The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host the 8th annual Lowcountry Book Club Convention on Friday, September 27, at the Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort, and Saturday, September 28, at the Culinary Institute of the South at the Technical College of the Lowcountry in Bluffton. Ideal for book club members, those interested in joining a book club, or anyone who simply loves the joy of reading, the Lowcountry Book Club Convention is made possible in part by the support of the Pulpwood Queens Books Club, with book sales through NeverMore Books.
The Lowcountry Book Club Convention will begin on Friday evening with a panel discussion among four authors: novelist Virginia Hall-Apicella (Even a Sparrow), journalist Michael DeWitt Jr. (The Fall of the House of Murdaugh), novelist Pete Masalin (Military Brat), and novelist Kim Poovey (Shadows of the War). Moderated by Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt, this opening session will be followed by a book signing and reception, catered by Debbi Covington. This is a ticketed event, held in bldg 12 of Beaufort’s TCL campus (104 Reynolds St., Beaufort).
The Convention continues on Saturday at the Culinary Institute of the South in Bluffton (1 Venture Dr.), with three author keynote conversations and gourmet box lunches catered by Debbi Covington. This year’s keynote authors are award-winning novelist Kimberly Brock (The Fabled Earth), award-winning public school librarian Amanda Jones (That Librarian), and award-winning novelist Rhonda McKnight (The Thing About Home). Each author discussion will be followed by a book signing. This is a ticketed event.
Learn more and register in advance at https://lowcountrybookclubconvention2024.eventbrite.com
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, September 27 — TCL bldg 12, Beaufort
5:00-6:00 p.m. Local author panel discussion, featuring novelist Virginia Hall-Apicella (Even a Sparrow), journalist Michael DeWitt Jr. (The Fall of the House of Murdaugh), novelist Pete Masalin (Military Brat), and novelist Kim Poovey (Shadows of the War)
6:00-7:00 p.m. Book signing and reception, catered by Debbi Covington
Saturday, September 28 — Culinary Institute of the South, Bluffton
9:30-10:00 a.m. Check-in Begins
10:00-11:00 a.m. Keynote conversation with award-winning novelist Kimberly Brock, author of The Fabled Earth
1 1:00-11:30 a.m. Book signing break
11:30-12:30 p.m. Keynote conversation with award-winning public school librarian Amanda Jones, author of That Librarian
1 2:30-1:30 p.m. Book signing break & lunch: gourmet box lunches, catering by Debbi Covington. (Register by September 22 for lunch)
1:30-2:30 p.m. Keynote conversation with award-winning novelist Rhonda McKnight, author of The Thing About Home
2:30-3:00 p.m. Final book signing break
FEATURED KEYNOTE AUTHORS
Kimberly Brock is the bestselling author of The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare, which was shortlisted for the prestigious Townsend Prize for Fiction, and The River Witch, recipient of the Georgia Author of the Year Award. Brock is the founder of Tinderbox Writers Workshop and has served as a guest lecturer for many regional and national writing workshops including at the Pat Conroy Literary Center. A native of North Georgia, she now lives near Atlanta. Her latest novel, The Fabled Earth, will be published on October 1: “The Fabled Earth is a brilliantly layered, unforgettable story of memory, myth, and found family. Off the coast of Georgia, on Cumberland Island, three separate women search for belonging in the wake of incomprehensible loss. Weaving a stunning Southern landscape, Gilded Age glamour, and the societal turmoil of the late 1950s, Brock takes readers on an epic journey that conjures the longing of forgotten youth while simultaneously reminding us of its dangers. I have never read a novel where the author’s love of storytelling shines more brightly than this one.”–Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of The Matchmaker’s Gift
