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SUMMARY:Monthly Teddy Bear Picnic Read-Aloud with DAYLO
DESCRIPTION: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.  \nCozy 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.  \nDAYLO 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. \nThe 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.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/monthly-teddy-bear-picnic-read-aloud-with-daylo-15/
LOCATION:Port Royal Farmers Market
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23663_image_486804174_1070299478464859_5243128347984816687_n.jpg
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DTSTAMP:20260506T170042
CREATED:20241203T201056Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241203T201056Z
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SUMMARY:Teddy Bear Picnic Read Aloud with Daylo January 2025
DESCRIPTION:Saturday January 4\, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. to noon EDT\nPrice: Free\nVenue: Port Royal Farmers Market | Ribaut Rd & Pinckney Blvd\, Port Royal\, SC 29935 \nWebsite: Facebook Event Page \nOn 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. \nCozy 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. \nDAYLO 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. \n  \n\nThis program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which\, as always\, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/teddy-bear-picnic-read-aloud-with-daylo-january-2025/
LOCATION:Port Royal Farmers Market\, 1615 Ribault Rd\, Port Royal\, SC\, 29935\, United States
CATEGORIES:Reading
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250109T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250109T193000
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SUMMARY:January 2025 Virtual Open Mic Night
DESCRIPTION:The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be as a virtual event\, live-streamed to our Facebook page\, on Thursday\, January 9\, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured presenter is Niles Reddick\, award-winning short story writer and author of Who’s Going to Pray for Me Now? Open Mic will also feature short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres. \nWhen: Thursday\, January 9\, 2025 at 6 PM – 7:30 PM EDT\nPrice: Free · Duration: 1 hr 30 min\nWhere: Virtual – Facebook \nInterested in reading as part of Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org \nWe 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! \nEvent Facebook Page \nAbout our author:\nNiles Reddick is author of a novel\, four short fiction collections\, and two novellas. His work has appeared in over five hundred publications including The Saturday Evening Post\, New Reader Magazine\, Cheap Pop\, Flash Fiction Magazine\, Citron Review\, Hong Kong Review\, and Vestal Review. \n“Even though we don’t know when it’s going to happen\, be damn sure\, if it’s going epic than we need a 1965 Skylark\, fast and focused with a smooth and graceful landing\, to help blast the transition! Reddick presses fiction into the ultimate excursion. DEATH! Who’s Going To Pray For Me Now is a mesmerizing collection: flammable and saturating tales of those final moments when we become feverish weeds whacked into oblivion. These narrative adventures are palpable and inescapable. LOVE! GET A COPY”–Meg Tuite\, author of White Van and an editor at Bending Genres \n“The stories in Niles Reddick’s Who’s Going to Pray for Me Now? show us what it means to be in the know\, whether it’s the inside of a 1965 Skylark or the way to handle snakes in a county church. But there’s also a lot of heart here\, the little hurts and reconciliations of coupledom in a world where two equals more than one plus one. The best flash fiction keeps opening outward after you’ve read it. Reddick’s stories do that and more.”—David Galef\, author of My Date with Neanderthal Woman and editor of Vestal Review \n  \n\nThis program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which\, as always\, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/january-2025-virtual-open-mic-night/
LOCATION:Online – Facebook Live
CATEGORIES:Author Interview,Open Mic Night
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DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250109T193000
DTSTAMP:20260506T170042
CREATED:20260427T134532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260506T204521Z
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SUMMARY:Virtual Open Mic Night -- Featuring Niles Reddick\, Author of Who's Going to Pray for Me Now?
