Teddy Bear Picnic Read Aloud with Daylo February 2025
2025-02-01 09:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Port Royal Farmers Market, 1615 Ribault Rd, Port Royal, SC, 29935, United States
Saturday February 1, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. to noon EDT
Price: Free
Venue: Port Royal Farmers Market | Ribaut Rd & Pinckney Blvd, Port Royal, SC 29935
Website: Facebook Event Page
On the first Saturday of every month, you can join the student volunteers of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization for a Teddy Bear Picnic read-aloud at the Port Royal Farmers Market (1615 Ribaut Rd.). In collaboration with the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, high school and college student volunteers from the Beaufort-based chapters of DAYLO gather at the gazebo in Naval Heritage Park from 9:30 a.m. to noon to read diverse, inclusive picture books to children and their families, inspiring a love of stories, books, reading, and peer-to-peer mentoring.
Cozy blankets, a plethora of stuffed animals, and some snacks help the students make a welcoming environment in this free community literacy program. Several times a year, National Park Service Ranger Katherine Freeman also joins in for Read with a Ranger, a literacy and art project thematically connected to the missions of DAYLO, the Conroy Center, and the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park.
DAYLO is a student-led diversity themed book club and community service group founded at Beaufort High School and now with chapters across South Carolina. Learn more at: https://linktr.ee/DAYLOBFT.

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.

Workshop: Writing Our Truths, Led by Tayler Simon
2025-02-13 16:00 - 17:30 | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Register: Register at EventBrite
Thursday, February 13, 2025 · 4 – 5:30pm EST
Cost: $45
Limited to 12 participants
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St Beaufort, SC 29902
Writing Our Truths: The Power of Autobiographical Poetry & Self-Publishing Your Own Chapbook — Led by Tayler Simon
Turn your life story into a compelling poetry chapbook! This workshop guides you through crafting autobiographical poems that capture personal experiences to resonate with readers. Through a guided writing exercise, you’ll refine your work while learning the basics of self-publishing. We’ll cover chapbook organization, layout, and production options, so you leave ready to bring your unique voice to print. Ideal for poets of all levels, this workshop will empower you to create a poetic mini-memoir and self-publish a chapbook to use your story for good.
This is an in-person writers workshop, held at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St.). Limited to 12 participants with advance registration required; $45/person.
Learn more and register at EventBrite
Website: Facebook Event Page
About our instructor:
Tayler Simon (she/her) is a writer, social worker, and the owner of the bookstore, Liberation is Lit. She has self-published three books, Phases: Poems, Writing Our Truths: A Guide to Self-Publishing for BIPOC Writers, and Love and Other Forms of Heartbreak. Tayler is passionate about promoting social liberation through the power of transformative stories.

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.

Workshop -- Writing Our Truths: The Power of Autobiographical Poetry, with Tayler Simon
2025-02-13 16:00 - 17:30 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
Writing Our Truths: The Power of Autobiographical Poetry & Self-Publishing Your Own Chapbook — Led by Tayler Simon
Turn your life story into a compelling poetry chapbook! This workshop guides you through crafting autobiographical poems that capture personal experiences to resonate with readers. Through a guided writing exercise, you’ll refine your work while learning the basics of self-publishing. We’ll cover chapbook organization, layout, and production options, so you leave ready to bring your unique voice to print. Ideal for poets of all levels, this workshop will empower you to create a poetic mini-memoir and self-publish a chapbook to use your story for good.
This is an in-person writers workshop, held at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St.). Limited to 12 participants with advance registration required; $45/person.
Registration: https://writingourtruths.eventbrite.com
About Our Instructor:
Tayler Simon (she/her) is a writer, social worker, and the owner of the bookstore, Liberation is Lit. She has self-published three books, Phases: Poems, Writing Our Truths: A Guide to Self-Publishing for BIPOC Writers, and Love and Other Forms of Heartbreak. Tayler is passionate about promoting social liberation through the power of transformative stories.
Tayler will also be the featured author at that evening’s Open Mic Night at the Conroy Center, beginning at 6:00 p.m.

February 2025 Open Mic Night
2025-02-13 18:00 - 19:30 | 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, February 13, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured author is Tayler Simon, founder of Liberation Is Lit and author of Phases and Love and Other Forms of Heartbreak. Open Mic will also feature short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres.
When: Thursday, February 13, 2025 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 author:
Tayler Simon (she/her) is a writer, social worker, and the owner of the bookstore Liberation is Lit. She has self-published three books: Phases: Poems, Writing Our Truths: A Guide to Self-Publishing for BIPOC Writers, and Love and Other Forms of Heartbreak. Tayler is passionate about promoting social liberation through the power of transformative stories.

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 Tayler Simon, Author of Phases and Love & Other Forms of Heartbreak
2025-02-13 18:00 - 19:30 | 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, February 13, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured author is Tayler Simon, founder of Liberation Is Lit and author of Phases and Love and Other Forms of Heartbreak. Open Mic will also feature short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres.
Interested in reading as part of Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org.
About Our Featured Author
Tayler Simon (she/her) is a writer, social worker, and the owner of the bookstore Liberation is Lit. She has self-published three books: Phases: Poems, Writing Our Truths: A Guide to Self-Publishing for BIPOC Writers, and Love and Other Forms of Heartbreak. Tayler is passionate about promoting social liberation through the power of transformative stories.
As part of her visit to the Conroy Center, Taylor will also be teaching a writing workshop earlier that afternoon from 4:00 to 5:30: Writing Our Truths: The Power of Autobiographical Poetry & Self-Publishing Your Own Chapbook. Learn more at https://writingourtruths.eventbrite.com.

An Evening with contributing writers to The Heartbeat of Quiet Streets
2025-02-21 17:00 - 18:30 | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Friday, February 21, 2025 – 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 Pat Conroy Literary Center will host a discussion by a panel of contributing writers to the anthology The Heartbeat of Quiet Streets, all members of the Chapin/Irmo Chapter of the South Carolina Writers Association, on Friday, February 21, at 5:00 p.m. Panelists will discuss both the content of the book as well as its publication.
This event is free and open to the public. Copies of the anthology as well as other books by the contributing writers will be available for sale and signing. To reserve a seat in advance, please call 843-379-7025.
ABOUT THE ANTHOLOGY AND CONTRIBUTORS
“The Heartbeat of Quiet Streets is an outstanding collection of polished work from authors who know their canvas. The South, small towns and mid-century summers collide in verse with quiet tension and churning drama.”–Kasie Whitener, PhD, University of South Carolina, Darla Moore School of Business
“The Heartbeat of Quiet Streets is an amazing title for a quality compilation of writing pieces. I chose one or two at a time to read, to best enjoy them, sinking into each, basking in the unique world each had to offer. Kudos not only to the writers, but to the editor who made the pieces an admirable whole.”–C. Hope Clark, award-winning author of The Carolina Slade Mysteries, the Edisto Island Mysteries, and the Craven County Mysteries
Glen Bramlitt, an artist and engineer in South Carolina, blends the boundless possibilities of ‘what-if’ with a vivid imagination. His current genre is dystopian fiction. Glen is an accomplished wood-working artist who carved charcuterie boards as a thank you to our guest testimonials.
Sue Cryer served on the South Carolina Writer’s Association Board of Directors and co-edited Catfish Stew, SCWA member’s anthology, The Quill newsletter, and The Petigru Review, now an international publication. She also served on The State Newspaper’s Community Advisory Board and runs a home business. She recently completed a fictional memoir, Surviving Riversedge.
By day, Laura Lanni teaches organic chemistry and oversees her undergraduate research laboratory. When not teaching or writing, she can be found working with writers in her critique group, running, hugging her grandchildren, riding a jet-ski, blogging, and baking.
Carolyn Hartley is a six times #1 best-selling author. She has been in publishing for more than thirty years as an author, publicist, speaker, and publisher for Fortune 500 companies. Her historical fiction trilogy, The Buried Sunshine series, won the International Book Impact Award in 2024 in the Historical Fiction category.
Terresa Cooper Haskew’s poetry and prose has appeared in more than fifty printed journal and anthology issues (Atlanta Review, American Journal of Nursing, The Main Street Rag). Her story, “Living the Dream,” was showcased in 2013 as a short film by Ron Hagell and Shirley Smith. Her first novel, Winston’s Book of Souls is forthcoming in Spring 2025.

