BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Pat Conroy Literary Center - ECPv6.15.20//NONSGML v1.0//EN
CALSCALE:GREGORIAN
METHOD:PUBLISH
X-WR-CALNAME:Pat Conroy Literary Center
X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org
X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Pat Conroy Literary Center
REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H
X-Robots-Tag:noindex
X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:America/New_York
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20230312T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20231105T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20240310T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20241103T060000
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
TZOFFSETFROM:-0500
TZOFFSETTO:-0400
TZNAME:EDT
DTSTART:20250309T070000
END:DAYLIGHT
BEGIN:STANDARD
TZOFFSETFROM:-0400
TZOFFSETTO:-0500
TZNAME:EST
DTSTART:20251102T060000
END:STANDARD
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241212T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241212T193000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134533Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214522Z
UID:10001445-1734026400-1734031800@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Open Mic Night -- Featuring Nancy E. Merrill\, Author of the Children's Book Elf Dust
DESCRIPTION:The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on Thursday\, December 12\, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured presenters is Nancy E. Merrill\, author of the new children’s holiday book Elf Dust. 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 Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. \nAbout Our Featured Presenter\nNancy E. Merrill is a mom of two children who were born in Hong Kong where she lived and worked for many years. Living there was an important element in the creation of Elf Dust. Highrise apartment life meant there were no chimneys and Santa wasn’t going to land on the roof. Something had to be found to ignite imagination and magic for her kids. Elf Dust did not disappoint. Today\, Nancy lives in South Carolina after a consulting career around writing\, communications\, and creativity. She is delighted to offer Elf Dust to all who celebrate Christmas and the magic of imagination. \nAbout Elf Dust’s Illustrator\nColleen Sgroi dreamed of being an artist since she was a young girl. Her work is available worldwide on puzzles\, calendars\, prints\, and greeting cards\, and her art has been included in films by major motion picture companies. Her illustrations in children’s books have earned her a Moonbeam Best Illustrator Award\, Feathered Quill Book Award\, Mom’s Choice Awards\, and IBS International Book Awards. She lives and creates in Massachusetts.  \n“A new addition to our Christmas library. Children will fall in love with the elves and Elf Dust. The illustrations bring you back to your childhood. Absolutely beautiful. This book will be your go to picture book this holiday season. Can’t wait to use this with my class.”–Heidi Lane\, author and educator
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/open-mic-night-featuring-nancy-e-merrill-author-of-the-childrens-book-elf-dust/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23672_image_486064068_1068154605346013_7669980467408555884_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241208T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241208T140000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134533Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214522Z
UID:10001446-1733659200-1733666400@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Book Launch and Reading for Jared Madison\, Author of The 30 Day Guide to Inner Peace
DESCRIPTION:The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host a book launch for Beaufortonian Jared Madison\, author of The 30 Day Guide to Inner Peace\, on Sunday\, December 8\, from noon to 2:00 p.m.\, at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.\, Beaufort). Free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing. Light refreshments provided. Please call in advance to reserve: (843) 379-7025. \nAbout the Book: \nOne of three writers of the “Wholly Holistics” column in Lowcountry Weekly and host of the blog\, “Magical Minute”(Instagram and TikTok @themagicalminute)\, Jared Madison has penned a self-help book for people who want more peace in their lives. In The 30 Day Guide to Inner Peace\, Madison shares the method that helped him find his own inner peace through an immersion into positive life changes\, a day at a time\, for 30 days. \nEach day offers a message and a practice. For example\, the practice for Day 7 suggests that whenever you feel stuck\, take a nap. Napping involves letting go\, accepting\, and getting comfortable with the seeming non-movement you’re experiencing. Purely practical. \nRepresentative chapters include: “Judge Not\,” “Radical Acceptance\,” “What Do You Fear?” “What No Longer Serves You?” “Peace Through Forgiveness\,” and “Making a Loving Commitment to Yourself.” \nAccording to Madison\, to attain inner peace\, you must look inside yourself with a clear mind\, see and accept whatever you observe\, change the things you don’t like\, and move ahead.\n“Life gives us no shortage of experiences that may normally trigger an adverse reaction within us\,” says Madison. “However\, [in this book] you are given the tools to counteract your reactiveness. Instead\, you will find yourself responding.”  \nAbout the Author:\nJared Madison is an entrepreneur and business owner\, an artist\, a writer\, a Reiki practitioner\, a student of quantum physics\, and a passionate traveler who has spent his life being a student of self-development. Realizing the link between science and spirituality\, Madison began studying quantum physics in 2014 by attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s free online quantum physics classes. From there Madison would go on to obtain an associate’s degree in Math & Science\, with plans to further his education in the field of Cell Development and Genetics. In 2015\, Madison launched a successful clothing brand company based in Tempe\, Arizona\, with a focus on meaningful spiritually symbolic design graphics. Today his clothing company has grown into 4 distinct brands with a remolded business blueprint launching in early 2025. In 2020\, Madison returned to Beaufort\, after a successful stent in Los Angeles\, and began the realization and life changes which have now culminated in The 30 Day Guide To Inner Peace\, his third book. Madison is engaged to fiancé Kanani Robinson and is more than proud to call his mother one of his best friends. He has a fur child named Mama Kitty.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/book-launch-and-reading-for-jared-madison-author-of-the-30-day-guide-to-inner-peace/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23674_image_487111856_1069461645215309_4325518899624184323_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241115T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241115T183000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134533Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214523Z
UID:10001450-1731690000-1731695400@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:An Evening with Nancy Murray\, Author of No Experience Necessary
DESCRIPTION:The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with memoirist Nancy Murray\, author of No Experience Necessary\, on Friday\, November 15\, 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. \nAbout the Book and Author:\nIn No Experience Necessary\, Nancy Murray shares the insights\, pitfalls\, and strategies that she gleaned along her journey toward meaningful employment. Her stories prove that even so-called nowhere jobs can be crucial steps to not only establishing a career\, but to discovering ourselves.  \nNancy’s workplace tales span a colorful spectrum\, from selling speakers from a seedy van to driving a posh limo; from performing as a professional clown to financial advisor. With each job she profited in ways beyond a traditional paycheck.  \nSome might consider this a cautionary tale\, but it’s also a field guide for anyone preparing to fill out their first job application\, not to mention a humorous flashback for those who recall the trials and tribulations of the workplace all too well. \n“Through the many jobs—both ordinary and extraordinary— in this memoir of working\, Nancy Murray shows not only how willing she is to take a chance and fail\, but to grow from those failures with her trademark blend of humor and humility. What really stands out\, however\, is her prose—like a long lunch with a good friend\, there is never a dull moment.”—Jen Michalski\, author of The Company of Strangers \n“No Experience Necessary is an extraordinary account of what it means to work. In vivid and engaging prose\, the book illuminates the struggles and triumphs of insisting on a creative life. A tightly-focused and engaging memoir\, this is an amazing read!” —Kathy Flann\,award-winning author of Smoky Ordinary and Write On: Secrets to Crafting Better Stories \nNancy Murray is a poet\, playwright\, and storyteller. Her first memoir\, One Child for Another\, was published by 11th Hour Press\, and was recognized by Baltimore Magazine as one of the Ten Best Reads in 2015. Her storytelling was showcased by the Women of the World Festival in Baltimore\, Maryland. Nancy’s plays and poetry have been produced and published in various venues and presses including\, Ireland’s HCE Review\, The Maryland State Poetry and Literary Society\, and in multiple anthologies. Her most recent publication\, a poetry collection called The Colors of Fear\, waspublished by Cyberwit Press. She teaches compositional writing at the Community College of Baltimore County and hosts a series of poetry workshops at the Arts Lab of South County\, Maryland.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/an-evening-with-nancy-murray-author-of-no-experience-necessary-2/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23683_image_486633865_1067954275366046_949499225899845744_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241114T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241114T193000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134533Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214523Z
UID:10001451-1731607200-1731612600@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Virtual Open Mic Night - Featuring Mamie Morgan\, Author of Everyone I've Danced with Is Dead
