Workshop: Grants Make Cents Led by Penny Federspill
2024-04-20 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Register: patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.com
Saturday, April 20, 2024 · 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST
Cost: $25
Limited to 15 participants (A minimum of five participants is needed for this workshop.)
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St Beaufort, SC 29902
Need alone is not enough to win grants. Led by Penny Federspill, Grants Make Cents will provide the basic skills needed to learn the essential elements of successful grant writing. These elements include methods of finding an appropriate grant funder, from your own backyard to paid research data firms.
The presentation will be comprised of all the parts of a grant narrative, accompanied by examples, with special attention directed to needs assessment, objectives, evaluation, and budgeting. This will include hands-on exercises. Time will be allotted to participants to begin to write a grant proposal, with individual assistance as needed. A template will be used to guide the writer; it will be a roadmap to achieving a standard format that can be used and reused. Attendees will also leave with a Tip Sheet and glossary to help in future endeavors.
This in-person workshop will be held at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St.), limited to 15 participants. (A minimum of 5 needed to hold the class.) $25/person.
Learn more and register at https://patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.com
Website: Facebook Event Page
About our instructor:
Penny Federspill has been able to merge her love of learning with helping others to gain access to “free money.” She has 40 years of experience in public school environments in Ohio and South Carolina as an instructor, educator, and administrator. Ms. Federspill has researched, developed, and organized her business, Grants Make Cents, resulting in dozens of funded grants, grant writing workshops, and contracts as a grant consultant.
As a city Grant Administrator, she gained successful experience with community education and environmental grants and a $225,000 Federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). As a part-time school district Grant Administrator she wrote community education grants, grants for drug-free programs, and Effective Schools grants. She holds education degrees and has earned recognition from several grant educational institutions. Locally, she found a grant for a sweetgrass basket designer and wrote a grant for the first after school program for a Beaufort County high school.

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

An Evening with poet Ray McManus
2024-04-25 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | The Rhett House Inn, 1009 Craven St., Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Thursday, April 25, 2024 – 5:00-6:30 PM EDT
Price: Free
Registration: Seating is limited; please call to reserve your spot: 843-379-7025.
Venue (UPDATED): Rhett House Inn’s garden (1009 Craven St., Beaufort)
Website: Facebook Event Page
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with award-winning poet Ray McManus, author of The Last Saturday in America, on Thursday, April 25, at 5:00 p.m., at the Rhett House Inn’s garden (1009 Craven St., Beaufort). This is an outdoor event. Free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-379-7025.
About The Last Saturday in America
“These are poems about boys listening to men who were once boys who listened to men, the blind leading the blind leading the blind through the dark. Some boys grow up. Some men never do. Ray McManus has chipped away at the pageantry and performance, the stupidity of the lie, the outright futility of it all…. The Last Saturday In America is, ‘a song that pays homage / to a history of work we should’ve done better.’ Here’s hoping one day we do.” —David Joy, author of Those We Thought We Knew, from the introduction
For fans of Americana music and a beer after mowing the lawn, The Last Saturday in America confronts the long shadow of Southern masculinity.
The Last Saturday in America is set in a nation on the precipice of great change. Through examinations of suburban neighbors, bullies, gun violence, and vasectomy appointments, Ray McManus draws a portrait of American masculinity in the face of political division, pandemic, and cultural warfare. McManus’s speaker is caught between the way he was raised and the future he wants to see for who he is raising. He can no longer rely on what he thought he knew, nor does he know what to do about it. The man rendered in these pages is a father, a son, a Southerner. And he is willing to burn it all down and start something new, only to see that the new start he is looking for has been with him the whole time.
About Ray McManus
Ray McManus is the author of four books of poetry: Punch. (winner of the 2015 Independent Publishers Book Award for Best Book of Poetry in North America), Red Dirt Jesus (selected by Alicia Ostriker for the Marick Press Poetry Prize 2011), and Driving through the country before you are born (winner of the South Carolina Book Prize in 2006), and a chapbook called Left Behind. He is the co-editor for the anthology Found Anew with notable contributors with South Carolina ties. His poems have been published in numerous journals such as Crazyhorse, Prairie Schooner, and POETRY magazine.
He lives in South Carolina where he teaches for USC Sumter and serves as the Writer in Residence for the Columbia Museum of Art.

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

Pat Conroy Book Club: A Lowcountry Heart
2024-04-25 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | The Rhett House Inn, 1009 Craven St., Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Thursday April 25, 2024 – 6:30-7:30 PM EDT
Price: $10
Registration: Register at Eventbrite | Limited to 20 participants
Venue: The Rhett House Inn | 1009 Craven St., Beaufort
Website: Facebook Event Page
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center and the award-winning Rhett House Inn will host a monthly book club discussion of Pat Conroy’s dozen books in order of publication, moderated by Charlene Spearen and Jonathan Haupt. Book discussions will be held on fourth Thursdays beginning at 6:30 p.m. Limited to 20 participants each month. $10/person. Advance registration required. Participants are expected to read the books and to come prepared to discuss them.
Discussions will be held at The Rhett House Inn (1009 Craven St., Beaufort)
Register at Eventbrite
January 25: South of Broad
February 21: My Reading Life
March 28: The Death of Santini
April 25: A Lowcountry Heart
ABOUT OUR DISCUSSION LEADERS
Dr. Charlene Monahan Spearen received her MFA degree in Creative Writing and a Ph.D. in Composition and Rhetoric from the University of South Carolina. She is currently serving as the Public Relations and Special Projects Coordinator for Penn Center after a successful career in academia at Allen University. She served as the Program Coordinator for the University of South Carolina’s Arts Institute and was the Assistant Director for the South Carolina Poetry Initiative. In addition to her work throughout the Carolinas, Spearen has been a featured reader and Creative Writing instructor and scholar in County Monaghan and County Mayo, Ireland. She has published a full-length collection of poems titled A Book of Exquisite Disasters. Her poems have appeared in journals and publications throughout the United States.
Jonathan Haupt is the executive director of the nonprofit Conroy Center and the former director of the University of South Carolina Press, where he created the Story River Books fiction imprint with Pat Conroy, named by Garden & Gun magazine as one of “the top ten things to love about the South.” Haupt’s book reviews and author interviews have appeared in the Charleston Post and Courier, Lowcountry Weekly, Beaufort Lifestyle, Savannah Morning News’ Beacon magazine, Southern Review of Books, and Southern Writers Magazine’s Suite T blog. He is co-editor of the anthology Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, the recipient of seventeen book awards. He serves on the boards of the Friends of South Carolina Libraries and the South Carolina Academy of Authors. In 2020, Haupt was recognized with the Doug Marlette Literacy Leadership Award presented by the Pulpwood Queens, the largest book club in the U.S.

