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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251007T170000
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SUMMARY:An Evening with Elaine Neil Orr\, Author of Dancing Woman\, in Conversation with Bren McClain
DESCRIPTION:NeverMore Books and the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with visiting novelist Elaine Neil Orr\, author of Dancing Woman\, in conversation with fellow novelist Bren McClain\, award-winning author of One Good Mama Bone. Free and open to public\, this in-person event will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.\, Beaufort) on Tuesday\, October 7\, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.\, with books available for sale and signing through NeverMore Books. Seating is limited; please call the store to reserve your spot: 843-379-7025. \nABOUT THE BOOK\nElaine Neil Orr\, born in Nigeria to expat parents\, brings us an indelible portrait of a young female artist\, torn between two men and two cultures\, struggling to find her passion and her purpose. It’s 1963 and Isabel Hammond is an expat who has accompanied her agriculture aid worker husband to Nigeria\, where she is hoping to find inspiration for her art and for her life. Then she meets charismatic local singer Bobby Tunde\, and they share a night of passion that could upend everything. Seeking solace and distraction\, she returns to her painting and her home in a rural town where she plants a lemon tree and unearths an ancient statue buried in her garden. She knows that the dancing female figure is not hers to keep\, yet she is reluctant to give it up\, and soon\, she notices other changes that make her wonder what the dancing woman might portend. \nAgainst the backdrop of political unrest in Nigeria\, Isabel’s personal situation also becomes precarious. She finds herself in the center of a tide of suspicion\, leaving her torn between the confines of her domestic life and the desire to immerse herself in her art and in the culture that surrounds her. The expat society\, the ancient Nigerian culture\, her beautiful family\, and even the statue hidden in a back room—each trouble and beguile Isabel. Amid all of this\, can she finally become who she wants to be? \n“Sure to become a popular book club pick.”—Southern Review of Books \n“Brimming with vivid description\, deeply rooted in time and place\, and with a fascinating cast of complicated\, enigmatic characters\, Dancing Woman is ultimately a story of longing—for a sense of self\, community\, redemption\, and healing—and a profound exploration of the transformative power of art in its many forms.”—Charles Frazier\, Cold Mountain and The Trackers \n“The urgency of protagonist Isabell Hammond’s voice and her desires mixed with the dreaminess and other-worldliness of the setting creates a singularly spellbinding and original read. I literally could not put this book down!”—Lee Smith\, Silver Alert and The Last Girls \nABOUT THE AUTHOR\nThe author of six books\, Elaine Neil Orr was born and grew up among the forests and rivers of Southwestern Nigeria. Her explorations of home and exile and spiritual connection are rooted in those rich formative years. She comes to the American South by way of that other South in West Africa. After devoting herself to literary scholarship in the early part of her career\, Elaine could no longer resist the call of creative writing. She first published a memoir\, Gods of Noonday: A White Girl’s African Life\, followed by two novels\, A Different Sun and Swimming Between Worlds\, finalist for the 2019 Phillip H. McMath Post-Publication Book Award in fiction. Dancing Woman is her third novel. \nElaine has received numerous prizes and awards\, including most recently the 2023 John Ehle Prize\, North Carolina Literary Review\, and the 2021 Denny C. Plattner Award in Creative Writing\, Appalachian Review. She has won grants from the NEH\, the North Carolina Arts Council\, and North Carolina Humanities. Elaine received her Ph.D. from Emory University and is Professor of English at North Carolina State University. She also serves on the faculty of the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing. She lives in Raleigh\, North Carolina\, with her husband\, Andy\, and their beloved pup\, Sam. \nABOUT THE INTERVIEWER\nBren McClain’s critically acclaimed debut novel One Good Mama Bone won the 2017 Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction and the 2018 Patricia Winn Award for Southern Literature. It was also named Pulpwood Queen 2017 Book of the Year\, a 2017 Great Group Reads by the Women’s National Book Association\, a Southeastern Independent Booksellers Association (SIBA) Okra pick\, longlisted for SIBA’s Southern Book Prize and a finalist for the 2018 Crook’s Corner Prize. Most recently\, the French translation (retitled Mama Red) was selected for the 2021 Prix Maya\, an award given for France’s best animal novel. Bren is now working on her next novel\, which has already received the gold medal for the William Faulkner Novel-in-Progress. Bren hails from upstate South Carolina\, Anderson\, where her novel is set.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/an-evening-with-elaine-neil-orr-author-of-dancing-woman-in-conversation-with-bren-mcclain/
LOCATION:Pat Conroy Literary Center
CATEGORIES:Other
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251009T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251009T193000
