Friday, July 7, 2023 – 5:00-7:00 PM EDT
Price: Free
Registration: Eventbrite
Location: Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce, 711 Bladen St.

“A Right Worthy Woman takes its place alongside novels such as Rebecca Dwight Bruff’s Trouble the Water, illuminating African-American heroes born in strife who find the strength, fortitude, and love to lead lives touched by grace.”–Historical Fiction Review

In partnership with the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with historical novelist Ruth P. Watson, author of the newly published A Right Worthy Woman. A reception will follow the author’s presentation, with books available for sale and signing through NeverMore Books. Free and open to the public, advance registration is requested. This event will be held at the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce, 711 Bladen St., on Friday, July 7, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Register in advance here.

Website: Facebook Event Page

ABOUT A Right Worthy Woman
In the vein of The Engineer’s Wife and Carolina Built, an inspiring novel based on the remarkable true story of Virginia’s Black Wall Street and the indomitable Maggie Lena Walker, the daughter of a formerly enslaved woman who became the first Black woman to establish and preside over a bank in the United States.

Maggie Lena Walker was ambitious and unafraid. Her childhood in 19th-century Virginia helping her mother with her laundry service opened her eyes to the overwhelming discrepancy between the Black residents and her mother’s affluent white clients. She vowed to not only secure the same kind of home and finery for herself, but she would also help others in her community achieve the same.

With her single-minded determination, Maggie buckled down and went from schoolteacher to secretary-treasurer of the Independent Order of St. Luke, founder of a newspaper, a bank, and a department store where Black customers were treated with respect. With the help of influential friends like W.E.B. DuBois and Mary McLeod, she revolutionized Richmond in ways that are still felt today. Now, her rich, full story is revealed in this stirring and intimate novel.

“A Right Worthy Woman is a remarkable and stirring novel, a story destined to be told. Ruth P. Watson brings to vivid life a woman who changed history, a woman both determined and fascinating, a woman named Maggie Lena Walker. From the heartbreaking opening line to the closing scene, the reader is on a transformational journey as Maggie Lena Walker revolutionizes both Richmond, Virginia and women’s history. Inspiring and rich with detail, this is your next book club read.” — Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author

“History that’s never been told is being shared by master storyteller Ruth Watson in such an epic way.” — Brenda Jackson, New York Times bestselling author

“It is my distinct honor and pleasure to support this inspiring novel based on the life and times of Maggie Lena Walker, who was one of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority esteemed honorary members, inducted into our beloved organization in 1926.” — Dr. Valerie Hollingsworth Baker, 25th International Centennial President of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ruth P. Watson is the author of Blackberry Days of Summer, An Elderberry Fall, Cranberry Winter, and Strawberry Spring. A musical stage play, “Blackberry Daze”, is based on her debut novel.

She is the recipient of the Caversham Fellowship, an artist and writer’s residency in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where she published her first children’s book in Zulu, Our Secret Bond. She is a freelance writer and member of Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and has written for Upscale, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and other publications. She is an adjunct professor and project manager, who lives with family in Atlanta, Georgia. https://www.ruthpwatson.com/

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