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

An Evening with Mark Larson, Award-winning Educator and Author
2024-04-29 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Beaufort Bookstore, 2127 Boundary St, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Monday, April 29, 2024 – 5:00-6:30 PM EDT
Price: Free
Registration: Seating is limited; please call to reserve your spot: 843-525-1066.
Venue: Beaufort Bookstore (2127 Boundary St, #15, Beaufort)
Website: Facebook Event Page
The Beaufort Bookstore and the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with Mark Larson, award-winning educator and author of Working in the 21st Century: An Oral History of American Work in a Time of Social and Economic Transformation, on Monday, April 29, at 5:00 p.m., at the Beaufort Bookstore (2127 Boundary St, #15, Beaufort).
Larson will be in conversation with two of the interview subjects of his book, Dr. N’kia J. Campbell, officer of academic initiatives for the Beaufort County School District, and Bradley Tarrance, principal of Robert Smalls Leadership Academy.
Free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-525-1066.
About the Book
Esquire magazine has named Working in the 21st Century as One of the Best Books of 2024 (so far).
From nurses and teachers to wildland firefighters and funeral directors—this oral history offers an intimate, honest, and illuminating collection of interviews that reveal what it’s like to work in America at this historic and volatile moment in time.
Author Mark Larson sits down with more than one hundred workers from across the socioeconomic spectrum as they share their experiences with work and what it has meant in their lives—the good, the bad, the mundane, and the profound. Doulas, firefighters, chefs, hairstylists, executives, actors, stay-at-home parents, and so many more talk about what they do all day and how it aligns (or doesn’t) with what they want to be doing with their lives. The pandemic, the ensuing “Great Resignation,” and the current reckonings with racial justice are among the forces that are now upending and reshaping our longstanding relationships with work. Larson’s interviews display how these forces collide in the lives of average Americans as they tell their own stories with passion, heartbreak, and, ultimately, hope.
Working in the 21st Century asks why we show up—or don’t—to the jobs we’ve chosen, and how the upheaval of the past few years has changed how we perceive the work we do. It will be released to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Studs Terkel’s 1974 classic Working.
“Mark Larson’s superb and robust oral storytelling brings new light to the life of work. His book explores the intricacies of people working in these 21st-century times and shows that while work has been transformed, it is also becoming more relevant and powerful than ever.”—Laura Washington, Chicago Tribune contributing columnist and ABC7 Chicago political analyst
“Mark Larson appeared in one of Studs Terkel’s books and is clearly an admirer of America’s 20th-century storyteller. While Working in the 21st Century celebrates the 50th anniversary of Studs’s Working, the book, through its diversity and clarity, portrays both the similarities and differences of work 50 years later. Larson is a wonderful oral historian and the stories he tells depict the realities of work at the present time. His interviews and writing bring alive the breadth and depth of what it means to live in 2024.”—Alan Wieder, author of Studs Terkel: Politics, Culture, but Mostly Conversation
About the Author
Mark Larson is a Chicago-based writer and educator who holds a doctorate in educational leadership. Larson has worked at Evanston Township High School, the Field Museum, Lincoln Park Zoo, and National Louis University.
He is the author of two books on education and Ensemble: An Oral History of Chicago Theater, for which he conducted over 300 interviews with Chicago theater artists, past and present. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Mary. They have twin daughters and twin grandsons.

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

South Carolina Academy of Authors 2024 Induction - Ann Head
2024-05-03 12:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Beaufort County Library Main Branch, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
When: Friday May 3, 2024 | 12:30 – 1:30 pm EDT
Where: Beaufort County Library Main Branch (311 Scott St., Beaufort)
Advance Registration Required: Eventbrite | Free
Ann Head author presentation by her daughters Nancy Thode and Stacey Ahner at Beaufort County Library Main Branch (311 Scott St., Beaufort), presented in partnership with the Beaufort District Collection. This special event will also include recognition of the 2024 winner of the Ann Head Literary Prize at Beaufort High School. Free, advance registration required.
The South Carolina Academy of Authors (SCAA), in partnership with the Pat Conroy Literary Center, will hold its biennial induction weekend in Beaufort this May 3-5.
About Ann Head
The SCAA recognizes authors both living and deceased, and, this year, will be posthumously celebrating fiction writer Ann Head (1915-1968). She published several novels as well as over 50 short stories and novelettes in major magazines both here and abroad. Her most famous, Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones, was made into a TV movie and stayed in print for four decades. Head was also the first creative writing mentor to Pat Conroy (1945-2016), who was himself inducted into the literary hall of fame in 1988.

South Carolina Academy of Authors 2024 Induction - Harlan Greene
2024-05-03 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
When: Friday May 3, 2024 | 5:00 – 7:00 pm EDT
Where: Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort)
Advance Registration Required: Eventbrite | Free
Harlan Greene author presentation at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort), followed by a book signing and reception. Presented in partnership with Lowcountry Pride. Free, advance registration required. Catering by Debbi Covington. (Weather permitting, this event will be held outside at the Conroy Center.)
The South Carolina Academy of Authors (SCAA), in partnership with the Pat Conroy Literary Center, will hold its biennial induction weekend in Beaufort this May 3-5.
About Harlan Greene
Harlan Greene has written both fiction and nonfiction, with a focus on Charleston. As an archivist and historian, he has worked to save and interpret the literary heritage of the state. His most recent work, The Real Rainbow Row: Explorations in Charleston’s LGBTQ History was published in 2022.

South Carolina Academy of Authors 2024 Induction - William P. Baldwin
2024-05-04 12:30 - 13:30 (America/New_York) | Beaufort County Library Main Branch, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
When: Saturday May 4, 2024 | 12:30 – 1:30 pm EDT
Where: Beaufort County Library Main Branch (311 Scott St., Beaufort)
Advance Registration Required: Eventbrite | Free
William P. Baldwin author presentation at Beaufort County Library Main Branch (311 Scott St., Beaufort), followed by a book signing. Free, advance registration required.
The South Carolina Academy of Authors (SCAA), in partnership with the Pat Conroy Literary Center, will hold its biennial induction weekend in Beaufort this May 3-5.
About William P. Baldwin
Lowcountry native William P. Baldwin is being recognized for his work in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. His best-known novel, The Hard to Catch Mercy, was awarded the Lillian Smith Book Award. Most recently, he has published The Unpainted South: Carolina’s Vanishing World, a collection of songs, photographs, and poems, as well as the novel Charles Town.

South Carolina Academy of Authors 2024 Induction - Main Event
2024-05-04 17:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Beaufort Holiday Inn & Suites Conference Center, 2225 Boundary St., Beaufort, 29902, United States
When: Saturday May 4, 2024 | 5:30 – 8:00 pm EDT
Where (UPDATED VENUE): Beaufort Holiday Inn & Suites Conference Center (2225 Boundary St., Beaufort)
Advance Registration Required: Eventbrite | $55
South Carolina Literary Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Dinner at the Beaufort Holiday Inn & Suites Conference Center (2225 Boundary St., Beaufort). Honorees William P. Baldwin and Harlan Greene will be recognized in person. Marcus Amaker is unable to attend, but will appear in a pre-recorded video acceptance. Ann Head will be represented by her daughters, Nancy Thode and Stacey Ahner. Buffet dinner, cash bar. $55/person. Books available for sale and signing.
The South Carolina Academy of Authors (SCAA), in partnership with the Pat Conroy Literary Center, will hold its biennial induction weekend in Beaufort this May 3-5.
About Marcus Amaker
Marcus Amaker served as the first Poet Laureate of Charleston from 2016 to 2022. In 2019, he was honored with a Governor’s Arts award in South Carolina and was named the artist-in-residence of the Gaillard Center, a world-renowned performance and education venue. His tenth book is Hold What Makes You Whole, from Free Verse Press.