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 the Contributing Writers of The Heartbeat of Quiet Streets
2025-02-21 17:00 - 18:30 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
The Pat Conroy Literary Center will host a discussion by a panel of contributing writers to the anthology The Hearbeat of Quiet Streets, all members of the Chapin/Irmo Chapter of the South Carolina Writers Association, on Friday, February 21, at 5:00 p.m. Panelists will discuss both the content of the book as well as its publication. This event is free and open to the public. Copies of the anthology as well as other books by the contributing writers will be available for sale and signing. To reserve a seat in advance, please call 843-379-7025.
“The Heartbeat of Quiet Streets is an outstanding collection of polished work from authors who know their canvas. The South, small towns and mid-century summers collide in verse with quiet tension and churning drama.”–Kasie Whitener, PhD, University of South Carolina, Darla Moore School of Business
“The Heartbeat of Quiet Streets is an amazing title for a quality compilation of writing pieces. I chose one or two at a time to read, to best enjoy them, sinking into each, basking in the unique world each had to offer. Kudos not only to the writers, but to the editor who made the pieces an admirable whole.”–C. Hope Clark, award-winning author of The Carolina Slade Mysteries, the Edisto Island Mysteries, and the Craven County Mysteries
Glen Bramlitt, an artist and engineer in South Carolina, blends the boundless possibilities of ‘what-if’ with a vivid imagination. His current genre is dystopian fiction. Glen is an accomplished wood-working artist who carved charcuterie boards as a thank you to our guest testimonials.
Sue Cryer served on the South Carolina Writer’s Association Board of Directors and co-edited Catfish Stew, SCWA member’s anthology, The Quill newsletter, and The Petigru Review, now an international publication. She also served on The State Newspaper’s Community Advisory Board and runs a home business. She recently completed a fictional memoir, Surviving Riversedge.
By day, Laura Lanni teaches organic chemistry and oversees her undergraduate research laboratory. When not teaching or writing, she can be found working with writers in her critique group, running, hugging her grandchildren, riding a jet-ski, blogging, and baking.
Carolyn Hartley is a six times #1 best-selling author. She has been in publishing for more than thirty years as an author, publicist, speaker, and publisher for Fortune 500 companies. Her historical fiction trilogy, The Buried Sunshine series, won the International Book Impact Award in 2024 in the Historical Fiction category.
Terresa Cooper Haskew’s poetry and prose has appeared in more than fifty printed journal and anthology issues (Atlanta Review, American Journal of Nursing, The Main Street Rag). Her story, “Living the Dream,” was showcased in 2013 as a short film by Ron Hagell and Shirley Smith. Her first novel, Winston’s Book of Souls is forthcoming in Spring 2025.

Silent Book Club Feb 22 2025
2025-02-22 16:30 - 18:30 | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
When: Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM EDT
Price: Free · Duration: 2 hrs
Where: Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen St., Beaufort, SC
Silent Book Club Beaufort, a unique take on the traditional book club, will hold its second meetup on Saturday, February 22, from 4:30pm-6:30pm at the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen St. Designed to offer a relaxed and pressure-free space for readers of all types, this community gathering invites book lovers to enjoy their current reads in a welcoming and peaceful atmosphere.
Silent Book Club Beaufort is co-sponsored by the Conroy Center and the student book club DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization), bringing together two organizations dedicated to fostering community connections and celebrating the love of literature.
Unlike traditional book clubs, Silent Book Club Beaufort has no assigned reading, no deadlines, and no discussions required. Whether you prefer ebooks, audiobooks, comic books, textbooks, or paperbacks, readers are invited to bring their book of choice, settle in, and savor the joy of uninterrupted reading among like-minded individuals.
Silent Book Club Beaufort also features a book swap: Leave a book, take a book.
The casual meetups provide an excellent opportunity to discover new book recommendations, make friends, and reconnect with the love of reading. Whether you’re a lifelong bookworm or just getting back into reading, everyone is welcome.
Silent Book Club Beaufort is free to attend and proudly supports local businesses and organizations. Additional dates and locations will be announced soon via the SBCB Instagram page at www.instagram.com/silentbookclubbeaufort. Come embrace the joy of reading at Silent Book Club Beaufort!
Event Facebook Page

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.

Silent Book Club Beaufort
2025-02-22 16:30 - 18:30 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
Silent Book Club Beaufort, a unique take on the traditional book club, will hold its second meetup on Saturday, February 22, from 4:30pm-6:30pm at the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen St. Designed to offer a relaxed and pressure-free space for readers of all types, this community gathering invites book lovers to enjoy their current reads in a welcoming and peaceful atmosphere.
Silent Book Club Beaufort is co-sponsored by the Conroy Center and the student book club DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization), bringing together two organizations dedicated to fostering community connections and celebrating the love of literature.
Unlike traditional book clubs, Silent Book Club Beaufort has no assigned reading, no deadlines, and no discussions required. Whether you prefer ebooks, audiobooks, comic books, textbooks, or paperbacks, readers are invited to bring their book of choice, settle in, and savor the joy of uninterrupted reading among like-minded individuals.
Silent Book Club Beaufort also features a book swap: Leave a book, take a book.
The casual meetups provide an excellent opportunity to discover new book recommendations, make friends, and reconnect with the love of reading. Whether you’re a lifelong bookworm or just getting back into reading, everyone is welcome.
Silent Book Club Beaufort is free to attend and proudly supports local businesses and organizations. Additional dates and locations will be announced soon via the SBCB Instagram page at www.instagram.com/silentbookclubbeaufort. Come embrace the joy of reading at Silent Book Club Beaufort!

An Evening with novelist Jen Marie Wiggins, author of The Good Bride
2025-02-27 17:00 - 18:30 | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Thursday, February 27, 2025 – 5:00-6:30 PM EDT (Rescheduled from December)
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 novelist Jen Marie Wiggins, author of The Good Bride, on Thursday, February 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. Seating is limited; please call in advance to reserve: 843-379-7025.
About The Good Bride
The Wedding of the Year turns disastrous in this twisty family drama full of lies and betrayals, perfect for fans of Laura Dave, Lucy Foley, and Ruth Ware.
One year after a devastating hurricane, bride-to-be Ruth Bancroft is marrying her perfect groom in a quaint fishing village on the Gulf Coast. The weekend is carefully curated, with the displays of pomp and social media magic meant to promote an area still struggling to rebuild as well as bring Ruth’s estranged family back together.
Yet as good intentions often go, this road to wed is hell and paved in complications. With tensions rising between the family and the bridal party, long-buried secrets come to light, and accusations start flying. Things officially spiral out of control when the oceanfront rehearsal dinner is rocked by a series of gunshots, and a high-profile guest goes missing. As the investigation gets underway, it turns out that everyone has something to hide.
Big Little Lies meets The Guest List in this gripping page turner that asks the big questions about messy family liaisons, modern media, and the lies we tell the world.
About the Author
Jen Marie Wiggins’s first book, the gifty nonfiction title Married AF: A Funny Guide for the Newlywed or Bride, was published with Sourcebooks in 2022.
She has a background in advertising and public relations, and her writing has appeared in Southern Coastal Weddings, Savannah Magazine, Savannah Homes, and elsewhere. The Good Bride draws much of its inspiration from the devastation and rebuilding struggles of Mexico Beach, Florida, a place near and dear to Jen’s heart.

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 Novelist Jen Marie Wiggins, Author of The Good Bride
2025-02-27 17:00 - 18:30 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
{Rescheduled from December 19}
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with novelist Jen Marie Wiggins, author of The Good Bride, on Thursday, February 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. Seating is limited; please call in advance to reserve: 843-379-7025.
About the Book and Author:
One of People Magazine’s Recommended Suspense Reads for 2025
The Wedding of the Year turns disastrous in this twisty family drama full of lies and betrayals, perfect for fans of Laura Dave, Lucy Foley, and Ruth Ware.
One year after a devastating hurricane, bride-to-be Ruth Bancroft is marrying her perfect groom in a quaint fishing village on the Gulf Coast. The weekend is carefully curated, with the displays of pomp and social media magic meant to promote an area still struggling to rebuild as well as bring Ruth’s estranged family back together.
Yet as good intentions often go, this road to wed is hell and paved in complications. With tensions rising between the family and the bridal party, long-buried secrets come to light, and accusations start flying. Things officially spiral out of control when the oceanfront rehearsal dinner is rocked by a series of gunshots, and a high-profile guest goes missing. As the investigation gets underway, it turns out that everyone has something to hide.
Big Little Lies meets The Guest List in this gripping page turner that asks the big questions about messy family liaisons, modern media, and the lies we tell the world.
Jen Marie Wiggins’s first book, the gifty nonfiction title Married AF: A Funny Guide for the Newlywed or Bride, was published with Sourcebooks in 2022. She has a background in advertising and public relations, and her writing has appeared in Southern Coastal Weddings, Savannah Magazine, Savannah Homes, and elsewhere. The Good Bride draws much of its inspiration from the devastation and rebuilding struggles of Mexico Beach, Florida, a place near and dear to Jen’s heart.

Pat Conroy: An Introduction to a Lowcountry Legend
2025-02-27 18:00 - 19:00 | Charleston County Public Library, 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, SC, 29401, United States
Thursday, February 27, 2025 – 6:00-7:00 PM EDT
Price: Free
Venue: Charleston County Public Library (68 Calhoun St. Charleston, SC)
Website: Facebook Event Page
On Thursday, February 27, at 6:00-7:00 p.m. the Charleston County Public Library will host Pat Conroy: An Introduction to a Lowcountry Legend. Presented by Jonathan Haupt, executive director of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, this free literary program will be held at the Main Library at 68 Calhoun St. in historic downtown Charleston.
Internationally acclaimed writer Pat Conroy (1945-2016) is best remembered as the author of The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, and The Prince of Tides, each also adapted for film. Conroy has become as synonymous with his adopted lowcountry as pluff mud or Spanish Moss.
Join the Conroy Center executive director—and one of Pat’s many protégés—for an engaging hour of stories, photos, and videos introducing Conroy’s writing and teaching life and exploring some of the major themes of his work, as well as how the nonprofit literary center established in his memory now continues his legacy.
About the Presenter
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 Pulitzer Prize-winning Charleston Post and Courier. In 2020, he was honored with the Doug Marlette Literacy Leadership Award, a lifetime achievement recognition presented by the Pulpwood Queens, the largest read-and-meet book club in the U.S. Under Jonathan’s leadership, the Conroy Center has been recognized as an American Library Association Literary Landmark, an affiliate of the American Writers Museum, and winner of the Civitas Award for Tourism Leadership.
With Claire Bennett, Jonathan also serves as co-mentor to the student leaders of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization, who in turn have been recognized with a national commendation from the American Association of School Librarians, the South Carolina Education Association’s Richard W. Riley Award for Human and Civil Rights, and an honorable mention for the South Carolina Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Award.

