Pat Conroy Literary Center

Author Event with Kerry Peresta
2026-06-18 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York) | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
Thursday June 18 – 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
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kerry Peresta is a former advertising account executive and copywriter turned thriller whisperer, whose sharp wit and Southern roots fuel gripping tales of suspense. After decades of crafting punchy headlines and captivating campaigns, she traded the corporate world for full time writing and the salty air of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. She is the author of the Olivia Callahan Suspense series, a five-book collection, and standalone thriller Back Before Dawn, all published by Level Best Books. Creator of the weekly humor column “The Lighter Side,” 2009-2011, Capital Journal, Pierre, SD; she’s also written articles for Local Life Magazine, Lady Lowcountry Magazine, Bluffton Breeze, and Island Events Magazine; contributed a short story for the anthology Rock, Roll & Ruin, published by Down & Out Books; and co-created the mystery podcast “Guns, Knives & Lipstick.” She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Island Writers Network, South Carolina Writers Association, and Int’l Thriller Writers. Discover more at kerryperesta.com.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
In The Shaking, book five of Kerry Peresta’s suspense series, Olivia Callahan faces her most perilous case yet. Years after surviving a traumatic brain injury that reshaped her identity, Olivia is now a seasoned P.I. navigating the shadows of her past and the dangers of her present. When a seemingly routine investigation spirals into a web of deceit, betrayal, and a chilling conspiracy tied to her own history, Olivia must confront forces that threaten to unravel everything she’s fought to rebuild. As secrets surface and the stakes escalate, Olivia’s courage and cunning are pushed to the limit in a race against time to uncover the truth before it destroys her.

Camp Conroy Week Two: Summer Camp for 12-14 Year Olds Starts Soon!
2026-06-22 09:15 - 2026-06-26 14:45 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
Camp Conroy’s AI: Artful Intelligence Camp for ages 12–14 runs June 22–26. Young writers and artists will explore creativity, storytelling, art, and technology with professional writers, teachers, and artists.
Space is limited and registration is filling quickly, so if you are interested, register your child (or grandchild) today!
To register, use this Eventbrite link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/camp-conroy-2026-day-camp-for-young-writers-artists-tickets-1986852598607?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
June 22-26 for 12-14 year olds
Space is limited to 10 campers
Hosted by the non-profit Pat Conroy Literary Center and held at the Center’s campus at 601 Bladen Street in Beaufort.
This years’ camp theme is AI-Artful Intelligence, Creativity and Technology. We will discover how AI can sometimes enhance (not replace!) human creativity by building a book together-creating both individually and collaboratively. The campers will write, design, critique, edit all in preparation for publication of a book.
Campers will be guided through their creative endeavors by Camp Conroy’s talented counselors, 3 full-time adult instructors, and special guests presenters and instructors. Campers will each receive a copy of the camp anthology on publication after the camp concludes.
Adult instructors include:
Miho Kinnas, a Japanese poet/writer residing on Hilton Head. She is the author of three poetry collections and one book (about to be two books). This is her 9thyear as an instructor at Camp Conroy.
Deidre Garr Johns, a writer and 20-year veteran teacher also residing on Hilton Head, and is a published author of poetry and children’s fiction This is her second year as an instructor at Camp Conroy.
Thomas ‘TJ’ Belasco, taught English literature and composition for 34 years and lives in Beaufort. TJ, a newly-appointed board member of the Conroy Literary Center, is also a published author
Linda Warner Constantino- a few words of background as a designer:I am a natural teacher. I love to learn how to create new things. I taught Illustration for 20 years at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. My students fed my enthusiasm for creativity. I like to think I did the same.
Camp Conroy invites diversity and inclusivity among our campers with respect to race, religion, ability and all others aspects of identity. Scholarships are available to assist campers who might not otherwise be able to take part in this experience.
The $250 registration fee includes one week of instruction, camp activities and healthy daily snacks. (This is a day camp; overnight lodging and meals are not included.
Sponsorships: WE welcome your tax-deductible donations to the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center to sponsor a camper, camp counselor, instructor or guest presenters.
Questions: Email us at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org

Author Event with Paul Attaway
2026-07-30 17:00 - 18:30 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with author Paul Attaway at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort) on July 30 from 5-6:30. Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited for this free event; please call in advance to reserve: 843-379-7025.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Paul was born and raised in the Atlanta, Georgia area, met his wife, Lyn, in college at Georgetown University and they now live in Charleston, South Carolina. After college graduation in 1985, Paul received his law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1988. Paul and Lyn then married and settled in Phoenix, AZ where they raised three children.
Paul was a lawyer for two years before moving into the business world, and over the next thirty years, Paul started several successful businesses before retiring from this life and moving to Charleston, South Carolina.
When Paul and Lyn aren’t spending time together or being grandparents, Paul is working on his next book, Substack post, or guiding walking history tours around Charleston. Learn more about Paul, upcoming appearances, and his next novel at www.paulattaway.com.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Blood Rivalry, an Atkins Family Low Country Saga, is Paul
Attaway’s third book in a series of interlocking stories surrounding
the lives of two brothers, Eli and Walker Atkins, living in
Charleston, South Carolina.
In Blood Rivalry, the year is 1994 and Eli and Walker, married,
pursuing careers and raising families, find themselves entangled
with the ruthless and powerful Dunsmore family, a family that will
stop at nothing to put their son, the governor of South Carolina, in the White House. Either Walker and Eli stop them, or they’ll be
crushed by the Dunsmore’s quest.