South Carolina Academy of Authors 2024 Induction - SCAA Fellowship Winners
2024-05-05 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | The Rhett House Inn, 1009 Craven St., Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
When: Sunday May 5, 2024 | 1:00 – 2:00 pm EDT
Where: Rhett House Inn Garden (1009 Craven St., Beaufort)
Advance Registration Required: Eventbrite | Free
SCAA Fellowship Winners reading at the Rhett House Inn Garden (1009 Craven St., Beaufort). Winners not yet announced. Free, advance registration required.
The South Carolina Academy of Authors (SCAA), in partnership with the Pat Conroy Literary Center, will hold its biennial induction weekend in Beaufort this May 3-5.

May 2024 Open Mic Night
2024-05-09 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on Thursday, May 9, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is poet Elizabeth Leverton, author Peace, Rhododendron. Open Mic will also feature short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres.
When: Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 6 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
Price: Free · Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Where: Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.)
Interested in reading as part of Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org
We want to build our community of writers and an appreciation for the art and talent of new, emerging, and long-time writers. Thank you for supporting this partnership!
Event Facebook Page
About our featured writer:
Elizabeth Leverton earned a BA in English Lit and a master’s degree in English with a concentration in writing and editing at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She began writing poetry thirty years ago. A recent graduate of the Commercial Graphics program at Midlands Technical College, Elizabeth is a graphic designer/typesetter who also enjoys songwriting and playing guitar, singing karaoke, dancing, swimming, tennis, sewing functional art, and acrylic painting.
She lives in Columbia, South Carolina, with her Labrador Retriever, Molly, and part-Siamese sister cats, Silo and Weaver. Peace, Rhododendron is her first book.

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

Open Mic Night, Featuring Elizabeth Leverton
2024-05-09 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on Thursday, May 9, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is poet Elizabeth Leverton, author Peace, Rhododendron. 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
Elizabeth Leverton earned a BA in English Lit and a master’s degree in English with a concentration in writing and editing at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She began writing poetry thirty years ago. A recent graduate of the Commercial Graphics program at Midlands Technical College, Elizabeth is a graphic designer/typesetter who also enjoys songwriting and playing guitar, singing karaoke, dancing, swimming, tennis, sewing functional art, and acrylic painting. She lives in Columbia, South Carolina, with her Labrador Retriever, Molly, and part-Siamese sister cats, Silo and Weaver. Peace, Rhododendron is her first book.

An Afternoon with novelist Caroline Cleveland
2024-05-11 14:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Saturday, May 11, 2024 – 2:00-3:30 PM EDT
Price: Free
Registration: Seating is limited; please call to reserve your spot: 843-379-7025.
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St., Beaufort
Website: Facebook Event Page
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an afternoon with debut novelist Caroline Cleveland, author of When Cicadas Cry, on Saturday, May 11, at 2:00 p.m., at Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Cleveland will be joined in conversation by Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt. Free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing through NeverMore Books. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-379-7025.
About When Cicadas Cry
In this stunning debut by a South Carolina attorney, Zach Stander, a lawyer with a past, and Addie Stone, his indomitable detective and lover, find themselves entangled in secrets, lies, and murder in a small Southern town.
A high-profile murder case—A white woman has been bludgeoned to death with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road in Walterboro, South Carolina. Sam Jenkins, a Black man, is found covered in blood, kneeling over the body. In a state already roiling with racial tension, this is not only a murder case, but a powder keg.
A haunting cold case—Two young women are murdered on quiet Edisto Beach, an hour southeast of Walterboro, and the killer disappears without a trace. Thirty-four years later the mystery remains unsolved. Could there be a connection to Stander’s case?
A killer who’s watching—Stander takes on Jenkins’s defense, but he’s up against a formidable solicitor with powerful allies. Worse, his client is hiding a bombshell secret. When Addie Stone reopens the cold case, she discovers more long-buried secrets in this small town. Would someone kill again to keep them?
“John Grisham meets Harper Lee in this immersive and thought-provoking Southern legal thriller. Caroline Cleveland’s talented storytelling propels this realistic tale of secrets and history, combined with the power of contemporary passion and prejudice. The setting is authentic, the characters relatable, and the story propulsive and engaging. Standing ovation for this brilliant debut!”—Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of One Wrong Word
“A twisty narrative of secrets and lies, I flew through When Cicadas Cry in a day. A haunting case from the past. A racially tinged murder in the present. And a small South Carolina town about to erupt like a powder keg. Equal parts courtroom thriller and gripping mystery.” —John McMahon, author of The Good Detective
About the Author
Caroline Cleveland is a labor and employment lawyer based in Charleston. A native South Carolinian, Caroline grew up in the Lowcountry and earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1991. When Cicadas Cry is her first novel.

About the Interviewer
Jonathan Haupt is the executive director of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, the past director of the University of South Carolina Press, and co-editor of the anthology Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, winner of 17 book awards. He is a frequent guest book reviewer for the Charleston Post and Courier and vice president of the board of directors of the statewide Friends of South Carolina Libraries.

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

An Afternoon with Novelist Caroline Cleveland, Author of When Cicadas Cry
2024-05-11 14:00 - 15:30 (America/New_York) | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an afternoon with debut novelist Caroline Cleveland, author of When Cicadas Cry, on Saturday, May 11, at 2:00 p.m., at Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Cleveland will be joined in conversation by Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt. Free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing through NeverMore Books. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-379-7025.
About When Cicadas Cry
In this stunning debut by a South Carolina attorney, Zach Stander, a lawyer with a past, and Addie Stone, his indomitable detective and lover, find themselves entangled in secrets, lies, and murder in a small Southern town.
A high-profile murder case—A white woman has been bludgeoned to death with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road in Walterboro, South Carolina. Sam Jenkins, a Black man, is found covered in blood, kneeling over the body. In a state already roiling with racial tension, this is not only a murder case, but a powder keg.
A haunting cold case—Two young women are murdered on quiet Edisto Beach, an hour southeast of Walterboro, and the killer disappears without a trace. Thirty-four years later the mystery remains unsolved. Could there be a connection to Stander’s case?
A killer who’s watching—Stander takes on Jenkins’s defense, but he’s up against a formidable solicitor with powerful allies. Worse, his client is hiding a bombshell secret. When Addie Stone reopens the cold case, she discovers more long-buried secrets in this small town. Would someone kill again to keep them?
“John Grisham meets Harper Lee in this immersive and thought-provoking Southern legal thriller. Caroline Cleveland’s talented storytelling propels this realistic tale of secrets and history, combined with the power of contemporary passion and prejudice. The setting is authentic, the characters relatable, and the story propulsive and engaging. Standing ovation for this brilliant debut!”—Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of One Wrong Word
“A twisty narrative of secrets and lies, I flew through When Cicadas Cry in a day. A haunting case from the past. A racially tinged murder in the present. And a small South Carolina town about to erupt like a powder keg. Equal parts courtroom thriller and gripping mystery.” —John McMahon, author of The Good Detective
About the Author
Caroline Cleveland is a labor and employment lawyer based in Charleston. A native South Carolinian, Caroline grew up in the Lowcountry and earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1991. When Cicadas Cry is her first novel.
About the Interviewer
Jonathan Haupt is the executive director of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, the past director of the University of South Carolina Press, and co-editor of the anthology Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, winner of 17 book awards. He is a frequent guest book reviewer for the Charleston Post and Courier and vice president of the board of directors of the statewide Friends of South Carolina Libraries.