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: An Introduction to a Lowcountry Legend
2025-02-27 18:00 - 19:00 | Charleston County Public Library (Main Library)
Rescheduled from January 23
—
On Thursday, February 27, at 6:00-7:00 p.m. the Charleston County Public Library will host Pat Conroy: An Introduction to a Lowcountry Legend. Presented by Jonathan Haupt, executive director of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, this free literary program will be held at the Main Library at 68 Calhoun St. in historic downtown Charleston.
Internationally acclaimed writer Pat Conroy (1945-2016) is best remembered as the author of The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, and The Prince of Tides, each also adapted for film. Conroy has become as synonymous with his adopted lowcountry as pluff mud or Spanish Moss. Join the Conroy Center executive director—and one of Pat’s many protégés—for an engaging hour of stories, photos, and videos introducing Conroy’s writing and teaching life and exploring some of the major themes of his work, as well as how the nonprofit literary center established in his memory now continues his legacy.
About Our Presenter:
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 Pulitzer Prize-winning Charleston Post and Courier. In 2020, he was honored with the Doug Marlette Literacy Leadership Award, a lifetime achievement recognition presented by the Pulpwood Queens, the largest read-and-meet book club in the U.S. Under Jonathan’s leadership, the Conroy Center has been recognized as an American Library Association Literary Landmark, an affiliate of the American Writers Museum, and winner of the Civitas Award for Tourism Leadership. With Claire Bennett, Jonathan also serves as co-mentor to the student leaders of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization, who in turn have been recognized with a national commendation from the American Association of School Librarians, the South Carolina Education Association’s Richard W. Riley Award for Human and Civil Rights, and an honorable mention for the South Carolina Library Association’s Intellectual Freedom Award.

9th Annual March Forth
2025-03-01 - 2025-03-02
Ninth Annual March Forth to Be Held on March 1 & 2 in Port Royal, Beaufort, and St. Helena Island
Our Conroy Center’s ninth annual March Forth will be held on Saturday, March 1, and Sunday, March 2, with educational programs in Beaufort, Port Royal, St. Helena Island, and online. This special event commemorates the anniversary of Pat Conroy’s passing on March 4, 2016, by engaging with major themes of his writing and teaching life, including social justice, inclusivity, conservation, education, truth-telling, and storytelling.
Learn more and register in advance at Eventbrite
March Forth will include appearances by:

Ashley Hope Pérez: YA novelist, educator, advocate, and editor of Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers’ Rights
Kimberly Brock: novelist, past Georgia Author of the Year, and author of The Fabled Earth, a finalist for the Townsend Prize for Fiction
Edda L. Fields-Black: professor of history and director of the Dietrich College Humanities Center at Carnegie Mellon University, author of Combee: Harriet Tubman, The Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War
Katherine Freeman: National Park Service Ranger with the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park
Jake Zadik: Brays Island naturalist, nature photographer, and cofounder of South Carolina Partners of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (SCPARC)
Juliana Zadik: naturalist, educator, and Beaufort County Long-Range Environmental Planner
Dana Ridenour: retired FBI undercover special agent, author of the Lexie Montgomery series
Eugene A. Rugala: retired FBI “profiler,” behavioral science consultant and author
DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization

This year, March Forth is hosted by Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt and nationally recognized youth advocate Julia Garnett.
March Forth is presented in collaboration between the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, Penn Center, NeverMore Books, the Port Royal Farmers Market, the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park, and DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization.
~EVENTS FOR SATURDAY MARCH 1~
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Reconstruction Era National Historic Park ToursExplore the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park locations in Beaufort, Port Royal, and St. Helena. Free. See Details Here.
9:30 a.m. to Noon: Read with a Ranger and Teddy Bear Picnic at the Port Royal Farmers MarketStudent volunteers from DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization) will be reading children’s picture books to young readers and their families, with light snacks provided. DAYLO students will be joined by National Park Service Ranger Katherine Freeman from the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park for a special read-aloud, Read with a Ranger. This free event will be held near the gazebo at the Port Royal Farmers Market (1615 Ribaut Rd, Port Royal). No registration needed.
10:00 a.m. to Noon: Demythologizing the FBI: What Writers Get Wrong, Workshop Led by Dana Ridenour and Eugene A. RugalaJoin retired FBI undercover special agent turned novelist Dana Ridenour and retired FBI “profiler” turned consultant Eugene A. Rugala for a workshop for writers (and interested readers) about what FBI work is really like–and what novels and films get wrong. $60/person, limited to 20 attendees. Held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Register in advance at Eventbrite.
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Penn Center’s York W. Bailey Museum ToursExplore Penn Center and the York W. Bailey Museum (16 Penn Center Circle West, St. Helena Island). Docent-led tours available. $15-$20/person.
Noon to 4:00 p.m.: Pat Conroy Literary Center ToursThe nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort) is open for free public tours, guided by volunteer docents.
5:00 to 6:00 p.m.: Facebook Live Interview with Ashley Hope Pérez, Editor of Banned Together, in Conversation with Jonathan Haupt and Julia Garnett
Ashley Hope Pérez’s 2015 YA novel Out of Darkness won a Printz Honor and the Tomás Rivera Book Award—and it as one of the top ten most banned books of 2021. Pérez will discuss her new anthology Banned Together: The Fight for Reader’s Rights (to be published on March 4) in conversation with Pat Conroy Literary Center executive director Jonathan Haupt and Banned Books Week Honorary Youth Chair Julia Garnett. This free virtual event will be live-streamed to the Conroy Center’s Facebook page and available to watch through Monday, March 3, at 6:00 p.m. No registration required.
~EVENTS FOR SUNDAY MARCH 2~
All Sunday events are ticketed (Eventbrite)and held at Penn Center’s Frissell Hall, 16 Penn Center Circle West, St. Helena Island. Nature walk: $10/person. Catered lunch + two author presentations: $30.

9:30-10:00 a.m.: Attendee check-in.
10:00-11:30 a.m.: Birding and nature walk of Penn Center led by husband and wife naturalists Jake and Juliana Zadik. Approximately 1 mile. $10/person; limited to 40 participants.
11:30 to Noon. Catered lunch by Magnolia’s Cafe. Included in $30/person registration.
Noon to 1:00 p.m.: Presentation by Dr. Edda L. Fields-Black, professor of history and director of the Dietrich College Humanities Center at Carnegie Mellon University, author of Combee: Harriet Tubman, The Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War. Included in $30/person registration.
1:00 to 1:30 p.m.: Book signing break with NeverMore Books.
1:30 to 2:30 p.m.: Conversation with Kimberly Brock: novelist, past Georgia Author of the Year, and author of The Fabled Earth, a finalist for the Townsend Prize for Fiction–interviewed by Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt and Banned Books Week Honorary Youth Chair Julia Garnett. Included in $30/person registration.
2:30-3:00 p.m.: Book signing break with NeverMore Books.
3:00 p.m.: Closing remarks