DESCRIPTION:The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be as a virtual event\, live-streamed to our Facebook page\, on Thursday\, January 9\, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured presenter is Niles Reddick\, award-winning short story writer and author of Who’s Going to Pray for Me Now? Open Mic will also feature short readings of 3 to 5 minutes each by other writers in many genres. \nInterested in reading as part of virtual Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. \nAbout Our Featured Author:\nNiles Reddick is author of a novel\, four short fiction collections\, and two novellas. His work has appeared in over five hundredpublications including The Saturday Evening Post\, New Reader Magazine\, Cheap Pop\, Flash Fiction Magazine\, Citron Review\, Hong Kong Review\, and Vestal Review. \n“Even though we don’t know when it’s going to happen\, be damn sure\, if it’s going epic than we need a 1965 Skylark\, fast and focused with a smooth and graceful landing\, to help blast the transition! Reddick presses fiction into the ultimate excursion. DEATH! Who’s Going To Pray For Me Now is a mesmerizing collection: flammable and saturating tales of those final moments when we become feverish weeds whacked into oblivion. These narrative adventures are palpable and inescapable. LOVE! GET A COPY”–Meg Tuite\, author of White Van and an editor at Bending Genres \n“The stories in Niles Reddick’s Who’s Going to Pray for Me Now? show us what it means to be in the know\, whether it’s the inside of a 1965 Skylark or the way to handle snakes in a county church. But there’s also a lot of heart here\, the little hurts and reconciliations of coupledom in a world where two equals more than one plus one. The best flash fiction keeps opening outward after you’ve read it. Reddick’s stories do that and more.”—David Galef\, author of My Date with Neanderthal Woman and editor of Vestal Review
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/virtual-open-mic-night-featuring-niles-reddick-author-of-whos-going-to-pray-for-me-now/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23661_image_486638703_1070299935131480_4077358308421251740_n.jpg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250111T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250111T183000
DTSTAMP:20260506T170042
CREATED:20241216T191833Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241216T191917Z
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SUMMARY:Silent Book Club Jan 11 2025
DESCRIPTION:When: Saturday\, January 11\, 2025 at 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM EDT\nPrice: Free · Duration: 2 hrs\nWhere: Pat Conroy Literary Center\, 601 Bladen St.\, Beaufort\, SC \nSilent Book Club Beaufort\, a unique take on the traditional book club\, will launch Saturday\, January 11\, from 4:30pm-6:30pm at the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center\, 601 Bladen St. Designed to offer a relaxed and pressure-free space for readers of all types\, this community gathering invites book lovers to enjoy their current reads in a welcoming and peaceful atmosphere. \nThe inaugural Silent Book Club Beaufort is co-sponsored by the Conroy Center and the student book club DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization)\, bringing together two organizations dedicated to fostering community connections and celebrating the love of literature. \nUnlike traditional book clubs\, Silent Book Club Beaufort has no assigned reading\, no deadlines\, and no discussions required. Whether you prefer ebooks\, audiobooks\, comic books\, textbooks\, or paperbacks\, readers are invited to bring their book of choice\, settle in\, and savor the joy of uninterrupted reading among like-minded individuals. \nThe casual meetups provide an excellent opportunity to discover new book recommendations\, make friends\, and reconnect with the love of reading. Whether you’re a lifelong bookworm or just getting back into reading\, everyone is welcome. Participants can drop in late or leave early to fit their schedules\, with the simple request to arrive 5-10 minutes early to avoid disruptions. \nSilent 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! \nEvent Facebook Page \n\nThis program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which\, as always\, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/silent-book-club-jan-11-2025/
LOCATION:Pat Conroy Literary Center\, 601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, 29902\, United States
CATEGORIES:Reading
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250111T163000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250111T183000
DTSTAMP:20260506T170042
CREATED:20260427T134532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260506T204521Z
UID:10001439-1736613000-1736620200@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Silent Book Club Beaufort
DESCRIPTION:Silent Book Club Beaufort\, a unique take on the traditional book club\, will launch Saturday\, January 11\, from 4:30pm-6:30pm at the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center\, 601 Bladen St. Designed to offer a relaxed and pressure-free space for readers of all types\, this community gathering invites book lovers to enjoy their current reads in a welcoming and peaceful atmosphere. \nThe inaugural Silent Book Club Beaufort is co-sponsored by the Conroy Center and the student book club DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization)\, bringing together two organizations dedicated to fostering community connections and celebrating the love of literature. \nUnlike traditional book clubs\, Silent Book Club Beaufort has no assigned reading\, no deadlines\, and no discussions required. Whether you prefer ebooks\, audiobooks\, comic books\, textbooks\, or paperbacks\, readers are invited to bring their book of choice\, settle in\, and savor the joy of uninterrupted reading among like-minded individuals. \nThe casual meetups provide an excellent opportunity to discover new book recommendations\, make friends\, and reconnect with the love of reading. Whether you’re a lifelong bookworm or just getting back into reading\, everyone is welcome. Participants can drop in late or leave early to fit their schedules\, with the simple request to arrive 5-10 minutes early to avoid disruptions. \nSilent 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!