An Evening with Mindy Friddle, author of Her Best Self
2024-05-23 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Thursday, May 23, 2024 – 5:00-6:30 PM EDT
Price: Free
Registration: Seating is limited; please call to reserve your spot: 843-379-7025.
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St., Beaufort
Website: Facebook Event Page
In partnership with NeverMore Books, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with award-winning novelist Mindy Friddle, author of Her Best Self, in conversation with Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt, on Thursday, May 23, at 5:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Books will be available for sale and signing through NeverMore Books. Seating is limited: please reserve in advance to attend this free author event: 843-379-7025.
About Her Best Self
Janelle Wolf longs to be the woman she once was—an adored wife, a loving mother, a career woman, a force in her community—before a mysterious car accident stole her memories, ruined her reputation, and upended her life. These days, her troubled family needs that capable woman from the past, the one she calls “Janelle Before.”
Enter Lana, an alluring and magnetic psychic healer who meets secretly with Janelle. Lana coaxes Janelle to remember the circumstances of her accident in order to recover Janelle’ s “best self.” Instead, Janelle uncovers the ugly truth behind that night. The revelations unravel Janelle’ s marriage, disrupt her family, and turn her small southern town upside down. Written with wry humor, this diabolically entertaining tale of deception, temptation, and love is filled with dark twists, exploring what happens when the transgressions of the past come back with a vengeance.
“Fast paced, clever, and wickedly compelling.”—Michel Stone, author of The Iguana Tree
About the Author
Mindy Friddle’s novel, Secret Keepers, won the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. The Garden Angel, her first novel and SIBA bestseller, was selected for Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers.
The South Carolina Arts Commission awarded Mindy a prose fellowship, and she has twice won the state’ s Fiction Prize. Her stories and essays have appeared in numerous journals. She holds an MFA from Warren Wilson and lives on Edisto Island, South Carolina.

About the Interviewer
Jonathan Haupt is the executive director of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, the past director of the University of South Carolina Press, and co-editor of the anthology Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, winner of 17 book awards. He is a frequent guest book reviewer for the Charleston Post and Courier and vice president of the board of directors of the statewide Friends of South Carolina Libraries.

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

An Evening with Award-Winning Novelist Mindy Friddle, Author of Her Best Self
2024-05-23 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
In partnership with NeverMore Books, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with award-winning novelist Mindy Friddle, author of Her Best Self, in conversation with Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt, on Thursday, May 23, at 5:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Books will be available for sale and signing through NeverMore Books. Seating is limited: please reserve in advance to attend this free author event: 843-379-7025.
About Her Best Self
Janelle Wolf longs to be the woman she once was—an adored wife, a loving mother, a career woman, a force in her community—before a mysterious car accident stole her memories, ruined her reputation, and upended her life. These days, her troubled family needs that capable woman from the past, the one she calls “Janelle Before.” Enter Lana, an alluring and magnetic psychic healer who meets secretly with Janelle. Lana coaxes Janelle to remember the circumstances of her accident in order to recover Janelle’ s “best self.” Instead, Janelle uncovers the ugly truth behind that night. The revelations unravel Janelle’ s marriage, disrupt her family, and turn her small southern town upside down. Written with wry humor, this diabolically entertaining tale of deception, temptation, and love is filled with dark twists, exploring what happens when the transgressions of the past come back with a vengeance.
“Fast paced, clever, and wickedly compelling.”—Michel Stone, author of The Iguana Tree
About the Author
Mindy Friddle’s novel, Secret Keepers, won the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. The Garden Angel, her first novel and SIBA bestseller, was selected for Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers. The South Carolina Arts Commission awarded Mindy a prose fellowship, and she has twice won the state’ s Fiction Prize. Her stories and essays have appeared in numerous journals. She holds an MFA from Warren Wilson and lives on Edisto Island, South Carolina.
About the Interviewer
Jonathan Haupt is the executive director of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, the past director of the University of South Carolina Press, and co-editor of the anthology Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, winner of 17 book awards. He is a frequent guest book reviewer for the Charleston Post and Courier and vice president of the board of directors of the statewide Friends of South Carolina Libraries.

Workshop: Submissions Strategies Led by Amber Wheeler Bacon
2024-06-05 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | Online – ZOOM
Register: patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.com
Wednesday June 5, 2024 · 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm EDT
Cost: $45
Limited to 15 participants (A minimum of five participants is needed for this workshop.)
Venue: Zoom
In this workshop, Beating the Numbers Game: Submissions Strategies led by Amber Wheeler Bacon, we discuss what it’s like as a literary magazine editor moving through the slush pile: sins we’re willing to forgive, and those we’re not. We’ll also explore tools to finding literary magazines that are a best fit for your work, how to rate them, and when to submit to what. Finally, we’ll look at strategies for submitting to contests. If submitting your work is in part a numbers game, then this class is about figuring out your best odds.
This virtual workshop will be held via Zoom on June 5, 6:00-8:00 p.m., limited to 15 participants. (A minimum of 5 needed to hold the class.) $45/person.
Learn more and register at https://patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.com
Website: Facebook Event Page
About our instructor:
Amber Wheeler Bacon is a writer and teacher whose work has appeared in Crazyhorse, Ecotone, Epiphany, Five Points, Prairie Schooner and Witness. You can find her writing online at Ploughshares and CRAFT. She’s the recipient of the 2018 Breakout Writers Prize sponsored by The Author’s Guild and a 2021 Bread Loaf scholarship. She received the 2022 Lit/South Award for flash fiction, a 2023 Prairie Schooner Award and was a finalist for the 2023 Chautauqua Janus Prize, nominated by Ecotone Magazine.
Amber has an MFA from Bennington College and teaches English at Coastal Carolina University. She’s been a fiction editor at Four Way Review, Managing Editor for South Carolina Writers Association publications and a daily editor at the Southern Review of Books. She lives by the beach in South Carolina and is represented by Amy Bishop-Wycisk at Trellis Literary Management.

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

Beating the Numbers Game: Submissions Strategies, Workshop Led by Amber Wheeler Bacon
2024-06-05 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
In this workshop, we discuss what it’s like as a literary magazine editor moving through the slush pile: sins we’re willing to forgive, and those we’re not. We’ll also explore tools to finding literary magazines that are a best fit for your work, how to rate them, and when to submit to what. Finally, we’ll look at strategies for submitting to contests. If submitting your work is in part a numbers game, then this class is about figuring out your best odds.
This virtual workshop will be held via Zoom on June 5, 6:00-8:00 p.m., limited to 15 participants. (A minimum of 5 needed to hold the class.) $45/person.
Register in advance at https://patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.com
ABOUT OUR INSTRUCTOR:
Amber Wheeler Bacon is a writer and teacher whose work has appeared in Crazyhorse, Ecotone, Epiphany, Five Points, Prairie Schooner and Witness. You can find her writing online at Ploughshares and CRAFT. She’s the recipient of the 2018 Breakout Writers Prize sponsored by The Author’s Guild and a 2021 Bread Loaf scholarship. She received the 2022 Lit/South Award for flash fiction, a 2023 Prairie Schooner Award and was a finalist for the 2023 Chautauqua Janus Prize, nominated by Ecotone Magazine. Amber has an MFA from Bennington College and teaches English at Coastal Carolina University. She’s been a fiction editor at Four Way Review, Managing Editor for South Carolina Writers Association publications and a daily editor at the Southern Review of Books. She lives by the beach in South Carolina and is represented by Amy Bishop-Wycisk at Trellis Literary Management.