Ninth Annual March Forth Weekend
2025-03-01 09:30 - 2025-03-02 15:30 | Beaufort, South Carolina, Beaufort, SC, US
Our Conroy Center’s ninth annual March Forth will be held on Saturday, March 1, and Sunday, March 2, with educational programs in Beaufort, Port Royal, St. Helena Island, and online. This special event commemorates the anniversary of Pat Conroy’s passing on March 4, 2016, by engaging with major themes of his writing and teaching life, including social justice, inclusivity, conservation, education, truth-telling, and storytelling.
March Forth will include appearances by:
* Ashley Hope Pérez: YA novelist, educator, advocate, and editor of Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers’ Rights
* Kimberly Brock: novelist, past Georgia Author of the Year, and author of The Fabled Earth, a finalist for the Townsend Prize for Fiction
* Edda L. Fields-Black, professor of history and director of the Dietrich College Humanities Center at Carnegie Mellon University, author of Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War
* Katherine Freeman: National Park Service Ranger with the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park
* Jake Zadik: Brays Island naturalist, nature photographer, and cofounder of South Carolina Partners of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (SCPARC)
* Juliana Zadik: naturalist, educator, and Beaufort County Long-Range Environmental Planner
* Dana Ridenour: retired FBI undercover special agent, author of the Lexie Montgomery series
* Eugene A. Rugala: retired FBI agent and “profiler,” behavioral science consultant and author
* DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization
This year, March Forth is hosted by Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt and nationally recognized youth advocate Julia Garnett.
March Forth is presented in collaboration between the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, Penn Center, NeverMore Books, the Port Royal Farmers Market, the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park, and DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization.
Register in advance: https://marchforth2025.eventbrite.com
~EVENTS for SATURDAY, MARCH 1~
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Reconstruction Era National Historic Park Tours
Explore the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park locations in Beaufort, Port Royal, and St. Helena. Free. Details: https://www.nps.gov/reer/index.htm
9:30 a.m. to Noon: Read with a Ranger and Teddy Bear Picnic at the Port Royal Farmers Market
Student volunteers from DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization) will be reading children’s picture books to young readers and their families, with light snacks provided. DAYLO students will be joined by National Park Service Ranger Katherine Freeman from the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park for a special read-aloud, Read with a Ranger. This free event will be held near the gazebo at the Port Royal Farmers Market (1615 Ribaut Rd, Port Royal). No registration needed.
10:00 a.m. to Noon: Demythologizing the FBI: What Writers Get Wrong, Workshop Led by Dana Ridenour and Eugene A. Rugala
Join retired FBI undercover special agent turned novelist Dana Ridenour and retired FBI “profiler” turned consultant Eugene A. Rugala for a workshop for writers (and interested readers) about what FBI work is really like–and what novels and films get wrong. $60/person, limited to 20 attendees. Held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Register in advance at https://demythologizingthefbiworkshop.eventbrite.com
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Penn Center’s York W. Bailey Museum Tours
Explore Penn Center and the York W. Bailey Museum (16 Penn Center Circle West, St. Helena Island). Docent-led tours available. $15-$20/person.
Noon to 4:00 p.m.: Pat Conroy Literary Center Tours
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort) is open for free public tours, guided by volunteer docents.
6:00 to 7:00 p.m.: Facebook Live Interview with Ashley Hope Pérez, Editor of Banned Together, in Conversation with Jonathan Haupt and Julia Garnett
Ashley Hope Pérez’s 2015 YA novel Out of Darkness won a Printz Honor and the Tomás Rivera Book Award—and it as one of the top ten most banned books of 2021. Pérez will discuss her new anthology Banned Together: The Fight for Reader’s Rights (to be published on March 4) in conversation with Pat Conroy Literary Center executive director Jonathan Haupt and Banned Books Week Honorary Youth Chair Julia Garnett. This free virtual event will be live-streamed to the Conroy Center’s Fcebook page and available to watch through Monday, March 3, at 6:00 p.m. No registration required. https://www.facebook.com/patconroyliterarycenter
~EVENTS for SUNDAY, MARCH 2~
All Sunday events are ticketed and held at Penn Center’s Frissell Hall, 16 Penn Center Circle West, St. Helena Island. Nature walk: $10/person. Catered lunch + two author presentations: $30.
9:30-10:00 a.m.: Attendee check-in.
10:00-11:30 a.m.: Birding and nature walk of Penn Center led by husband and wife naturalists Jake and Juliana Zadik. Approximately 1 mile. $10/person; limited to 40 participants.
11:30 to Noon. Catered lunch by Magnolia’s Cafe. Included in $30/person registration.
Noon to 1:00 p.m.: Presentation by Dr. Edda L. Fields-Black, professor of history and director of the Dietrich College Humanities Center at Carnegie Mellon University, author of Combee: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War. . . Included in $30/person registration.
1:00 to 1:30 p.m.: Book signing break with NeverMore Books.
1:30 to 2:30 p.m.: Conversation with Kimberly Brock: novelist, past Georgia Author of the Year, and author of The Fabled Earth, a finalist for the Townsend Prize for Fiction–interviewed by Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt and Banned Books Week Honorary Youth Chair Julia Garnett. Included in $30/person registration.
2:30-3:00 p.m.: Book signing break with NeverMore Books.
3:00 p.m.: Closing remarks
~ABOUT OUR PRESENTERS~
{Coming Soon}

Monthly Teddy Bear Picnic Read-Aloud with DAYLO
2025-03-01 09:30 - 12:00 | Port Royal Farmers Market
On the first Saturday of every month, you can join the student volunteers of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization for a Teddy Bear Picnic read-aloud at the Port Royal Farmers Market (1615 Ribaut Rd.). In collaboration with the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, high school and college student volunteers from the Beaufort-based chapters of DAYLO gather at the gazebo in Naval Heritage Park from 9:30 a.m. to noon to read diverse, inclusive picture books to children and their families, inspiring a love of stories, books, reading, and peer-to-peer mentoring.
Cozy blankets, a plethora of stuffed animals, and some snacks help the students make a welcoming environment in this free community literacy program. Several times a year, National Park Service Ranger Katherine Freeman also joins in for Read with a Ranger, a literacy and art project thematically connected to the missions of DAYLO, the Conroy Center, and the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park.
DAYLO is a student-led diversity themed book club and community service group founded at Beaufort High School and now with chapters across South Carolina. Learn more at: https://linktr.ee/DAYLOBFT.
The Pat Conroy Literary Center is a nonprofit interpretive and learning center advancing the legacy of beloved, bestselling writer, educator, and mentor Pat Conroy (1945-2016), author of The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Prince of Tides, and more. Learn more at: www.patconroyliterarycenter.org.

Teddy Bear Picnic Read Aloud with Daylo March 2025
2025-03-01 09:30 - 12:00 | Port Royal Farmers Market, 1615 Ribault Rd, Port Royal, SC, 29935, United States
Saturday March 1, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. to noon EDT
Price: Free
Venue: Port Royal Farmers Market | Ribaut Rd & Pinckney Blvd, Port Royal, SC 29935
Website: Facebook Event Page
On the first Saturday of every month, you can join the student volunteers of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization for a Teddy Bear Picnic read-aloud at the Port Royal Farmers Market (1615 Ribaut Rd.). In collaboration with the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, high school and college student volunteers from the Beaufort-based chapters of DAYLO gather at the gazebo in Naval Heritage Park from 9:30 a.m. to noon to read diverse, inclusive picture books to children and their families, inspiring a love of stories, books, reading, and peer-to-peer mentoring.
Cozy blankets, a plethora of stuffed animals, and some snacks help the students make a welcoming environment in this free community literacy program. Several times a year, National Park Service Ranger Katherine Freeman also joins in for Read with a Ranger, a literacy and art project thematically connected to the missions of DAYLO, the Conroy Center, and the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park.
DAYLO is a student-led diversity themed book club and community service group founded at Beaufort High School and now with chapters across South Carolina. Learn more at: https://linktr.ee/DAYLOBFT.

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.

Workshop: Demythologizing the FBI: What Writers Get Wrong
2025-03-01 10:00 - 12:00 | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Register: Register at EventBrite
Saturday, March 1, 2025 · 10:00 am – 12:00 noon EST
Cost: $60
Limited to 20 participants
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St Beaufort, SC 29902
Demythologizing the FBI: What Writers Get Wrong
Led by Dana Ridenour and Eugene A. Rugala
Join retired FBI undercover special agent Dana Ridenour and a retired FBI profiler Eugene A. Rugala in this workshop for writers (and interested readers) as they dispel the myths and clichés perpetrated by television and movies regarding the FBI. Writers will learn how to avoid the common pitfalls of writing FBI characters. The discussion will give writers a peak into the daily life of an FBI agent focusing on the FBI undercover program, and the role of the FBI plays in terrorism and human trafficking investigations.
The presentation will also explore the myths and realities of what the Behavioral Analysis Unit does and doesn’t do, what is and what is not behavioral “profiling,” what types of cases utilize this technique, and what members of the BAU do on a daily basis. Participants will gain a better understanding of how to accurately portray FBI characters and investigations.
Time permitting, some participants may also be able to read brief excerpts from drafts for feedback from the instructors.
This is an in-person writers workshop, held at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St.). Limited to 20 participants with advance registration required: $60/person.
Learn more and register at EventBrite
Website: Facebook Event Page
About our instructors:
Dana Ridenour is the award-winning author of the Lexie Montgomery FBI Series: Behind the Mask, Beyond the Cabin, and Below the Radar. She is a retired FBI special agent who spent most of her career as an undercover operative. Dana entered on duty with the FBI in November of 1995 and retired in April of 2016 after over twenty years of service. She was assigned to four different FBI Field Divisions and had the opportunity to work a wide variety of cases, to include multi-faceted narcotics investigations, domestic sex trafficking of minors, and violent crime. Over the years, Dana was a proud member of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team where she and her team traveled to New York City in response to the 9/11 World Trade Center attack.
The highlight of her career came in 2003 when she attended and passed the FBI’s prestigious undercover school, thus allowing her to work as an undercover FBI agent. This undercover certification opened the door for her to work a series of long term, deep cover cases focusing on domestic terrorism. Dana had the rare experience of working a long-term undercover investigation with her husband who was also an FBI agent. She now lives, writes, and teaches in the South Carolina lowcountry, where she also volunteers at the Pat Conroy Literary Center.
Eugene A. Rugala is principal of Eugene A. Rugala and Associates LLC, a behavioral science, consultation, training, and research firm based in Beaufort. One of the FBI’s “Profilers” in the unit made famous by the book and movie “The Silence of the Lambs” and the series “Criminal Minds” and “Mindhunter,” Gene specializes in the detailed behavioral analysis of violent crimes, including homicide, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, and workplace and school violence. He consults with many corporations and universities in developing and implementing procedures and protocols for the prevention of violence in the workplace and in schools to include threat assessment and management services.
He is also a national advisory board member of the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence, a group of Fortune 500 companies who raise awareness and suggest strategies for companies to deal with intimate partner violence and its impact. Gene has contributed to the content and participated in the video production of Shots Fired: Guidance for Surviving an Active Shooter Situation, Flashpoint: Recognizing and Preventing Violence in the Workplace, and Silent Storm: Intimate Partner Violence and Stalking and Its Impact on the Workplace. A version of these programs has been developed for university settings as well. Gene is a coauthor of the book Workplace Violence: Issues in Threat 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.