Author Event: Emily Carpenter in Conversation with Kimberly Brock
2026-08-27 17:00 - 18:30 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
Thursday August 27 from 5-6:30.
Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited for this free event; please call in advance to reserve: 843-379-7025.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Like a gender-flipped Saltburn set amidst the moss-draped, haunted beauty of Savannah, this intoxicating blend of Southern suspense and modern witchcraft from bestselling author Emily Carpenter casts a spell of class, power, and possession.
In a city where ghosts linger in the moss and money buys salvation, a struggling psychicis drawn into Savannah’s glittering elite, as obsession and need curdle the lines between magic and madness, seduction and salvation, pirates and protectors…
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
EMILY CARPENTER is a bestselling author of suspense novels including Burying the Honeysuckle Girls, The Weight of Lies and Gothictown.
Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, she graduated from Auburn University and worked in New York City as an actor, producer, screenwriter, and behind-the-scenes assistant for the CBS shows As the World Turns and Guiding Light before returning to her southern roots.
She now lives with her family outside Atlanta, Georgia, and can be found online at EmilyCarpenterAuthor.com.
KIMBERLY BROCK is the award-winning author of The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare and The River Witch. She is the founder of Tinderbox Writers Workshop and has served as a guest lecturer for many regional and national writing workshops including at the Pat Conroy Literary Center. She lives near Atlanta with her husband and three children.

Dana Ridenour Book Launch- All the Hidden Pieces
2026-09-05 17:00 - 19:00 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
Saturday September 5, 5:00-7:00PM EDT
Price: Free
Registration: Refreshments will be served and space is limited; please call to reserve your spot: 843-379-7025.
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St., Beaufort
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dana Ridenour is a retired FBI agent and the award-winning author of the Lexie Montgomery thriller series. Behind the Mask was named one of the best indie books of 2016 by Kirkus
Reviews, while Beyond the Cabin won the 2018 Royal Palm Literary Award for best thriller or suspense novel, and Below the Radar was the 2020 Readers’ Favorite gold-medal winner in
the thriller genre as well as the 2021 Feathered Quill Book Awards gold/first-place winner for best adult fiction. Dana has also written two television screenplays. Her screenplay for Below
the Radar was a finalist for an Atlanta International Screenplay Award.
An avid kayak angler and hiker, Dana lives in Beaufort, South Carolina, where she is working on her fifth novel.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When Julia Chandler’s husband dies in a late-night car crash, grief and betrayal drive her to do something impulsive: hike all 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail. Joined by three of her oldest friends, each carrying secrets of their own, Julia sets out to rediscover herself. What begins as an escape soon becomes a test of endurance, courage, and trust. As the friends tackle brutal climbs, raging storms, and dangerous wildlife encounters, they begin to shed the layers of guilt, fear, and regret that have long defined them. But when a heart-stopping accident
occurs on the trail, their strength and courage are pushed to the next level. From Georgia to Maine, each mile forces them to face the truths they’ve buried for years. An emotional, heart pounding story about the unbreakable bonds that carry us through life’s roughest miles and the transformative power of nature, All the Hidden Pieces invites readers to reflect on the hidden pieces we all carry and the beauty of finding wholeness again.