Book Signing: Up Here: The Hunting Island Lighthouse and its Lightkeepers
2024-06-08 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Saturday, June 8th, 2024 – 2:00-4:00 PM EDT
Price: Free
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St., Beaufort
Website: Facebook Event Page
The Friends of Hunting Island, in partnership with the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, will host a drop-in book signing for the newly published coffee table book, Up Here: The Hunting Island Lighthouse and its Lightkeepers, with authors Theodore Panayotoff and Linda Miller on Saturday, June 8th, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort).
Attendance is free and open to the public; copies of the book will be available for sale and signing. Book purchases benefit the Friends of Hunting Island and support the organization’s work at Hunting Island, to include the current restoration of the 1875 Fresnel Lens.
About Up Here
Up Here, The Hunting Island Lighthouse and its Lightkeepers tells the story in full detail for the first time with breathtaking photographs, historical context, 19th century design/architecture and never-before-published drawings from the Library of Congress.
“At sunset on July 1, 1859, the Hunting Island Lighthouse emitted its first beacon of light to mariners, protecting them from the perils of sandbars and treacherous currents near the coast. The lighthouse, fitted with its giant-sized lens was so efficient that every 30 seconds the focused light from the simple oil lantern cast a beam 17 miles into the darkness.”
Since the Hunting Island Lighthouse sent out its first beam of light into the dark night in 1859, it has witnessed the making of history. Inside the pages of Up Here for the first time, author and lighthouse historian Ted Panayotoff and Friends of Hunting Island president, Linda Miller, provide in detail the creation, history and current state of this much-loved southern icon. You’ll learn about its lightkeepers and how they lived, surviving all manner of adventures, storms and hurricanes. With its dramatic black and white coloring and moveable design, the lighthouse has witnessed the Atlantic waves caress the shores and storms unleash their fury. Amid this chaos, the Hunting Island Lighthouse remains resolute, a symbol of enduring hope and guidance.
With a foreword by noted New York Times bestseller, Cassandra King, Up Here not only showcases the photographic talent of the area’s finest photographers, it underscores the importance of conservation and is a fundraising book for the Friends of Hunting Island and the causes they support including turtle conservation.
Up Here is the new companion book to the award-winning Wild Island Nature about Hunting Island State Park, published by Lydia Inglett Publishing/Starbooks.
Learn more about the Friends of Hunting Island at www.friendsofhuntingisland.org.

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

Book Signing for Up Here: The Hunting Island Lighthouse and its Lightkeepers
2024-06-08 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Pat Conroy Literary Center
The Friends of Hunting Island, in partnership with the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, will host a drop-in book signing for the newly published coffee table book, Up Here: The Hunting Island Lighthouse and its Lightkeepers, with authors Theodore Panayotoff and Linda Miller on Saturday, June 8th, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort).
Attendance is free and open to the public; copies of the book will be available for sale and signing. Book purchases benefit the Friends of Hunting Island and support the organization’s work at Hunting Island, to include the current restoration of the 1875 Fresnel Lens.
About Up Here
Up Here, The Hunting Island Lighthouse and its Lightkeepers tells the story in full detail for the first time with breathtaking photographs, historical context, 19th century design/architecture and never-before-published drawings from the Library of Congress
“At sunset on July 1, 1859, the Hunting Island Lighthouse emitted its first beacon of light to mariners, protecting them from the perils of sandbars and treacherous currents near the coast. The lighthouse, fitted with its giant-sized lens was so efficient that every 30 seconds the focused light from the simple oil lantern cast a beam 17 miles into the darkness.”
Since the Hunting Island Lighthouse sent out its first beam of light into the dark night in 1859, it has witnessed the making of history.Inside the pages of Up Here for the first time, author and lighthouse historian Ted Panayotoff and Friends of Hunting Island president, Linda Miller, provide in detail the creation, history and current state of this much-loved southern icon. You’ll learn about its lightkeepers and how they lived, surviving all manner of adventures, storms and hurricanes. With its dramatic black and white coloring and moveable design, the lighthouse has witnessed the Atlantic waves caress the shores and storms unleash their fury. Amid this chaos, the Hunting Island Lighthouse remains resolute, a symbol of enduring hope and guidance.
With a foreword by noted New York Times bestseller, Cassandra King, Up Here not only showcases the photographic talent of the area’s finest photographers, it underscores the importance of conservation and is a fundraising book for the Friends of Hunting Island and the causes they support including turtle conservation.
Up Here is the new companion book to the award-winning Wild Island Nature about Hunting Island State Park, published by Lydia Inglett Publishing/Starbooks.
Learn more about the Friends of Hunting Island at www.friendsofhuntingisland.org.

June 2024 Open Mic Night
2024-06-13 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Online – Facebook Live
The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held virtually on Thursday, June 13, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is novelist Laura Mahaffey, author of Subject to the Tide. Open Mic will also feature short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres.
When: Thursday, June 13, 2024 at 6 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
Price: Free · Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Where: Facebook Live
Interested in reading as part of Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org
We want to build our community of writers and an appreciation for the art and talent of new, emerging, and long-time writers. Thank you for supporting this partnership!
Event Facebook Page
About our featured writer:
Laura Mahaffey writes romance with a dash of suspense, a hint of folklore, and a splash of magical realism. She loves to explore the potential of the unseen. Coastal South Carolina is home to some of her fondest memories. She’s kayaked its marshes, explored its cemeteries, and fell in love with its beauty during the four years she lived among the mysteries brewing in the Spanish Moss. Now, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her two dogs, a dignified miniature schnauzer and a sassy shitzu.www.dooglewrites.com
“Subject to the Tide is a beguiling novel weaving hints of romance and dark mystery into a dreamy, love letter to the shadow haunted, South Carolina coast. Amanda and Hal make for an entertaining tandem whose story you won’t want to put down.”–Erick Mertz, author of the Strange Air Series

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

Virtual Open Mic Night, Featuring Laura Mahaffey, Author of Subject to the Tide
2024-06-13 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held virtually on Thursday, June 13, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is novelist Laura Mahaffey, author of Subject to the Tide. 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
Laura Mahaffey writes romance with a dash of suspense, a hint of folklore, and a splash of magical realism. She loves to explore the potential of the unseen. Coastal South Carolina is home to some of her fondest memories. She’s kayaked its marshes, explored its cemeteries, and fell in love with its beauty during the four years she lived among the mysteries brewing in the Spanish Moss. Now, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her two dogs, a dignified miniature schnauzer and a sassy shitzu.www.dooglewrites.com
“Subject to the Tide is a beguiling novel weaving hints of romance and dark mystery into a dreamy, love letter to the shadow haunted, South Carolina coast. Amanda and Hal make for an entertaining tandem whose story you won’t want to put down.”–Erick Mertz, author of the Strange Air Series