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/silent-book-club-beaufort-14/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23659_image_486627192_1070976548397152_440975232610424576_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250124T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250124T180000
DTSTAMP:20260506T170042
CREATED:20241220T204033Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241220T204033Z
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SUMMARY:An Evening with Karen Salyer McElmurray
DESCRIPTION:Friday\, January 24\, 2025 – 5:00-6:00 PM EDT\nPrice: Free\nRegistration: Seating is limited; please call to reserve your spot: 843-379-7025.\nVenue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St.\, Beaufort \nWebsite: Facebook Event Page \nThe nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with award-winning writer Karen Salyer McElmurray\, author of the essay collection I Could Name God in Twelve Ways\, on Friday\, January 24\, at 5:00 p.m.\, at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.\, Beaufort). \nFree 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. \nAbout I Could Name God in Twelve Ways\n“I could dream in poetry\, could summon words for spiritual experience\, could name God in twelve ways and in ten times and places in history.” \nAward-winning writer Karen Salyer McElmurray details her life’s journey across continents and decades in a poetic collection that is equal parts essay-as-memoir\, memoir-as-Künstlerroman\, and travelogue-as-meditation. \nIt is about the deserts of India. A hospital ward in Maryland. The blue seas of Greece. A greenhouse in Virginia. It is about the spirit houses of Thailand. The mountains of eastern Kentucky. The depths of the Grand Canyon. A creative writing classroom in Georgia. An attic in a generations-old house. It is about coming to terms with both memory and the power of writing itself. \nAt turns lyrical\, poignant\, and alluring\, McElmurray probes her personal history from the stance of different places\, perspectives\, and vulnerabilities as she tenderly and fiercely searches for acceptance and a place to call home. \n“McElmurray teaches us how to reckon and ravel\, how to unpack secrets\, abandon maps\, and learn from everything\, even vertigo\, even a global pandemic. This book is for everyone who has ever felt vulnerable in this world\, which is to say\, everyone.”―Julie Marie Wade\, author of Otherwise: Essays and Just an Ordinary Woman Breathing \n“The essays in this stunning collection are elegiac\, urgent\, vulnerable―full of loss and longing. Although the narrative is rooted in Kentucky\, the scope is global as the narrator travels literally and metaphorically toward love and away from the ghosts of the past.”―Sue William Silverman\, author of Acetylene Torch Songs: Writing True Stories to Ignite the Soul \nAbout the Author \nKaren Salyer McElmurray’s Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother’s Journey\, was an AWP Award Winner for Creative Nonfiction. Her novels are The Motel of the Stars\, Editor’s Pick by Oxford American\, and Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven\, winner of the Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing. \nAs a fiction writer\, she is the recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts\, the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the North Carolina Arts Council. Her work in nonfiction has been a recipient of the Annie Dillard Award for the Essay\, the New Southerner Award\, the Orison Anthology Award for Creative Nonfiction and\, most recently\, the LitSouth Award. She has co-edited\, with poet Adrian Blevins\, an essay collection called Walk till the Dogs Get Mean. Wanting Radiance\, a novel\, and Voice Lessons\, a short collection of lyric essays\, came out in 2021. A new essay collection\, I Could Name God in Twelve Ways came out in September 2024 from University Press of Kentucky. \n  \n\nThis program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which\, as always\, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/an-evening-with-karen-salyer-mcelmurray/
LOCATION:Pat Conroy Literary Center\, 601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, 29902\, United States
CATEGORIES:Author Interview
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250124T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250124T180000
DTSTAMP:20260506T170042
CREATED:20260427T134532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260506T204521Z
UID:10001438-1737738000-1737741600@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:An Evening with Karen Salyer McElmurray\, Author of I Could Name God in Twelve Ways