Demythologizing the FBI: Writers Workshop Led by Dana Ridenour and Eugene A. Rugala
2025-03-01 10:00 - 12:00 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
Demythologizing the FBI: What Writers Get Wrong
Led by Dana Ridenour and Eugene A. Rugala
Join retired FBI undercover special agent Dana Ridenour and a retired FBI agent and profiler Eugene A. Rugala in this workshop for writers (and interested readers) as they dispel the myths and clichés perpetrated by television and movies regarding the FBI. Writers will learn how to avoid the common pitfalls of writing FBI characters. The discussion will give writers a peak into the daily life of an FBI agent focusing on the FBI undercover program, and the role of the FBI plays in terrorism and human trafficking investigations. The presentation will also explore the myths and realities of what the Behavioral Analysis Unit does and doesn’t do, what is and what is not behavioral “profiling,” what types of cases utilize this technique, and what members of the BAU do on a daily basis. Participants will gain a better understanding of how to accurately portray FBI characters and investigations.
Time permitting, some participants may also be able to read brief excerpts from drafts for feedback from the instructors.
This is an in-person writers workshop, held at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St.). Limited to 20 participants with advance registration required: $60/person.
Register at https://demythologizingthefbiworkshop.eventbrite.com
About our instructors
Dana Ridenour is the award-winning author of the Lexie Montgomery FBI Series: Behind the Mask, Beyond the Cabin, and Below the Radar. She is a retired FBI special agent who spent most of her career as an undercover operative. Dana entered on duty with the FBI in November of 1995 and retired in April of 2016 after over twenty years of service. She was assigned to four different FBI Field Divisions and had the opportunity to work a wide variety of cases, to include multi-faceted narcotics investigations, domestic sex trafficking of minors, and violent crime. Over the years, Dana was a proud member of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team where she and her team traveled to New York City in response to the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. The highlight of her career came in 2003 when she attended and passed the FBI’s prestigious undercover school, thus allowing her to work as an undercover FBI agent. This undercover certification opened the door for her to work a series of long term, deep cover cases focusing on domestic terrorism. Dana had the rare experience of working a long-term undercover investigation with her husband who was also an FBI agent. She now lives, writes, and teaches in the South Carolina lowcountry, where she also volunteers at the Pat Conroy Literary Center.
Eugene A. Rugala is principal of Eugene A. Rugala and Associates LLC, a behavioral science, consultation, training, and research firm based in Beaufort. One of the FBI’s “Profilers” in the unit made famous by the book and movie “The Silence of the Lambs”and the series “Criminal Minds” and “Mindhunter,” Gene specializes in the detailed behavioral analysis of violent crimes, including homicide, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, and workplace and school violence. He consults with many corporations and universities in developing and implementing procedures and protocols for the prevention of violence in the workplace and in schools to include threat assessment and management services. He is also a national advisory board member of the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence, a group of Fortune 500 companies who raise awareness and suggest strategies for companies to deal with intimate partner violence and its impact. Gene has contributed to the content and participated in the video production of Shots Fired: Guidance for Surviving an Active Shooter Situation, Flashpoint: Recognizing and Preventing Violence in the Workplace, and Silent Storm: Intimate Partner Violence and Stalking and Its Impact on the Workplace. A version of these programs has been developed for university settings as well. Gene is a coauthor of the book Workplace Violence: Issues in Threat Management.

Workshop: Writing Believable Law Enforcement Characters
2025-03-08 10:00 - 12:00 | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Register: Register at EventBrite
Saturday, March 8, 2025 · 10:00 am – 12:00 noon EST
Cost: $60
Limited to 20 participants
Venue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St Beaufort, SC 29902
Writing Believable Law Enforcement CharactersA Workshop for Writers Led by Dana Ridenour and Eugene A. Rugala
Law enforcement personnel are an integral part of crime fiction. Their roles range from those enforcing the law at street level up to the upper echelons of command. In this workshop retired FBI undercover special agent Dana Ridenour and a retired FBI agent and profiler Eugene A. Rugala will discuss the psychological toll of being a law enforcement officer, how to write realistic law enforcement characters and crime scenes, writing about firearms, understanding jurisdiction, writing realistic fight scenes, and turning your real-life experiences into fiction. The instructors will also delve into opportunities for research and their own experiences with research—one as a novelist and the other as a consultant for books, film, and television.
Time permitting, some participants may also be able to read brief excerpts from drafts for feedback from the instructors.
This is an in-person writers workshop, held at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St.). Limited to 20 participants with advance registration required: $60/person.
Learn more and register at EventBrite
Website: Facebook Event Page
About our instructors:
Dana Ridenour is the award-winning author of the Lexie Montgomery FBI Series: Behind the Mask, Beyond the Cabin, and Below the Radar. She is a retired FBI special agent who spent most of her career as an undercover operative. Dana entered on duty with the FBI in November of 1995 and retired in April of 2016 after over twenty years of service. She was assigned to four different FBI Field Divisions and had the opportunity to work a wide variety of cases, to include multi-faceted narcotics investigations, domestic sex trafficking of minors, and violent crime. Over the years, Dana was a proud member of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team where she and her team traveled to New York City in response to the 9/11 World Trade Center attack.
The highlight of her career came in 2003 when she attended and passed the FBI’s prestigious undercover school, thus allowing her to work as an undercover FBI agent. This undercover certification opened the door for her to work a series of long term, deep cover cases focusing on domestic terrorism. Dana had the rare experience of working a long-term undercover investigation with her husband who was also an FBI agent. She now lives, writes, and teaches in the South Carolina lowcountry, where she also volunteers at the Pat Conroy Literary Center.
Eugene A. Rugala is principal of Eugene A. Rugala and Associates LLC, a behavioral science, consultation, training, and research firm based in Beaufort. One of the FBI’s “Profilers” in the unit made famous by the book and movie “The Silence of the Lambs” and the series “Criminal Minds” and “Mindhunter,” Gene specializes in the detailed behavioral analysis of violent crimes, including homicide, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, and workplace and school violence. He consults with many corporations and universities in developing and implementing procedures and protocols for the prevention of violence in the workplace and in schools to include threat assessment and management services.
He is also a national advisory board member of the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence, a group of Fortune 500 companies who raise awareness and suggest strategies for companies to deal with intimate partner violence and its impact. Gene has contributed to the content and participated in the video production of Shots Fired: Guidance for Surviving an Active Shooter Situation, Flashpoint: Recognizing and Preventing Violence in the Workplace, and Silent Storm: Intimate Partner Violence and Stalking and Its Impact on the Workplace. A version of these programs has been developed for university settings as well. Gene is a coauthor of the book Workplace Violence: Issues in Threat 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.

Writing Believable Law Enforcement Characters: A Workshop Led by Dana Ridenour & Eugene A. Rugala
2025-03-08 10:00 - 12:00 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
Writing Believable Law Enforcement Characters
A Workshop for Writers Led by Dana Ridenour and Eugene A. Rugala
Law enforcement personnel are an integral part of crime fiction. Their roles range from those enforcing the law at street level up to the upper echelons of command. In this workshop retired FBI undercover special agent Dana Ridenour and a retired FBI agent and profiler Eugene A. Rugala will discuss the psychological toll of being a law enforcement officer, how to write realistic law enforcement characters and crime scenes, writing about firearms, understanding jurisdiction, writing realistic fight scenes, and turning your real-life experiences into fiction. The instructors will also delve into opportunities for research and their own experiences with research—one as a novelist and the other as a consultant for books, film, and television.
Time permitting, some participants may also be able to read brief excerpts from drafts for feedback from the instructors.
This is an in-person writers workshop, held at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St.). Limited to 20 participants with advance registration required: $60/person.
Register at: https://writinglawenforcement.eventbrite.com
About our instructors
Dana Ridenour is the award-winning author of the Lexie Montgomery FBI Series: Behind the Mask, Beyond the Cabin, and Below the Radar. She is a retired FBI special agent who spent most of her career as an undercover operative. Dana entered on duty with the FBI in November of 1995 and retired in April of 2016 after over twenty years of service. She was assigned to four different FBI Field Divisions and had the opportunity to work a wide variety of cases, to include multi-faceted narcotics investigations, domestic sex trafficking of minors, and violent crime. Over the years, Dana was a proud member of the FBI’s Evidence Response Team where she and her team traveled to New York City in response to the 9/11 World Trade Center attack. The highlight of her career came in 2003 when she attended and passed the FBI’s prestigious undercover school, thus allowing her to work as an undercover FBI agent. This undercover certification opened the door for her to work a series of long term, deep cover cases focusing on domestic terrorism. Dana had the rare experience of working a long-term undercover investigation with her husband who was also an FBI agent. She now lives, writes, and teaches in the South Carolina lowcountry, where she also volunteers at the Pat Conroy Literary Center.
Eugene A. Rugala is principal of Eugene A. Rugala and Associates LLC, a behavioral science, consultation, training, and research firm based in Beaufort. One of the FBI’s “Profilers” in the unit made famous by the book and movie “The Silence of the Lambs”and the series “Criminal Minds” and “Mindhunter,” Gene specializes in the detailed behavioral analysis of violent crimes, including homicide, sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, and workplace and school violence. He consults with many corporations and universities in developing and implementing procedures and protocols for the prevention of violence in the workplace and in schools to include threat assessment and management services. He is also a national advisory board member of the Corporate Alliance to End Partner Violence, a group of Fortune 500 companies who raise awareness and suggest strategies for companies to deal with intimate partner violence and its impact. Gene has contributed to the content and participated in the video production of Shots Fired: Guidance for Surviving an Active Shooter Situation, Flashpoint: Recognizing and Preventing Violence in the Workplace, and Silent Storm: Intimate Partner Violence and Stalking and Its Impact on the Workplace. A version of these programs has been developed for university settings as well. Gene is a coauthor of the book Workplace Violence: Issues in Threat Management.