Book Launch Drop In: Donna Keel Armer author of Moringa: Tree of Life ~ Book 2
2024-06-15 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Saturday, June 15, 2024 – 5:00-7:00 PM EDT
Price: Free
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St., Beaufort
Website: Facebook Event Page
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center is honored to host a free public drop-in launch event for Donna Keel Armer’s Moringa: Tree of Life ~ Book 2 in the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series. Join us on Saturday, June 15, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 601 Bladen St., in downtown Beaufort. No advance registration required. Books will be available for sale and signing. Refreshments will be provided. The author will speak briefly at 5:45 p.m.
About Moringa: Tree of Life (Book 2 in the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series)
Who can you trust, when you can’t even trust what is right in front of you?
After the death of her best friend and her own near-death experience in Italy, Cat Gabbiano returns to her home in the South Carolina Lowcountry. During Cat’s absence, her business reputation was tarnished from the ongoing dispute with her most influential client. Her first goal is to reestablish her catering business with the help of her friend and colleague, Cassie Burton.
While scouting out a venue for a wedding reception at a long-vacated plantation, Cat encounters a hammer-wielding assailant. Before the dust settles, she’s contacted by an old classmate who swears he’s an undercover FBI agent. He not only warns her to stay away from the plantation, but he tells her it’s under surveillance for human trafficking and trespassing could result in dire consequences.
Along with this startling revelation enters a Spanish count who insists on Cat becoming his confident as he tries to purchase the abandoned plantation for a life-sustaining project. Perhaps the count is interested in more than a business partnership. Has Cat already forgotten her Italian lover, Lorenzo? Added to this mix of characters is a state senator who sweeps Cassie off her feet and into his web of deceit. Will Cassie betray Cat too?
Will Cat discover the truth before it’s too late? Or will she end up in places far darker than the mafia she encountered in Italy?
“Set against the backdrop of marshes and oaks draped with Spanish moss in South Carolina, Moringa: Tree of Life is a page-turner of a mystery that addresses real life and difficult societal issues. As with Armer’s other novels, readers are drawn into the lives of her characters and their stories and are pulling for them all the way. Moringa: Tree of Life is yet another beautifully crafted masterpiece destined for an award.”—Niles Reddick, author of Who’s Going to Pray for Me Now? and Forgiven
“Donna Keel Armer’s second novel in her Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series continues the spine-tingling page-turning allure of The Red Starfish. After fleeing Italy, Cat returns to her South Carolina Lowcountry home. While struggling to rebuild her business, she stumbles into a covert FBI operation on an abandoned plantation on the cusp of a wedding reception, a setting interwoven with ties to a Spanish count, a state senator, and an undercover federal agent. Once again, fate calls on Cat to solve a seemingly impossible mystery as she struggles to find her footing against the backdrop of corruption, human trafficking, and dangerous liaisons. Armer has gifted new and returning readers with a resolute and emphatic heroine, one who fails and falls, and nevertheless rises again. Cat’s appeal is universal; she is on a journey, as are we all.” —Jonathan Haupt, coeditor of Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy
“Donna Keel Armer hits another home run with Moringa: The Tree of Life. An electrifying second novel in the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series.” —Dana Ridenour, author of the award-winning Lexie Montgomery FBI series
About the Author
Donna Keel Armer is the author of The Red Starfish, Book #1 in the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series, and Solo in Salento: A Memoir, which has been translated into Italian as Un’americana in Salento. She recently completed a book tour of Southern Italy. She’s a photojournalist and has published essays for travel anthologies and in magazines featuring photographs and articles on travel, food and wine, home and garden and various other topics. When she’s on the road, she writes a private travelogue.
She graduated with honors from Mississippi University for Women with a double major in psychology and social sciences and graduate studies in theology. Her first job during high school was a gofer for a furniture company and her last position before turning to writing was president of the hospitality business owned by Donna and her husband Ray. In-between she’s been in senior management in both the insurance and airline industries.
She’s a former board member of Friends of the Library, a member of Sea Island Spirit Writers, and a docent at the Pat Conroy Literary Center. Donna and Ray split their time between their forever home in the South Carolina Lowcountry and their beloved Italy.

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

Book Launch Drop-In for Donna Keel Armer, Author of Moringa: Tree of Life
2024-06-15 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center is honored to host a free public drop-in launch event for Donna Keel Armer’s Moringa: Tree of Life ~ Book 2 in the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series. Join us on Saturday, June 15, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 601 Bladen St., in downtown Beaufort. No advance registration required. Books will be available for sale and signing. Refreshments will be provided. The author will speak briefly at 5:45 p.m.
About Moringa: Tree of Life (Book 2 in the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series)
Who can you trust, when you can’t even trust what is right in front of you?
After the death of her best friend and her own near-death experience in Italy, Cat Gabbiano returns to her home in the South Carolina Lowcountry. During Cat’s absence, her business reputation was tarnished from the ongoing dispute with her most influential client. Her first goal is to reestablish her catering business with the help of her friend and colleague, Cassie Burton.
While scouting out a venue for a wedding reception at a long-vacated plantation, Cat encounters a hammer-wielding assailant. Before the dust settles, she’s contacted by an old classmate who swears he’s an undercover FBI agent. He not only warns her to stay away from the plantation, but he tells her it’s under surveillance for human trafficking and trespassing could result in dire consequences.
Along with this startling revelation enters a Spanish count who insists on Cat becoming his confident as he tries to purchase the abandoned plantation for a life-sustaining project. Perhaps the count is interested in more than a business partnership. Has Cat already forgotten her Italian lover, Lorenzo? Added to this mix of characters is a state senator who sweeps Cassie off her feet and into his web of deceit. Will Cassie betray Cat too?
Will Cat discover the truth before it’s too late? Or will she end up in places far darker than the mafia she encountered in Italy?
“Set against the backdrop of marshes and oaks draped with Spanish moss in South Carolina, Moringa: Tree of Life is a page-turner of a mystery that addresses real life and difficult societal issues. As with Armer’s other novels, readers are drawn into the lives of her characters and their stories and are pulling for them all the way. Moringa: Tree of Life is yet another beautifully crafted masterpiece destined for an award.”—Niles Reddick, author of Who’s Going to Pray for Me Now? and Forgiven
“Donna Keel Armer’s second novel in her Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series continues the spine-tingling page-turning allure of The Red Starfish. After fleeing Italy, Cat returns to her South Carolina Lowcountry home. While struggling to rebuild her business, she stumbles into a covert FBI operation on an abandoned plantation on the cusp of a wedding reception, a setting interwoven with ties to a Spanish count, a state senator, and an undercover federal agent. Once again, fate calls on Cat to solve a seemingly impossible mystery as she struggles to find her footing against the backdrop of corruption, human trafficking, and dangerous liaisons. Armer has gifted new and returning readers with a resolute and emphatic heroine, one who fails and falls, and nevertheless rises again. Cat’s appeal is universal; she is on a journey, as are we all.” —Jonathan Haupt, coeditor of Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy
“Donna Keel Armer hits another home run with Moringa: The Tree of Life. An electrifying second novel in the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series.” —Dana Ridenour, author of the award-winning Lexie Montgomery FBI series
About the Author
Donna Keel Armer is the author of The Red Starfish, Book #1 in the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series, and Solo in Salento: A Memoir, which has been translated into Italian as Un’americana in Salento. She recently completed a book tour of Southern Italy. She’s a photojournalist and has published essays for travel anthologies and in magazines featuring photographs and articles on travel, food and wine, home and garden and various other topics. When she’s on the road, she writes a private travelogue.
She graduated with honors from Mississippi University for Women with a double major in psychology and social sciences and graduate studies in theology. Her first job during high school was a gofer for a furniture company and her last position before turning to writing was president of the hospitality business owned by Donna and her husband Ray. In-between she’s been in senior management in both the insurance and airline industries. She’s a former board member of Friends of the Library, a member of Sea Island Spirit Writers, and a docent at the Pat Conroy Literary Center. Donna and Ray split their time between their forever home in the South Carolina Lowcountry and their beloved Italy.