DESCRIPTION:The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with award-winning writer Karen Salyer McElmurray\, author of the essay collection I Could Name God in Twelve Ways and the novel Wanting Radiance\, on Friday\, January 24\, at 5:00 p.m.\, at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.\, Beaufort). Sponsored in part by WayWord Books\, this author event is free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited; please call in advance to reserve: 843-379-7025. \nMcElmurray will also lead a writing workshop on Saturday\, January 25\, beginning at 9:30 a.m. Details and registration: https://endingsandbeginningsworkshop.eventbrite.com \nABOUT I COULD NAME GOD IN TWELVE WAYS \n“I could dream in poetry\, could summon words for spiritual experience\, could name God in twelve ways and in ten times and places in history.”  \nAward-winning writer Karen Salyer McElmurray details her life’s journey across continents and decades in a poetic collection that is equal parts essay-as-memoir\, memoir-as-Künstlerroman\, and travelogue-as-meditation. \nIt is about the deserts of India. A hospital ward in Maryland. The blue seas of Greece. A greenhouse in Virginia. It is about the spirit houses of Thailand. The mountains of eastern Kentucky. The depths of the Grand Canyon. A creative writing classroom in Georgia. An attic in a generations-old house. It is about coming to terms with both memory and the power of writing itself.\nAt turns lyrical\, poignant\, and alluring\, McElmurray probes her personal history from the stance of different places\, perspectives\, and vulnerabilities as she tenderly and fiercely searches for acceptance and a place to call home. \n“McElmurray teaches us how to reckon and ravel\, how to unpack secrets\, abandon maps\, and learn from everything\, even vertigo\, even a global pandemic. This book is for everyone who has ever felt vulnerable in this world\, which is to say\, everyone.”―Julie Marie Wade\, author of Otherwise: Essays and Just an Ordinary Woman Breathing \n“The essays in this stunning collection are elegiac\, urgent\, vulnerable―full of loss and longing. Although the narrative is rooted in Kentucky\, the scope is global as the narrator travels literally and metaphorically toward love and away from the ghosts of the past.”―Sue William Silverman\, author of Acetylene Torch Songs: Writing True Stories to Ignite the Soul \nABOUT WANTING RADIANCE \nMiracelle Loving’s world comes crashing down when her mother\, Ruby\, is murdered during a fortune-telling session gone wrong. Without the guidance of her mother\, Miracelle grows up following the only path she knows\, traveling from town to town\, sometimes fortune-telling\, picking up odd jobs to fill the time and escape the ever-present lostness she can’t seem to run far enough away from. \nUncertain of what she wants and\, indeed\, whether she wants anything or anyone at all\, the now thirty-something-year-old finds herself working as a card reader in a Knoxville dive bar\, selling fictions as futures\, when she is confronted with her mother’s ghost voice promising to reveal the truth about her shadowy past. Desperate for answers\, Miracelle sets out on a magical road trip unlike any other\, in search of her own story and a father she’s never known. \nFollowing snowy highways and backroads\, Miracelle stumbles across a museum of oddities and a hole-in-the-road town called Radiant\, ultimately wandering into the town of Smyte\, where she begins waitressing at the Black Cat Diner. Here\, she befriends card-playing has-been Russell Wallen\, whom she joins for a series of nighttime adventures\, long drives\, and after-dark visits to a Holy Roller church. This mythical journey uncovers family secrets and forgotten truths\, transforming a familiar story of love and betrayal to reveal the binding power of magic and memory. \n“A poetic tale of a daughter’s quiet exploration of her past and how it pushes her forward.” —The Rumpus \n“An incantatory Appalachian gothic tale of love\, murder\, and restless souls\, populated with unforgettable flesh-and-blood characters . . . [a] masterpiece.” —Amy Greene\, national bestselling author \nABOUT THE AUTHOR \nKaren Salyer McElmurray’s Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother’s Journey\, was an AWP Award Winner for Creative Nonfiction.Her novels are The Motel of the Stars\, Editor’s Pick by Oxford American\, and Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven\, winner of the Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing.As a fiction writer\, she is the recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts\, the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the North Carolina Arts Council. Her work in nonfiction has been a recipient of the Annie Dillard Award for the Essay\, the New Southerner Award\, the Orison Anthology Award for Creative Nonfiction and\, most recently\, the LitSouth Award. She has co-edited\, with poet Adrian Blevins\, an essay collection called Walk till the Dogs Get Mean. Wanting Radiance\, a novel\, and Voice Lessons\, a short collection of lyric essays\, came out in 2021. A new essay collection\, I Could Name God in Twelve Ways came out in September 2024 from University Press of Kentucky.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/an-evening-with-karen-salyer-mcelmurray-author-of-i-could-name-god-in-twelve-ways/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23657_image_487067493_1071148395046634_4351417413639415887_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250125T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250125T120000
DTSTAMP:20260506T170042
CREATED:20260427T134532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260506T204521Z