March 2025 Virtual Open Mic Night
2025-03-13 18:00 - 19:30 | Online – Facebook Live
The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be presented as a virtual event, live-streamed to our Facebook page, on Thursday, March 13, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured presenter is multi-genre author Susan Tekulve, whose newest book is Bodies of Light, her first full-length poetry collection. Hosted by poet Melissa Whiteford St. Clair, Open Mic will also feature short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres.
When: Thursday, March 13, 2025 at 6 PM – 7:30 PM EDT
Price: Free · Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Where: Virtual – Facebook
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 author:
Susan Tekulve’s newest book Bodies of Light is her first full-length poetry collection. She is the author of Second Shift: Essays (Del Sol Press) and In the Garden of Stone (Hub City Press), winner of the South Carolina Novel Prize and a Gold IPPY Award. She’s also published two short story collections: Savage Pilgrims (Serving House Books) and My Mother’s War Stories (Winnow Press).
Her photo essay, “White Blossoms,” appeared in Issue 12 of the KYSO Flash Anthology. Her nonfiction, fiction, and poetry has appeared in journals such as Denver Quarterly, The Georgia Review, The Louisville Review, Puerto del Sol, New Letters, and Shenandoah. Her web chapbook, Wash Day, appears in the Web Del Sol International Chapbook Series, and her story collection, My Mother’s War Stories, received the 2004 Winnow Press fiction prize. She has received scholarships from the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. She teaches in the BFA and MFA writing programs at Converse University.
“Susan Tekulve’s Bodies of Light both illuminates and enchants. In odes to body parts—teeth and thumbs, feet and hair—as well as bodies inside bodies (pregnancies), this poet delights in the corporal and spiritual. In elegies, Tekulve honors the bodies of her beloved dead and the magic of her garden. Hummingbirds, tarantulas, stinkbugs, spiders, and bees wearing ‘tiny yellow combat boots’ populate these terrific poems of wonder and dazzle.”–Denise Duhamel, author of Pink Lady, Scald, and Blowout
“It’s a kind of magic, the way Susan Tekulve’s forthright monosyllabic titles (Bonnet, Grief, Kimono, Son—the list goes on) blossom into poems so lush in vision, so voluptuous in vocabulary and song, they feel as bountiful as the planet we live on. Tekulve’s poems have their specific concerns of course (parenting, for example, and world travel) but ultimately she’s in love with existence itself, whether elegiac or celebratory, and her one-word titles (Relics, Geodes, Feathers: the list goes on) are keys to a lavish proof of that love’s great depth.”–Albert Goldbarth, author of History (and Pre-), Saving Lives, and Heaven and Earth: A Cosmology

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 Susan Tekulve, Author of Bodies of Light
2025-03-13 18:00 - 19:30 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be presented as a virtual event, live-streamed to our Facebook page, on Thursday, March 13, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured presenter is multi-genre author Susan Tekulve, whose newest book is Bodies of Light, her first full-length poetry collection. Hosted by poet Melissa Whiteford St. Clair, Open Mic will also feature short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres.
Interested in reading as part of virtual Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org.
About Our Featured Author:
Susan Tekulve’s newest book Bodies of Light is her first full-length poetry collection. She is the author of Second Shift: Essays (Del Sol Press) and In the Garden of Stone (Hub City Press), winner of the South Carolina Novel Prize and a Gold IPPY Award. She’s also published two short story collections: Savage Pilgrims (Serving House Books) and My Mother’s War Stories (Winnow Press). Her photo essay, “White Blossoms,” appeared in Issue 12 of the KYSO Flash Anthology. Her nonfiction, fiction, and poetry has appeared in journals such as Denver Quarterly, The Georgia Review, The Louisville Review, Puerto del Sol, New Letters, and Shenandoah. Her web chapbook, Wash Day, appears in the Web Del Sol International Chapbook Series, and her story collection, My Mother’s War Stories, received the 2004 Winnow Press fiction prize. She has received scholarships from the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. She teaches in the BFA and MFA writing programs at Converse University.
“Susan Tekulve’s Bodies of Light both illuminates and enchants. In odes to body parts—teeth and thumbs, feet and hair—as well as bodies inside bodies (pregnancies), this poet delights in the corporal and spiritual. In elegies, Tekulve honors the bodies of her beloved dead and the magic of her garden. Hummingbirds, tarantulas, stinkbugs, spiders, and bees wearing ‘tiny yellow combat boots’ populate these terrific poems of wonder and dazzle.”–Denise Duhamel, author of Pink Lady, Scald, and Blowout
“It’s a kind of magic, the way Susan Tekulve’s forthright monosyllabic titles (Bonnet, Grief, Kimono, Son—the list goes on) blossom into poems so lush in vision, so voluptuous in vocabulary and song, they feel as bountiful as the planet we live on. Tekulve’s poems have their specific concerns of course (parenting, for example, and world travel) but ultimately she’s in love with existence itself, whether elegiac or celebratory, and her one-word titles (Relics, Geodes, Feathers: the list goes on) are keys to a lavish proof of that love’s great depth.”–Albert Goldbarth, author of History (and Pre-), Saving Lives, and Heaven and Earth: A Cosmology

An Evening with Dawn Major and Kim Poovey
2025-03-20 17:00 - 18:30 | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Thursday, March 20, 2025 – 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 Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with authors Dawn Major and Kim Poovey portraying characters from their respective novels, introduced by host Mary Ellen Thompson.
Free and open to the public, this special event will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on March 20 at 5:00 p.m. Books will be available for sale and signing. Please call in advance to reserve a seat: 843-379-7025.
Dawn Major is an associate editor for the Southern Literary Review. Her debut novel, The Bystanders, was named finalist for 2024 Georgia Author of the Year for Best First Novel. Set in the 1980s, The Bystanders is the story of a family who moves from California to a small town in Missouri, where, to put it mildly, they didn’t fit in. Dawn will converse from the point of view of her teenaged character, Shannon Lamb, who is the source of much gossip from the townspeople.
Kim Poovey is a storyteller, Victorian reenactress, and has written nine novels. The first of her Dreamist Series, The Haunting of Monroe Manse, centers on Sarah Holden, a smalltown antiques dealer who is “plagued by haunted dreams and gruesome visions.” As Sarah’s visions increase in intensity, the reader is taken on a chilling page turning journey of the otherworldly. Kim will portray Sarah in the conversation.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dawn Major’s debut novel, The Bystanders, was named finalist for 2024 Georgia Author of the Year for Best First Novel. Major has a graduate degree in Creative Writing, is associate editor at Southern Literary Review, and a co-editor at WELL READ Magazine where she writes a column called “TripLit with D. Major.”
She enjoys advocating for Southern writers and artists on her blog, SouthernRead. Major’s literary awards include the following: the Dr. Robert Driscoll Award for Excellence in Writing Award and a James Dickey Fellowship. She is a member of the William Gay Archive and helps edit and publish the late author’s works. She serves on the board at Broadleaf Writers Association, is a member of multiple writing association, as well as a member of M’ville, an Atlanta-based artist salon. She has been published in multiple journals, reviews, and anthologies. Major lives in Atlanta, GA with her family and is currently working on her novelette, The Dandy Chronicles.
Kim Poovey is a bestselling author of cozy horror and historical fiction. She has traveled the Southeast for more than 20 years presenting on 19th century fashion, Victorian era mourning practices, Ornamental Hairwork, and the history of ghost stories.
In 2011 she portrayed Mrs. Stanton, wife of Secretary of War Stanton (Kevin Kline), in the Robert Redford film, The Conspirator. Additional film projects include portraying the wife of a villainous husband in the Vook version of Jude Devereaux’ novella Promises and the documentary Beyond the Oaks, Lowcountry Plantations.
Kim has published nine books to include four in the Dreamist series and two in the Shadows trilogy. In addition, Kim has written for several magazines to include Beaufort Lifestyles, Bluffton Breeze, Citizen’s Companion, and the Civil War Times. When not writing or performing, Kim works as a school psychologist. She lives in a haunted 1890s Victorian cottage in the South Carolina Lowcountry with her husband, Darryl, and their furry children.
Mary Ellen Thompson is an associate editor for the Southern Literary Review. Her interview with the legendary Pat Conroy was published in A Lowcountry Heart. A lead features writer for Beaufort Lifestyle Magazine for eight years, and columnist for Lowcountry Weekly for ten years, she has also written for Pooler Magazine, Effingham Magazine, Carolina Arts Magazine, St. Mary’s Magazine and Eat, Sleep, Play Beaufort. Mary Ellen has very happy feet and loves to travel.
Raised on the Main Line of Philadelphia and the Eastern Shore of MD, she has a B.S. From Skidmore College in Business. Currently living on Saint Helena Island, SC, she hosts a Writer’s Residency for the Pat Conroy Literary Center, and is writing a retrospective narrative.