An Evening with McCracken King Poston Jr., author of Zenith Man
2024-06-27 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Thursday, June 27, 2024 – 5:00-6:30 PM EDT
Price: Free
Registration: Seating is limited; please call to reserve your spot: 843-379-7025.
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St., Beaufort
Website: Facebook Event Page
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with McCracken King Poston Jr., author of Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom, on Thursday, June 27, 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 through the Beaufort Bookstore. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-379-7025.
About Zenith Man
Like a nonfiction John Grisham thriller with echoes of Rainman, Just Mercy, and a captivating smalltown Southern setting, this is the fascinating true story—sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking—of an idealistic young lawyer determined to free an innocent neurodivergent man accused of murdering the wife no one knew he had.
In October 1997, the town of Ringgold in northwest Georgia was shaken by reports of a murder in its midst. A dead woman was found in Alvin Ridley’s house—and even more shockingly, she was the wife no one knew he had. Was this small-town TV repair man “a harmless eccentric or a bizarre killer” (Atlanta Journal Constitution). For the first time, Alvin Ridley’s own defense attorney reveals the inside story of his case and trial in an extraordinary tale of friendship and an idealistic young attorney’s quest to clear his client’s name—and, in the process, rebuild his own life.
McCracken Poston Jr. had been a state representative before he lost his bid for U.S. Congress and returned to his law career. Alvin Ridley was a local character who once sold and serviced Zenith televisions. Though reclusive and an outsider, the “Zenith Man,” as Poston knew him, hardly seemed capable of murder.
Alvin was a difficult client, storing evidence in a cockroach-infested suitcase, unwilling to reveal key facts to his defender. Gradually, Poston pieced together the full story behind Virginia and Alvin’s curious marriage and her cause of death—which was completely overlooked by law enforcement. Calling on medical experts, testimony from Alvin himself, and a wealth of surprising evidence gleaned from Alvin’s junk-strewn house, Poston presented a groundbreaking defense that allowed Alvin to return to his peculiar lifestyle, a free man.
Years after his trial, Alvin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a revelation that sheds light on much of his lifelong personal battle—and shows how easily those who don’t fit societal norms can be castigated and misunderstood. Part true crime, part courtroom drama, and full of local color, Zenith Man is also the moving story of an unexpected friendship between two very different men that changed—and perhaps saved—the lives of both.
“A wild ride of love, death, and justice in small-town Georgia . . . McCracken Poston, Jr shares intimate knowledge of a sensational case. This highly engaging read combines the best parts of hard-boiled true crime with a host of colorful characters, a small-town Southern setting, and Poston’s natural gift for gab. The results beg for an eight-part Netflix series.” —Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Wildly entertaining… Zenith Man is a true crime book, but the events described seems more like a John Grisham novel.” —Mystery Tribune
“Poston is a good storyteller and has a good story to tell, with the kinds of twists and turns that will make readers think it’s great fiction—except it all happened.” —Jon Meacham, New York Times bestselling author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
About the Author
McCracken King Poston, Jr., is a criminal defense attorney and former state legislator in the Georgia House of Representatives. He gained national attention for his handling of several notable cases that were featured on CNN Presents, Dateline NBC, A&E’s American Justice, and Forensic Files. He lives in Ringgold, Georgia. www.mccrackenpostonjr.com

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

An Evening with McCracken King Poston Jr., Author of Zenith Man
2024-06-27 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with McCracken King Poston Jr., author of Zenith Man: Death, Love, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom, on Thursday, June 27, 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 through the Beaufort Bookstore. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-379-7025.
About the book and author
Like a nonfiction John Grisham thriller with echoes of Rainman, Just Mercy, and a captivating smalltown Southern setting, this is the fascinating true story—sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking—of an idealistic young lawyer determined to free an innocent neurodivergent man accused of murdering the wife no one knew he had.
In October 1997, the town of Ringgold in northwest Georgia was shaken by reports of a murder in its midst. A dead woman was found in Alvin Ridley’s house—and even more shockingly, she was the wife no one knew he had. Was this small-town TV repair man “a harmless eccentric or a bizarre killer” (Atlanta Journal Constitution). For the first time, Alvin Ridley’s own defense attorney reveals the inside story of his case and trial in an extraordinary tale of friendship and an idealistic young attorney’s quest to clear his client’s name—and, in the process, rebuild his own life.
McCracken Poston Jr. had been a state representative before he lost his bid for U.S. Congress and returned to his law career. Alvin Ridley was a local character who once sold and serviced Zenith televisions. Though reclusive and an outsider, the “Zenith Man,” as Poston knew him, hardly seemed capable of murder.
Alvin was a difficult client, storing evidence in a cockroach-infested suitcase, unwilling to reveal key facts to his defender. Gradually, Poston pieced together the full story behind Virginia and Alvin’s curious marriage and her cause of death—which was completely overlooked by law enforcement. Calling on medical experts, testimony from Alvin himself, and a wealth of surprising evidence gleaned from Alvin’sjunk-strewn house, Poston presented a groundbreaking defense that allowed Alvin to return to his peculiar lifestyle, a free man.
Years after his trial, Alvin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, a revelation that sheds light on much of his lifelong personal battle—and shows how easily those who don’t fit societal norms can be castigated and misunderstood. Part true crime, part courtroom drama, and full of local color, Zenith Man is also the moving story of an unexpected friendship between two very different men that changed—and perhaps saved—the lives of both.
“A wild ride of love, death, and justice in small-town Georgia . . . McCracken Poston, Jr shares intimate knowledge of a sensational case. This highly engaging read combines the best parts of hard-boiled true crime with a host of colorful characters, a small-town Southern setting, and Poston’s natural gift for gab. The results beg for an eight-part Netflix series.” —Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Wildly entertaining…Zenith Man is a true crime book, but the events described seems more like a John Grisham novel.” —Mystery Tribune
“Poston is a good storyteller and has a good story to tell, with the kinds of twists and turns that will make readers think it’s great fiction—except it all happened.” —Jon Meacham, New York Times bestselling author, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
McCracken King Poston, Jr., is a criminal defense attorney and former state legislator in the Georgia House of Representatives. He gained national attention for his handling of several notable cases that were featured on CNN Presents, Dateline NBC, A&E’s American Justice, and Forensic Files. He lives in Ringgold, Georgia. www.mccrackenpostonjr.com