DTSTAMP:20260506T211444
CREATED:20260427T134523Z
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SUMMARY:Open Mic Night--Featuring Debut Novelist Mary J. Nestor\, Author of Bus No. 7
DESCRIPTION:The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on Thursday\, October 9\, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured novelist will be Mary J. Nestor\, author of Bus No. 7. Open Mic will also include short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres. \nInterested in reading as part of Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. \nAbout Our Featured Author\nMary J. Nestor attended Marquette University in Wisconsin\, and has a bachelor of Business Administration from Washington Adventist University. She has previously published a children’s book\, Emily’s Best Birthday Party Ever! Her career as a manager\, consultant\, and human resources director inspired her second book\, Say It Now! Say It Right! How to Handle Tough and Tender Conversations. Nestor enrolled in a writer’s conference in 2016\, resulting in Bus No. 7\, a finalist in the Novel-In-Progress category of the 2022 William Faulkner Literary Competition.\nNestor lives on Hilton Head Island\, where she also sings with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Chorus and the Hilton Head Choral Society. \n“Mary Nestor’s debut novel introduces a collection of unsavory and dangerous characters that sweep the reader into a dark landscape of crime and addiction where even the savvy detective has to play catch-up. Bus No. 7 has readers wondering—what awaits when they turn the next page?”—Karen Dove Barr\, author of Burnt Pot Island  \n“Bus No. 7 is an action-packed ride filled with high-voltage suspense and characters who aren’t always what they seem. The twists and turns in this edgy thriller had me riveted past my bedtime. Mary J. Nestor is a masterful storyteller\, and I hope she’s writing a sequel.”—Helen P. Bradley\, author of Breach of Trust
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/open-mic-night-featuring-debut-novelist-mary-j-nestor-author-of-bus-no-7/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251011T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251011T160000
DTSTAMP:20260506T211444
CREATED:20260427T134523Z
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SUMMARY:Let Freedom Read Day at Witness Tree Park
DESCRIPTION:“Here is all I ask of a book- give me everything. Everything\, and don’t leave out a single word.”—Pat Conroy\, My Reading Life \nUpdate: Due to weather\, this event will be held inside the Conroy Center. \nOn Let Freedom Read Day\, Saturday\, October 11\, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center\, the South Carolina chapter of Authors Against Book Bans\, and the DAYLO student book club will host a reading at Witness Tree Park from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Honoring the final day of Banned Books Week\, this special event will feature brief readings by local writers and students from frequently challenged and banned books as well as works about pro-literacy advocacy\, and original works responding to censorship and erasures. Scheduled to appear: novelist Rebecca Dwight Bruff\, poet Tim Conroy\, essayist Jonathan Haupt\, poet Miho Kinnas\, memoirist Carol Lucas\, poet Susan Madison\, poet Jacquelyn Markham\, novelist Valerie Sayers\, and DAYLO. \nWitness Tree Park is located across King Street from the Conroy Center’s location at 601 Bladen Street in Beaufort. The Center and DAYLO will also host the monthly Silent Book Club Beaufort meet-up that same afternoon\, afterwards from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/let-freedom-read-day-at-witness-tree-park/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20251011T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20251011T183000
DTSTAMP:20260506T211444
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SUMMARY:Silent Book Club Beaufort
DESCRIPTION:Silent Book Club Beaufort\, a unique take on the traditional book club\, will meet on Saturday\, October 11\, from 4:30 to 6:30PM at the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St.). 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. \nSilent Book Club Beaufort is co-sponsored by the Conroy Center and the student book club DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization). \nUnlike traditional book clubs\, Silent Book Club Beaufort has no assigned reading\, no deadlines\, and no discussions required. Whether you prefer ebooks\, audiobooks\, comic books\, textbooks\, or paperbacks\, readers are invited to bring their book of choice\, settle in\, and savor the joy of uninterrupted reading among like-minded individuals. \nSilent Book Club Beaufort also features a book swap: Leave a book\, take a book.  \nThe casual meetups provide an excellent opportunity to discover new book recommendations\, make friends\, and reconnect with the love of reading. Whether you’re a lifelong bookworm or just getting back into reading\, everyone is welcome.  \nSilent Book Club Beaufort is free to attend and proudly supports local businesses and organizations. Additional dates and locations will be announced via the SBCB Instagram page at www.instagram.com/silentbookclubbeaufort.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/silent-book-club-beaufort-2/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
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