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 Novelists Dawn Major and Kim Poovey
2025-03-20 17:00 - 18:30 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
The Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with authors Dawn Major and Kim Poovey portraying characters from their respective novels, introduced by host Mary Ellen Thompson. Free and open to the public, this special event will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on March 20 at 5:00 p.m. Books will be available for sale and signing. Please call in advance to reserve a seat: 843-379-7025.
Dawn Major is an associate editor for the Southern Literary Review. Her debut novel, The Bystanders, was named finalist for 2024 Georgia Author of the Year for Best First Novel. Set in the 1980s, The Bystanders is the story of a family who moves from California to a small town in Missouri, where, to put it mildly, they didn’t fit in. Dawn will converse from the point of view of her teenaged character, Shannon Lamb, who is the source of much gossip from the townspeople.
Kim Poovey is a storyteller, Victorian reenactress, and has written nine novels. The first of her Dreamist Series, The Haunting of Monroe Manse, centers on Sarah Holden, a smalltown antiques dealer who is “plagued by haunted dreams and gruesome visions.” As Sarah’s visions increase in intensity, the reader is taken on a chilling page turning journey of the otherworldly. Kim will portray Sarah in the conversation.
About the Authors
Dawn Major’s debut novel, The Bystanders, was named finalist for 2024 Georgia Author of the Year for Best First Novel. Major has a graduate degree in Creative Writing, is associate editor at Southern Literary Review, and a co-editor at WELL READ Magazine where she writes a column called “TripLit with D. Major.” She enjoys advocating for Southern writers and artists on her blog, SouthernRead. Major’s literary awards include the following: the Dr. Robert Driscoll Award for Excellence in Writing Award and a James Dickey Fellowship. She is a member of the William Gay Archive and helps edit and publish the late author’s works. She serves on the board at Broadleaf Writers Association, is a member of multiple writing association, as well as a member of M’ville, an Atlanta-based artist salon. She has been published in multiple journals, reviews, and anthologies. Major lives in Atlanta, GA with her family and is currently working on her novelette, The Dandy Chronicles.
Kim Poovey is a bestselling author of cozy horror and historical fiction. She has traveled the Southeast for more than 20 years presenting on 19th century fashion, Victorian era mourning practices, Ornamental Hairwork, and the history of ghost stories. In 2011 she portrayed Mrs. Stanton, wife of Secretary of War Stanton (Kevin Kline), in the Robert Redford film, The Conspirator. Additional film projects include portraying the wife of a villainous husband in the Vook version of Jude Devereaux’ novella Promises and the documentary Beyond the Oaks, Lowcountry Plantations. Kim has published nine books to include four in the Dreamist series and two in the Shadows trilogy. In addition, Kim has written for several magazines to include Beaufort Lifestyles, Bluffton Breeze, Citizen’s Companion, and the Civil War Times.bWhen not writing or performing, Kim works as a school psychologist. She lives in a haunted 1890s Victorian cottage in the South Carolina Lowcountry with her husband, Darryl, and their furry children.
Mary Ellen Thompson is an associate editor for the Southern Literary Review. Her interview with the legendary Pat Conroy was published in A Lowcountry Heart. A lead features writer for Beaufort Lifestyle Magazine for eight years, and columnist for Lowcountry Weekly for ten years, she has also written for Pooler Magazine, Effingham Magazine, Carolina Arts Magazine, St. Mary’s Magazine and Eat, Sleep, Play Beaufort. Mary Ellen has very happy feet and loves to travel. Raised on the Main Line of Philadelphia and the Eastern Shore of MD, she has a B.S. From Skidmore College in Business. Currently living on Saint Helena Island, SC, she hosts a Writer’s Residency for the Pat Conroy Literary Center, and is writing a retrospective narrative.

Silent Book Club Beaufort
2025-03-22 16:30 - 18:30 | 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, United States, South Carolina 29902
Silent Book Club Beaufort, a unique take on the traditional book club, will hold its next meetup on Saturday, March 22, from 4:30 to 6:30pm at the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St.). A relaxed and pressure-free space for readers of all types, this community gathering invites book lovers to enjoy their current reads in a welcoming and peaceful atmosphere.
Silent Book Club Beaufort is co-sponsored by the Conroy Center and the student book club DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization), bringing together two organizations dedicated to fostering community connections and celebrating the love of literature.
Unlike traditional book clubs, Silent Book Club Beaufort has no assigned reading, no deadlines, and no discussions required. Whether you prefer ebooks, audiobooks, comic books, textbooks, or paperbacks, readers are invited to bring their book of choice, settle in, and savor the joy of uninterrupted reading among like-minded individuals.
Silent Book Club Beaufort also features a book swap: Leave a book, take a book.
The casual meetups provide an excellent opportunity to discover new book recommendations, make friends, and reconnect with the love of reading. Whether you’re a lifelong bookworm or just getting back into reading, everyone is welcome.
Silent Book Club Beaufort is free to attend and proudly supports local businesses and organizations. Additional dates and locations will be announced soon via the SBCB Instagram page at www.instagram.com/silentbookclubbeaufort.

An Evening with Penelope Coker Hall and Eliza Wilson Ingle, Authors of A Curious Heart
2025-03-25 17:00 - 18:30 | Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC, 29902, United States
Tuesday, March 25, 2025 – 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 Penelope Coker Hall and Eliza Wilson Ingle, Authors of A Curious Heart: The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Boatwright Coker, on Tuesday, March 25, at 5:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort).
Free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited; please call in advance to reserve: 843-379-7025.
About the Book and Authors
Written by Elizabeth Boatwright Coker’s daughter, Penelope Coker Hall, and granddaughter, Eliza Wilson Ingle, A Curious Heart chronicles the life and work of the award-winning author.
In this poignant literary biography, Hall and Ingle give readers a front row seat to the remarkable life and career of award-winning author Elizabeth Boatwright Coker (1909-1993). Drawing liberally from Elizabeth’s own letters, journal entries, book passages and interviews, A Curious Heart reveals for the first time the inner life of this complex, Southern woman who dreamed of becoming a published writer.
Born in Darlington, South Carolina in an era when women could not vote and the legacy of the Civil War suffused nearly everything, Elizabeth was blessed with movie star beauty, a keen intellect and sense of humor, and extraordinary determination. At an early age, she was mentored by inspired teachers and some of the great writers of the 20th century. She would go on to challenge the status quo, in her life and her books.
Elizabeth’s journey juggling the demands of corporate wife and mother with that of working writer is a story of trial and triumph, heartbreak and joy. Her life spanned nearly the entire century, the second half of which yielded nine historical novels. With sensitivity and insight, the authors chronicle the passion, the powers of observation, the gift of storytelling, and the fierce independence that propelled their mother and grandmother to The New York Times bestseller list and the South Carolina Hall of Fame.
Born in Hartsville, South Carolina, Penelope Coker Hall matriculated to Sarah Lawrence College and eventually settled in New York, becoming a writer and host for Metromedia’s Channel Five TV show “The New Yorkers.” Later at NBC, Hall worked as a co-producer of several TV specials, including “Vanishing 400” and “Debutante.” During this time, she met and married film producer William Wilson and in 1968 their daughter, Eliza, was born. In 1972, Hall left the performing arts and embarked on a new marriage with widower Mortimer Hall of Millbrook, N.Y. Ensconced in Millbrook for 50 years, Hall served as editor of Dutchess Magazine while raising daughter Eliza as well as Morti’s five young children, along with a bevy of horses and dogs. Hall is author of several children’s books and the novel Riding High (under the pseudonym of Emily Brooks), written with former E.P. Dutton editor Ann LaFarge. Today, she divides her time between Charleston, S.C. and Millbrook.
Eliza Wilson Ingle is a New York native with Southern roots. She earned her BA in Dance from Middlebury College, and after a brief stint in New York City, moved to Charleston S.C. where she became a Professor of Dance at the College of Charleston. In addition to teaching, Ingle has been a performer and choreographer with Anonymity Dance Company. A dance reviewer for The Post and Courier covering Spoleto Festival USA, as well as a contributor to Charleston Magazine and Charleston City Paper, and creator and co-host of “Just Imagine” – a radio program covering local cultural events and people – she stays tapped into the arts and believes, as her grandmother did, in the power of story.

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 Penelope Coker Hall and Eliza Wilson Ingle, Authors of A Curious Heart
2025-03-25 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 Penelope Coker Hall and Eliza Wilson Ingle, Authors of A Curious Heart: The Life and Letters of Elizabeth Boatwright Coker, on Tuesday, March 25, at 5:00 p.m., at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited; please call in advance to reserve: 843-379-7025.
About the Book and Authors
Written by Elizabeth Boatwright Coker’s daughter, Penelope Coker Hall, and granddaughter, Eliza Wilson Ingle, A Curious Heart chronicles the life and work of the award-winning author.
In this poignant literary biography, Hall and Ingle give readers a front row seat to the remarkable life and career of award-winning author Elizabeth Boatwright Coker (1909-1993). Drawing liberally from Elizabeth’s own letters, journal entries, book passages and interviews, A Curious Heart reveals for the first time the inner life of this complex, Southern woman who dreamed of becoming a published writer.
Born in Darlington, South Carolina in an era when women could not vote and the legacy of the Civil War suffused nearly everything, Elizabeth was blessed with movie star beauty, a keen intellect and sense of humor, and extraordinary determination. At an early age, she was mentored by inspired teachers and some of the great writers of the 20th century. She would go on to challenge the status quo, in her life and her books.
Elizabeth’s journey juggling the demands of corporate wife and mother with that of working writer is a story of trial and triumph, heartbreak and joy. Her life spanned nearly the entire century, the second half of which yielded nine historical novels. With sensitivity and insight, the authors chronicle the passion, the powers of observation, the gift of storytelling, and the fierce independence that propelled their mother and grandmother to The New York Times bestseller list and the South Carolina Hall of Fame.
Born in Hartsville, South Carolina, Penelope Coker Hall matriculated to Sarah Lawrence College and eventually settled in New York, becoming a writer and host for Metromedia’s Channel Five TV show “The New Yorkers.” Later at NBC, Hall worked as a co-producer of several TV specials, including “Vanishing 400” and “Debutante.” During this time, she met and married film producer William Wilson and in 1968 their daughter, Eliza, was born. In 1972, Hall left the performing arts and embarked on a new marriage with widower Mortimer Hall of Millbrook, N.Y. Ensconced in Millbrook for 50 years, Hall served as editor of Dutchess Magazine while raising daughter Eliza as well as Morti’s five young children, along with a bevy of horses and dogs. Hall is author of several children’s books and the novel Riding High (under the pseudonym of Emily Brooks), written with former E.P. Dutton editor Ann LaFarge. Today, she divides her time between Charleston, S.C. and Millbrook.
Eliza Wilson Ingle is a New York native with Southern roots. She earned her BA in Dance from Middlebury College, and after a brief stint in New York City, moved to Charleston S.C. where she became a Professor of Dance at the College of Charleston. In addition to teaching, Ingle has been a performer and choreographer with Anonymity Dance Company. A dance reviewer for The Post and Courier covering Spoleto Festival USA, as well as a contributor to Charleston Magazine and Charleston City Paper, and creator and co-host of “Just Imagine” – a radio program covering local cultural events and people – she stays tapped into the arts and believes, as her grandmother did, in the power of story.