July 2024 Open Mic Night
2024-07-11 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on Thursday, July 11, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is novelist Rebecca Thompson, winner of the Ann Head Literary Prize and author of the duology The Girl of the Tree and Seeking the Truth. Open Mic will also feature short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres.
When: Thursday, July 11, 2024 at 6 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
Price: Free · Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Where: Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.)
Interested in reading as part of Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org
We want to build our community of writers and an appreciation for the art and talent of new, emerging, and long-time writers. Thank you for supporting this partnership!
Event Facebook Page
About our featured writer:
Rebecca Thompson started writing during the coronavirus pandemic, determined to complete her first book. Not only has she successfully self-published one novel as a teen author, but now two!
Thompson is the author of the novels The Girl of the Tree and its sequel Seeking the Truth. She is the 2024 winner of the Ann Head Literary Prize at Beaufort High School. She lives in the lowcountry of South Carolina with her mom, dad, brother, two cats, and fish.

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

Open Mic Night, Featuring Novelist Rebecca Thompson
2024-07-11 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on Thursday, July 11, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is novelist Rebecca Thompson, winner of the Ann Head Literary Prize and author of the duology The Girl of the Tree and Seeking the Truth. 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
Rebecca Thompson started writing during the coronavirus pandemic, determined to complete her first book. Not only has she successfully self-published one novel as a teen author, but now two! Thompson is the author of the novels The Girl of the Tree and its sequel Seeking the Truth. She is the 2024 winner of the Ann Head Literary Prize at Beaufort High School. She lives in the lowcountry of South Carolina with her mom, dad, brother, two cats, and fish.

Workshop: Mystifying the Familiar Led by Jo Angela Edwins
2024-07-13 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Register: patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.com
Saturday, July 13, 2024 · 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST
Cost: $40
Limited to 15 participants (A minimum of five participants is needed for this workshop.)
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St Beaufort, SC 29902
In this workshop, we’ll discuss how imaginative unions in poems can lead to insight. We’ll look at poems like Billy Collins’ “Hippos on Holiday” or Heid E. Erdrich’s “Indigenous Elvis at the Airport” to see the effect of the juxtaposition of the ordinary and the unexpected. As a generative exercise, we’ll also do a writing activity to inspire the beginnings of such a poem.
Saturday, July 13, 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Pat Conroy Literary Center. Limited to 15 participants. (A minimum of five participants is needed for this workshop.) $40/person.
Learn more and register at https://patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.com
Website: Facebook Event Page
About our instructor:
Jo Angela Edwins has published poems in over 100 journals and anthologies, including Calyx, descant, The Hollins Critic, and New South. She is the author of the collection A Dangerous Heaven (Gnashing Teeth Publishing, 2023) and the chapbooks Bitten (forthcoming from dancing girl press, 2024) and Play (Finishing Line Press, 2016).
She has received awards from Winning Writers, Poetry Super Highway, and the SC Academy of Authors and is a Pushcart Prize, Forward Prize, Best of the Net, and Bettering American Poetry nominee. A native of North Augusta, she now lives in Florence, where she teaches at Francis Marion University and serves as the first poet laureate of the Pee Dee region of South Carolina.

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.

Mystifying the Familiar: Writers Workshop Led by Jo Angela Edwins
2024-07-13 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
In this workshop, we’ll discuss how imaginative unions in poems can lead to insight. We’ll look at poems like Billy Collins’ “Hippos on Holiday” or Heid E. Erdrich’s “Indigenous Elvis at the Airport” to see the effect of the juxtaposition of the ordinary and the unexpected. As a generative exercise, we’ll also do a writing activity to inspire the beginnings of such a poem.
Saturday, July 13, 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Pat Conroy Literary Center. Limited to 15 participants. (A minimum of five participants is needed for this workshop.) $40/person. Advance registration required to attend: https://mystifyingthefamiliar.eventbrite.com
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Jo Angela Edwins has published poems in over 100 journals and anthologies, including Calyx, descant, The Hollins Critic, and New South. She is the author of the collection A Dangerous Heaven (Gnashing Teeth Publishing, 2023) and the chapbooks Bitten (forthcoming from dancing girl press, 2024) and Play (Finishing Line Press, 2016). She has received awards from Winning Writers, Poetry Super Highway, and the SC Academy of Authors and is a Pushcart Prize, Forward Prize, Best of the Net, and Bettering American Poetry nominee. A native of North Augusta, she now lives in Florence, where she teaches at Francis Marion University and serves as the first poet laureate of the Pee Dee region of South Carolina.

An Evening with Jo Angela Edwins, Poet Laureate of the Pee Dee
2024-07-13 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Saturday, July 13, 2024 – 5:00-6:30 PM EDT
Price: Free
Registration: Seating is limited; please call to reserve your spot: 843-379-7025.
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St., Beaufort
Website: Facebook Event Page
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with Jo Angela Edwins, Poet Laureate of the Pee Dee and author of A Dangerous Heaven, on Saturday, July 13, 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. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-379-7025.
Edwins will also lead a poetry writing workshop earlier that afternoon, from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
About A Dangerous Heaven
A Dangerous Heaven creates personal and political conversations that resound through both the sacred and the secular worlds. Jo Angela Edwins has spent the past many years excavating those personal relationships which shape and haunt us. She turns the same observant eye on events happening around the word. From “The Last Wild Elephant Alive” to “Death, A Rock Icon, and Sewage Pipes” Edwins is able to draw the reader into seeing events from her own unique perspective.
“In A Dangerous Heaven, Jo Angela Edwins walks us through a multi-layered grief process for accumulated wrongs and losses: historical, biblical, global, national, and personal. “It is your responsibility to grieve,” one poem says, and this is not a command, but an acknowledgement. These poems don’t look away from wounds, especially those of women, and they don’t turn elsewhere for comfort, yet they leave me feeling seen and comforted. Everyone needs to read this book.”–Katie Manning, author of Tasty Other
“An intimate volume with cosmic reach, witty and compassionate, A Dangerous Heaven transports us through a wide range of emotions, carries us to lofty and surprising places which might be dangerous if we didn’t have Jo Angela Edwins’s sure hand to catch us, to place our feet firmly on home soil. Crafted to honor insight and emotion, these daring poems will keep us company over time, like trusted friends.”–Marilyn Kallet, author of Even When We Sleep
About the Author
Jo Angela Edwins has published poems in over 100 journals and anthologies, including Calyx, descant, The Hollins Critic, and New South. She is the author of the collection A Dangerous Heaven (Gnashing Teeth Publishing, 2023) and the chapbooks Bitten (forthcoming from dancing girl press, 2024) and Play (Finishing Line Press, 2016).
She has received awards from Winning Writers, Poetry Super Highway, and the SC Academy of Authors and is a Pushcart Prize, Forward Prize, Best of the Net, and Bettering American Poetry nominee. A native of North Augusta, she now lives in Florence, where she teaches at Francis Marion University and serves as the first poet laureate of the Pee Dee region of South Carolina.

This program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which, as always, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.
