farmers Market (1615 Ribaut Rd.). In collaboration with the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, high school and college student volunteers from the Beaufort-based chapters of DAYLO gather at the gazebo in Naval Heritage Park from 9:30 a.m. to noon to read diverse, inclusive picture books to children and their families, inspiring a love of stories, [...]

The Pat Conroy Literary Center's monthly Open Mic Night will be as a virtual event, live-streamed to our Facebook page, on Thursday, January 9, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured presenter is Niles Reddick, award-winning short story writer and author of Who's Going to Pray for Me Now? Open Mic will also feature short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres. Interested in reading as part of virtual Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. About Our Featured [...]

Silent Book Club Beaufort, a unique take on the traditional book club, will launch Saturday, January 11, from 4:30pm-6:30pm at the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen St. Designed to offer a relaxed and pressure-free space for readers of all types, this community gathering invites book lovers to enjoy their current reads in a welcoming and peaceful atmosphere. The inaugural Silent Book Club Beaufort is co-sponsored by the Conroy Center and the student book club DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization), bringing together two [...]

The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with award-winning writer Karen Salyer McElmurray, author of the essay collection I Could Name God in Twelve Ways and the novel Wanting Radiance, on Friday, January 24, at 5:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Sponsored in part by WayWord Books, this author event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited; please call in advance to reserve: 843-379-7025. McElmurray will also [...]

Endings and Beginnings Graham Greene once said, “a story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.” This arbitrariness—catching hold of an idea or a dream or a moment of insight—is certainly part of the sheer magic of writing. Deciding how to start a story and how to end it involves careful translation of our original moments of insight. Beginnings and endings become careful revision once we capture the arbitrary [...]

On the first Saturday of every month, you can join the student volunteers of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization for a Teddy Bear Picnic read-aloud at the Port Royal Farmers Market (1615 Ribaut Rd.). In collaboration with the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, high school and college student volunteers from the Beaufort-based chapters of DAYLO gather at the gazebo in Naval Heritage Park from 9:30 a.m. to noon to read diverse, inclusive picture books to children and their families, inspiring a love of stories, [...]

Writing Our Truths: The Power of Autobiographical Poetry & Self-Publishing Your Own Chapbook -- Led by Tayler Simon Turn your life story into a compelling poetry chapbook! This workshop guides you through crafting autobiographical poems that capture personal experiences to resonate with readers. Through a guided writing exercise, you’ll refine your work while learning the basics of self-publishing. We’ll cover chapbook organization, layout, and production options, so you leave ready to bring your unique voice to print. Ideal for poets of all levels, this workshop [...]

The Pat Conroy Literary Center's monthly Open Mic Night will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on Thursday, February 13, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured author is Tayler Simon, founder of Liberation Is Lit and author of Phases and Love and Other Forms of Heartbreak. Open Mic will also feature short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres. Interested in reading as part of Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. About Our Featured [...]

The Pat Conroy Literary Center will host a discussion by a panel of contributing writers to the anthology The Hearbeat of Quiet Streets, all members of the Chapin/Irmo Chapter of the South Carolina Writers Association, on Friday, February 21, at 5:00 p.m. Panelists will discuss both the content of the book as well as its publication. This event is free and open to the public. Copies of the anthology as well as other books by the contributing writers will be available for sale and signing. [...]