An Afternoon with novelists Jeffrey Blount and John Pruitt, in conversation with Rebecca Dwight Bruff
2025-03-28 14:00 - 15:30 | Penn Center, 16 Penn Center Circle West, St. Helena Island, SC, 29920, United States
Friday, March 28, 2025 – 2:00-3:30 PM EDT
Price: Free
Registration: Register at Eventbrite by March 27
Venue: Penn Center’s Frissell Hall, 16 Penn Center West, St. Helena Island
Website: Facebook Event Page
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an afternoon with novelists Jeffrey Blount (Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way) and John Pruitt (Tell It True), in conversation with Rebecca Dwight Bruff (Trouble the Water) on Friday, March 28, at 2:00 p.m.
Free and open to the public, this special event is presented in partnership with Luxe Lowcountry Travel and will be held at Penn Center’s Frissell Hall, 16 Penn Center West, St. Helena Island. Books by all three authors will be available for sale and signing.
Advance registration is required by March 27 at: https://blountandpruitt.eventbrite.com
About Jeffrey Blount and Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way
Jeffrey Blount is the award-winning author of three novels. He is also an Emmy award-winning television director and a 2016 inductee to the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. During a 34-year career at NBC News, Jeffrey directed a decade of Meet the Press and was the first African-American to direct the Today show. He is an award-winning documentary scriptwriter for films and interactives that are now on display in the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture.
Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way is a story about failure, self-discovery, empowerment, and the possibility of redemption. James Henry Ferguson doesn’t belong here. After a highly publicized fall from grace, James attempts to flee from the chaos in his life. He ends up in a community he had never heard of before, one that has been neglected and ignored by everyone in rural Ham, Mississippi. A place of abject poverty, the neighborhood is commonly referred to as “Around the Way.” Within a place forgotten by the rest of the world, politics can be a dangerous game. When a troubling discovery is made, the entire neighborhood is rocked to its core and James is forced to confront his own past in order to help the community have a future. He will have to find the strength to fight for the neighbors he once disregarded and avert a heart-breaking disaster. A self-identified failure is forced to uncover the wisdom of his past in order to recognize that money can’t solve every problem. Full of never-ending twists and turns, no one can prepare themselves for the surprises in store. Winner of the 2024 National Indie Excellence Award for African American Fiction, 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for African American Fiction, 2024 NYC Big Book Award for General Fiction, and 2024 American Book Fest Best Book Award for African American Fiction.
“This tender story is for any of us who have fallen and found the only way up is by reaching out a hand to others.”—Cassandra King, author of Tell Me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy
About John Pruitt and Tell It True
John Pruitt began his journalism career in 1964 as a television reporter-cameraman and eventually rose to top anchor at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. For a half-century he covered the civil rights movement, Georgia politics, and the major news figures of the day. His reporting has been honored with multiple awards including induction into the Atlanta Press Club and Georgia Association of Broadcasters Halls of Fame.
In Tell It True, An African American serviceman is gunned down on a rural Georgia road in July 1964. This shocking murder ensnares a wide range of characters including the journalists who cover it, the lawmen who must solve it, the civil rights leaders who capitalize upon it, the politicians who exploit it, and the Atlanta magnate who fears its impact on the New South image he desperately wants to protect. TV news cameraman Gil Matthews and AP reporter Mindy Williams team up to follow the twists and turns of the murder investigation as rural, state, and federal lawmen clash, a civil rights leader fends off a black power challenger, and voters take sides in a governor’s race pitting virulent racist Roscoe Pike against moderate underdog Harrison Parker. Focusing on the challenges faced by journalists as they covered a societal revolution and brought the dramatic and sometimes violent scenes to TV screens around the world, Tell It True takes us to a time when the future of the South hung in the balance.
“Pruitt takes us back to a time where black lives truly didn’t matter in the South, but it was a time black votes began to matter. The characters in this novel tell the story of the media’s role in changing race relations in the South, and the behind-the-scenes political alliances that helped to bring change. Pruitt’s meticulous character development and scenery depiction put me right there in the story. Gripping from beginning to end and hard to put down.”—Monica Kaufman Pearson, journalist and former news anchor
About Rebecca Dwight Bruff
Rebecca Bruff is the author of the award-winning historical novel Trouble the Water and the children’s book Stars of Wonder. Bruff earned her bachelor’s degree in education at Texas A&M and a master’s and doctorate in theology at Southern Methodist University. In 2017, she was a scholarship recipient for the prestigious Key West Literary Seminar. A frequent presenter at literary events, she volunteers at the Pat Conroy Literary Center.

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 Novelists Jeffrey Blount and John Pruitt
2025-03-28 14:00 - 15:30 | Penn Center Cir W, St Helena, SC 29920, United States
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an afternoon with novelists Jeffrey Blount (Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way) and John Pruitt (Tell It True), in conversation with Rebecca Dwight Bruff (Trouble the Water) on Friday, March 28, at 2:00 p.m. Free and open to the public, this special event is presented in partnership with Luxe Lowcountry Travel and will be held at Penn Center’s Frissell Hall, 16 Penn Center West, St. Helena Island. Books by all three authors will be available for sale and signing.
Advance registration is required by March 27 at: https://blountandpruitt.eventbrite.com
About Jeffrey Blount and Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way
Jeffrey Blount is the award-winning author of three novels. He is also an Emmy award-winning television director and a 2016 inductee to the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame. During a 34-year career at NBC News, Jeffrey directed a decade of Meet the Press and was the first African-American to direct the Today show. He is an award-winning documentary scriptwriter for films and interactives that are now on display in the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture.
Mr. Jimmy from Around the Way is a story about failure, self-discovery, empowerment, and the possibility of redemption. James Henry Ferguson doesn’t belong here. After a highly publicized fall from grace, James attempts to flee from the chaos in his life. He ends up in a community he had never heard of before, one that has been neglected and ignored by everyone in rural Ham, Mississippi. A place of abject poverty, the neighborhood is commonly referred to as “Around the Way.” Within a place forgotten by the rest of the world, politics can be a dangerous game. When a troubling discovery is made, the entire neighborhood is rocked to its core and James is forced to confront his own past in order to help the community have a future. He will have to find the strength to fight for the neighbors he once disregarded and avert a heart-breaking disaster. A self-identified failure is forced to uncover the wisdom of his past in order to recognize that money can’t solve every problem. Full of never-ending twists and turns, no one can prepare themselves for the surprises in store. Winner of the 2024 National Indie Excellence Award for African American Fiction, 2024 Next Generation Indie Book Awards for African American Fiction, 2024 NYC Big Book Award for General Fiction, and 2024 American Book Fest Best Book Award for African American Fiction.
“This tender story is for any of us who have fallen and found the only way up is by reaching out a hand to others.”—Cassandra King, author of Tell Me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy
About John Pruitt and Tell It True
John Pruitt began his journalism career in 1964 as a television reporter-cameraman and eventually rose to top anchor at WSB-TV in Atlanta, Georgia. For a half-century he covered the civil rights movement, Georgia politics, and the major news figures of the day. His reporting has been honored with multiple awards including induction into the Atlanta Press Club and Georgia Association of Broadcasters Halls of Fame.
In Tell It True, An African American serviceman is gunned down on a rural Georgia road in July 1964. This shocking murder ensnares a wide range of characters including the journalists who cover it, the lawmen who must solve it, the civil rights leaders who capitalize upon it, the politicians who exploit it, and the Atlanta magnate who fears its impact on the New South image he desperately wants to protect. TV news cameraman Gil Matthews and AP reporter Mindy Williams team up to follow the twists and turns of the murder investigation as rural, state, and federal lawmen clash, a civil rights leader fends off a black power challenger, and voters take sides in a governor’s race pitting virulent racist Roscoe Pike against moderate underdog Harrison Parker. Focusing on the challenges faced by journalists as they covered a societal revolution and brought the dramatic and sometimes violent scenes to TV screens around the world, Tell It True takes us to a time when the future of the South hung in the balance.
“Pruitt takes us back to a time where black lives truly didn’t matter in the South, but it was a time black votes began to matter. The characters in this novel tell the story of the media’s role in changing race relations in the South, and the behind-the-scenes political alliances that helped to bring change. Pruitt’s meticulous character development and scenery depiction put me right there in the story. Gripping from beginning to end and hard to put down.”—Monica Kaufman Pearson, journalist and former news anchor
About Rebecca Dwight Bruff
Rebecca Bruff is the author of the award-winning historical novel Trouble the Water and the children’s book Stars of Wonder. Bruff earned her bachelor’s degree in education at Texas A&M and a master’s and doctorate in theology at Southern Methodist University. In 2017, she was a scholarship recipient for the prestigious Key West Literary Seminar. A frequent presenter at literary events, she volunteers at the Pat Conroy Literary Center.
