Ninth Annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival, November 1-2, 2024
“I was born to be in a library,” wrote beloved and bestselling author Pat Conroy (1945-2016) in his book My Reading Life. Hosted by the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, this year’s Pat Conroy Literary Festival will pay special tribute to the vital work of librarians in championing the welcoming world of books, stories, and storytellers. The Conroy Festival will be held in Beaufort on November 1 and 2, with the Conroy Center also open to the public for tours on October 31 and November 3.
Now in its ninth year, the Conroy Festival is a popular destination event with literary tourists visiting from across the country as well as for local readers, writers, educators, and students of all ages. With a robust schedule of free and ticketed educational and enrichment programs, this year’s festival will include author conversations and readings, panel discussions, writers workshops, book signings, musical performances, guided tours, a film screening, and a read-aloud for children and their families.
Featured presenters include New York Times bestselling authors Kwame Alexander (Black Star), Kirsten Miller (Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books), Raj Haldar (This Book Is Banned), and Cassandra King (Tell Me a Story), as well as Reese’s Book Club author DéLana R.A. Dameron (Redwood Court). A lively panel discussion with Southern women mystery authors will include Agatha Award-winning and USA Today bestselling novelist Susan M. Boyer (The Liz Talbot Mysteries), Alicia Bessette (The Outer Banks Bookshop Mysteries), and Kristen Ness (At Loggerheads), with a special appearance by Gallery Books vice president and executive editor Carrie Feron.
High school and college student volunteers from DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization will host a read-aloud for young readers and their families at the Port Royal Farmers Market. A Freedom to Read panel discussion, moderated by intellectual freedom champion Pat R. Scales, will feature youth advocates and librarian advocates who have been instrumental in local, regional, and national responses to education censorship. The festival will also include a private pre-screening (open to festival attendees with advance registration) of the new feature-length documentary film Banned Together, prefaced by a tribute to librarians and followed by a discussion with producers Tom and Jenn Wiggin. A celebratory musical performance by the famed Beaufort Mass Choir and a reception catered by Debbi Covington at the Conroy Center will conclude this year’s festival.
To the benefit of writers, the Conroy Festival will also host a quartet of workshops on poetry, prose writing, and publication, led by Tim Conroy, Susan Madison, Valerie Sayers, Sean Scapellato, John Warley, and Chad Rhoad.
The ninth annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival is made possible by the generous support and collaboration of the Robert S. Handler Charitable Trust, the South Carolina Arts Commission, Bank of America Private Bank, and others.
November 2 Schedule (click for more information on the Festival website)
9:00 am WORKSHOP: How Not to Get Published, led by John Warley and Sean Scapellato @ Pat Conroy Literary Center – $45
9:30 am READ-ALOUD: DAYLO Teddy Bear Picnic @ Port Royal Farmers Market – Free
11:00 am AUTHOR EVENT: Mysterious Women Panel @ USC Beaufort Center for the Arts – $15
1:00 pm AUTHOR EVENT: Raj Haldar @ USC Beaufort Center for the Arts – Free
1:00 pm WORKSHOP: Know Your Place: Setting as Character, led by Chad Rhoad @ Pat Conroy Literary Center – $45
2:30 pm AUTHOR EVENT: Kwame Alexander @ USC Beaufort Center for the Arts – Free
4:00 pm AUTHOR EVENT: Kirsten Miller @ USC Beaufort Center for the Arts – $10
6:30 pm CLOSING RECEPTION: Wrap Up Party @ Pat Conroy Literary Center – $40
Festival Website Links:
Festival Facebook Page (where you can watch many author events)
The nonprofit Conroy Center is open to the public Thursday through Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m. at 601 Bladen Street in historic downtown Beaufort.