Amanda Jones has been an educator for 23 years, at the same middle school she attended as a child. She has served as president of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians and won numerous awards for her work in school libraries, including School Library Journal Librarian of the Year. A sought-after keynote speaker, Amanda is a frequent volunteer for state and national library associations, as well as a co-founder of the Livingston Parish Library Alliance and founding member of Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship. She lives in Livingston Parish, Louisiana. That Librarian is her first book: “[Jones] is frank, open, emotionally raw, and unwavering. What she endured is every librarian’s worst nightmare, yet she perseveres, offering tips and playbooks for how readers can defend books about LGBTQIA+ topics of interest, sexual health, and more in their own public libraries. A must-read in order to understand the deep and lasting impact of online smear campaigns and enduring need to stand up for books. Jones is an inspiration to everyone combating book bans and her memoir/guidebook should be available to all to help us defend our right to read.” –Booklist (Starred Review)
Rhonda McKnight is the author of several bestselling novels, including An Inconvenient Friend and What Kind of Fool. She is the winner of the 2015 Emma Award for Inspirational Romance of the Year. She loves reading and writing books that touch the heart of women through complex plots and interesting characters in crisis. Themes of faith, forgiveness, and hope are central to her stories. Originally from a small coastal town in New Jersey, Rhonda writes from the comfort of her South Carolina home. The Thing About Home is her most recent novel: “In this zippy outing from McKnight, a humiliated social media influencer rediscovers her roots . . . McKnight lays out some vivid lowcountry history, and her fully realized characters ring true.”–Publishers Weekly
FEATURED LOCAL AUTHORS
Hampton County native Michael M. DeWitt Jr. is a multiple-award-winning journalist, longtime editor of the 143-year-old The Hampton County Guardian, and author of Wicked Hampton County and Fall of the House of Murdaugh. DeWitt’s boots-on-the-ground coverage of the Murdaugh crime saga has been published in print and online around Gannett’s nationwide USA TODAY Network, and he has appeared on ABC’s 20/20, CBS’s 48 Hours, Dateline NBC, and Netflix documentaries to discuss the case. As a humorist, DeWitt’s award-winning Southern humor newspaper column, “Southern Voices, Southern Stories,” was published in newspapers from Cape Cod to northern California, and he has been a regular contributor for South Carolina Wildlife magazine, Sporting Classics magazine, and its online counterpart, Sporting Classics Daily. DeWitt is also the author of
the Images of America volume on Hampton County, a photo history of the place his family has called home for close to three hundred years.
Dr. Virginia (Ginny) Hall-Apicella, a native of Rochester, New York, spent 30 years as a psychologist in the New York City court system, as a consultant in mental health agencies, and in private practice. She specialized in the concerns of women and children. Her debut novel, Even A Sparrow, is a fictional account of her ancestors’ journey from Europe to America in 1815. In addition to psychology-based articles, she has published several short stories and edited a historical newsletter. A self-acknowledged “history nerd, ” she is a docent at a local historic church. When not writing, she enjoys gardening, reading, poker, and croquet. Ginny and her husband have three children and four grandchildren.
Pete Masalin writes what he knows. Born into a Navy family, he experienced all the turns and trials associated with that of a career Navy man. Drawing upon his youthful exploits and adventure, Military Brat is Masalin’s second published offering. It follows his 2016 book The Sorrow of Loss, The Wisdom of Recovery: A Narrative of an Unwanted Journey. He and his wife, Katie reside in historic Beaufort, not far from their six children and three grandchildren, all living in nearby Charleston.
Kim Poovey is an author, storyteller, and Victorian reenactress. Her published works include The Haunting of Monroe Manse, The Haunting of Edgefield Manor, The Haunting of Borden House, Shadows of the Moss, Shadows of the War, Truer Words, Dickens’ Mice: The Tails Behind the Tale, and Through Button Eyes: Memoirs of an Edwardian Teddy Bear. She has also written for several publications including Beaufort Lifestyle magazine, Bluffton Breeze magazine, Citizen’s Companion, and the Civil War Times. She lives in a haunted 1890s Victorian cottage in the South Carolina Lowcountry with her husband and their furry children.