Author Event: An Evening with Susan Beckham Zurenda in Conversation with Cassandra King
2026-09-10 17:00 - 18:30 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
Thursday September 10 – 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
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Her latest novel, No Way Out but Through, scheduled for August 2026, continues her exploration of Southern life and human connection. Two women of different generations—one scarred by an abusive teen marriage and the other by an alcoholic husband—come together to grapple with their inner demons and confront their untold stories.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Susan Beckham Zurenda- taught English for 33 years on the college level and at the high school level to AP students. Her debut novel, Bells for Eli (Mercer University Press, March 2020; paperback edition March 2021), was selected the first place winner for Best First Book—Fiction in the 2021 IPPY (Independent Publisher Book Awards), a Foreword Indie Book Award finalist, a Winter 2020 Okra Pick by the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, a 2020 Notable Indie on Shelf Unbound, a 2020 finalist for American Book Fest Best Book Awards, and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for 2021. Susan has won numerous awards for her short fiction, including winning the South Carolina Fiction Prize twice. Her second novel, The Girl From the Red Rose Motel (Mercer University Press, September 2023), was the recipient of the 2024 Patricia Winn Award in Southern Fiction, Gold Medal winner in the 2024 IPPY Awards for Southeast Fiction, a 2024 Pushcart Prize nominee, a Shelf Unbound 2023 Notable 100 books, and a finalist in the American Book Fest Awards. The author lives in Spartanburg, SC.
CASSANDRA KING- is the award-winning author of two books of non-fiction and five novels, Making Waves, The Sunday Wife, The Same Sweet Girls, Queen of Broken Hearts, and Moonrise, as well as numerous short stories and articles.The Sunday Wife was a Book Sense Pick and a People magazine Page Turner of the Week; on release, The Same Sweet Girls was the number one Book Sense selection nationwide. Queen of Broken Hearts, was a Book of the Month Club and Literary Guild selection. Her latest book, Tell Me a Story, was named SIBA’s non-fiction Book of the Year. In 2025, Cassandra was the recipient of the Harper Lee Prize, a lifetime achievement award presented by the Harper Lee Foundation. A native of L. A. (Lower Alabama), Cassandra resides in Beaufort, South Carolina, where she is honorary chair of the Pat Conroy Literary Center.

10th Annual Book Club Convention-Save the Date!
2026-09-26 10:00 - 18:00 | Beaufort, South Carolina, Beaufort, SC, US
Mark your calendars for the 10th Annual Lowcountry Book Club Convention, hosted by the Pat Conroy Literary Center, on September 25–26, 2026!
For ten years, book clubs, book lovers, authors, and literary friends have gathered to celebrate stories that connect us, inspire us, and spark unforgettable conversations. This milestone year promises engaging author discussions, memorable keynote speakers, opportunities to connect with fellow readers, and plenty of literary magic along the way.
Whether you’ve joined us from the beginning or this will be your very first convention, we can’t wait to celebrate a decade of books and community together.
📚 Save the dates: September 25–26, 2026
📍 More details and featured guests coming soon!

Author Event: Book Launch and Lowcountry Celebration with Author Lynn Seldon
2026-10-01 16:00 - 18:00 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
Thursday October 1 – 4:00-6:00 PM EDT
Price: Free
Registration: Refreshments from the Pat Conroy Cookbook will be served and space is limited; please call to reserve your spot: 843-379-7025.
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St., Beaufort
Join us for a book launch and lowcountry celebration in honor of Lynn Seldon’s new book:Pat Conroy’s Lowcountry.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Discover the landscapes, culture, and communities that shaped one of the South’s most beloved literary voices through an immersive journey across South Carolina’s storied Lowcountry. From the tidal marshes and historic streets of Charleston to the quiet charm of Beaufort, readers are invited to explore the places that inspired a lifetime of storytelling by Pat Conroy. This engaging history and travel narrative highlights the region’s rich heritage, coastal beauty, and vibrant culture while tracing the author’s deep personal connection to the communities he called home.
Follow the path through beloved Lowcountry destinations including Fripp Island, St. Helena Island, and Daufuskie Island―locations that appear frequently in Conroy’s novels and memoirs. The journey also explores formative chapters of his life, from his time as a cadet at The Citadel to his years teaching in Beaufort County schools and on remote coastal islands.
Blending literary history, regional storytelling, and practical travel inspiration, this richly detailed guide offers readers a unique perspective on the South Carolina Lowcountry. Along the way, it highlights historic landmarks, Gullah Geechee heritage, scenic waterways, renowned coastal cuisine, and authentic local experiences that continue to define this extraordinary region.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lynn Seldon is a veteran travel journalist who has written for Southern Living, Garden & Gun, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and hundreds of other print and online publications. He has also authored or coauthored more than a half dozen books, including 100 Things to Do in the South Carolina Lowcountry Before You Die, 100 Things to Do in Charleston Before You Die, and 100 Things to Do in Savannah Before You Die (with Cele Seldon);
Our Vanishing Americana: A South Carolina Portrait (with Cele Seldon and Mike Lassiter); and Virginia’s Ring and Carolina’s Ring, the first two novels of his “Ring Trilogy.” Seldon’s friend and mentor Pat Conroy called Virginia’s Ring “a triumph and a tour de force,” while Cassandra King called Carolina’s Ring “an unforgettable story of love, loss, and redemption.” Seldon and his wife, fellow travel journalist Cele Seldon, live in Beaufort, South Carolina

11th Annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival
2026-10-22 17:00 - 2026-10-25 16:00 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
Go ahead and hold the dates.
The 11th Annual Conroy Festival will be held on Thursday October 22,through Sunday, October 25, as a series of free and ticketed events in Beaufort, SC, featuring author discussions, writers workshops, poetry readings, a screening of one of a film adaptation of one of Pat’s beloved novels, and more.
Held in locations throughout Beaufort and surrounding lowcountry, this is sure to be an amazing journey.