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SUMMARY:Endings and Beginnings: Writing Workshop Led by Karen Salyer McElmurray
DESCRIPTION:Endings and Beginnings\nGraham Greene once said\, “a story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.” This arbitrariness—catching hold of an idea or a dream or a moment of insight—is certainly part of the sheer magic of writing. Deciding how to start a story and how to end it involves careful translation of our original moments of insight. Beginnings and endings become careful revision once we capture the arbitrary experience we begin with. This workshop will look at some examples of openings and endings from essays and longer works of memoir. We will discuss\, and we will also begin work on writing some openings of our own. \nThis is an in-person writers workshop\, held at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St.). Limited to 12 participants with advance registration required: $60/person. \nRegister: https://endingsandbeginningsworkshop.eventbrite.com \nAbout Our Instructor:\nKaren Salyer McElmurray’s Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother’s Journey\, was an AWP Award Winner for Creative Nonfiction. Her novels are The Motel of the Stars\, Editor’s Pick by Oxford American\, and Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven\, winner of the Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing. As a fiction writer\, she is the recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts\, the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the North Carolina Arts Council. Her work in nonfiction has been a recipient of the Annie Dillard Award for the Essay\, the New Southerner Award\, the Orison Anthology Award for Creative Nonfiction and\, most recently\, the LitSouth Award. She has co-edited\, with poet Adrian Blevins\, an essay collection called Walk till the Dogs Get Mean. Wanting Radiance\, a novel\, and Voice Lessons\, a short collection of lyric essays\, came out in 2021. A new essay collection\, I Could Name God in Twelve Ways came out in September 2024 from University Press of Kentucky.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/endings-and-beginnings-writing-workshop-led-by-karen-salyer-mcelmurray/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250125T093000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250125T120000
DTSTAMP:20260506T170042
CREATED:20241231T183129Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20241231T183129Z
UID:10000710-1737797400-1737806400@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Workshop: Endings and Beginnings\, Led by Karen Salyer McElmurray
DESCRIPTION:Register: Register at EventBrite \nSaturday\, January 25\, 2025 · 9:30am – 12pm EST\nCost: $60\nLimited to 12 participants\nVenue: Pat Conroy Literary Center | 601 Bladen St Beaufort\, SC 29902 \nGraham Greene once said\, “a story has no beginning or end: arbitrarily one chooses that moment of experience from which to look back or from which to look ahead.” This arbitrariness—catching hold of an idea or a dream or a moment of insight—is certainly part of the sheer magic of writing. Deciding how to start a story and how to end it involves careful translation of our original moments of insight. \nBeginnings and endings become careful revision once we capture the arbitrary experience we begin with. This workshop will look at some examples of openings and endings from essays and longer works of memoir. We will discuss\, and we will also begin work on writing some openings of our own. \nThis is an in-person writers workshop\, held at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St.). Limited to 12 participants with advance registration required: $60/person. \nLearn more and register at EventBrite \nWebsite: Facebook Event Page \nAbout our instructor: \nKaren Salyer McElmurray’s Surrendered Child: A Birth Mother’s Journey\, was an AWP Award Winner for Creative Nonfiction. Her novels are The Motel of the Stars\, Editor’s Pick by Oxford American\, and Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven\, winner of the Chaffin Award for Appalachian Writing. \nAs a fiction writer\, she is the recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts\, the Kentucky Foundation for Women and the North Carolina Arts Council. Her work in nonfiction has been a recipient of the Annie Dillard Award for the Essay\, the New Southerner Award\, the Orison Anthology Award for Creative Nonfiction and\, most recently\, the LitSouth Award. She has co-edited\, with poet Adrian Blevins\, an essay collection called Walk till the Dogs Get Mean. Wanting Radiance\, a novel\, and Voice Lessons\, a short collection of lyric essays\, came out in 2021. A new essay collection\, I Could Name God in Twelve Ways came out in September 2024 from University Press of Kentucky. \n  \n\nThis program and others like this would not be possible without your financial help for which\, as always\, Pat Conroy Literary Center gratefully thanks you.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/workshop-endings-and-beginnings-led-by-karen-salyer-mcelmurray/
LOCATION:Pat Conroy Literary Center\, 601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, 29902\, United States
CATEGORIES:Workshop
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