DESCRIPTION:The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held virtually on Thursday\, November 14\, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is poet Mamie Morgan\, author of Everyone I’ve Danced with Is Dead. 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 Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. \nAbout Our Featured Writer\nMamie Morgan received an MFA from UNC Wilmington and a BA in English and Religious Studies from Wofford. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in numerous literary journals\, including Washington Square Review\, the Oxford American\, Fish Barrel Review\, Nimrod\, Muzzle\, Four Way Review\, Yemassee\, Carolina Quarterly\, Inkwell\, and the Greensboro Review. She lives in the woods with her husband and their two pit bulls\, Henrietta Modine and Wednesday Stewart. \n“Reading these poems is like sitting down with a friend for a conversation-the kind of friend you trust to tell all of the truth\, but with mercy. These whip-smart poems don’t flinch\, even at the hardest truths about what it means to be human-to love and to lose\, to damage and be damaged\, to live through moments ‘where the quake originates\,’ that make you cling to ‘every word that had ever made me want to stay alive.’ These poems have an electric power\, one strong enough to change lives. Morgan faces devastation with such an open grace and generosity that a reader can’t help but feel there’s one truth more real than any other: that even in the moments that shake us to the core\, there is always hope.”–Emma Bolden \n“The central organ pumping blood through these poems is wonderment. Morgan’s particular brand of wonder knows no hierarchies: love\, betrayal\, fallings out\, quotidian\, joy\, jail\, sex\, school\, the body\, war\, race\, politics\, and that old tricker Death all crowd around the same table. This book pulls you forward and shows you the world as it is–a mess worth celebrating\, recoiling from\, enduring\, and embracing. These poems are built of risk and witness–importantly\, they have the language and daring to match. This is one helluva barn burner.”–Michael McGriff
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/virtual-open-mic-night-featuring-mamie-morgan-author-of-everyone-ive-danced-with-is-dead/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23685_image_486308855_1067351338759673_2982138438026479639_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241026T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241026T160000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134533Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214523Z
UID:10001455-1729951200-1729958400@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Drop-In Book Launch with Joy Corley\, Author of the Children's Book Percy Goes Camping...Maybe
DESCRIPTION:The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host a free public drop-in launch event for local author Joy Corley’s debut children’s book\, Percy Goes Camping…Maybe. Join us outside on Saturday\, October 26\, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) in downtown Beaufort. No advance registration required. Books will be available for sale and signing. Light refreshments will be provided.  \nAbout the Book and Author:\nPercy Goes Camping…Maybe is a true story about overcoming your fears. Percy is an 80-pound\, fun loving\, Red Nose Staffordshire Terrier who is afraid of most anything new\, and the teardrop camper Ladybug was no exception! \nAlways curious\, Percy was the first one to bolt out the door when the camper appeared in the driveway and he was the first one to whip around and quickly head back inside\, seeking safety from this strange contraption. Being ever-so-nosy\, he eventually and very cautiously began to get acquainted with Ladybug\, but only after running away and hiding in the bushes multiple times before deciding this camping business might not be so scary after all. \n“In this clever\, relatable\, and heartwarming story\, Percy the dog shows us how overcoming our fears can open up a world of fun! I recommend this beautifully illustrated story to little ones ages 4 to 8 as well as their big people.”—Susan Sullivan\, author of Bob Tales\, Land of the Woody Warbles \n“PERCY! Where have you been all my life\, sweet boy? You make me want to go camping with you and try new things! | hope every child gets to read your story and be inspired to try something new. Go Percy GOOOOO!”—Bren McClain\, author of One Good Mama Bone \nJoy Corley\, earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of South Carolina. She worked in many different capacities in the field of social work until retiring in 2021\, after 24 years as a Care Coordinator at Beaufort Memorial Hospital. Joy became a lover of children’s books after her son Clay was born in 1982. She always wanted to write a children’s book and was just looking for the right inspiration whenever Percy came into her life. Always an animal lover\, Percy became the new character in a long list of characters in the household she shares with her husband\, Rick and five other rescues. Joy also enjoys reading\, being a volunteer with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Sea Turtle Program and Beaufort County Animal Services.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/drop-in-book-launch-with-joy-corley-author-of-the-childrens-book-percy-goes-camping-maybe/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23694_image_486167631_1068325898662217_9042600427014546580_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241017T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241017T190000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134534Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214526Z
UID:10001457-1729184400-1729191600@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Writing Family Stories: Writing Workshop Led by Estelle Ford-Williamson
DESCRIPTION:If\, according to Pat Conroy\, the most powerful words in the English language are “Tell Me a Story\,” then the most regretful ones are: “I never got Mama’s (or Daddy’s) stories.” Or you may have a fantastic personal story that begs to be told and you’re afraid it won’t happen. This workshop helps you avoid that regret! \nWe’ll cover:\nTips for Starting and Re-Starting Stories\nFinding Structure in Your Many Tales\nSeveral Writing Prompts\, Reading\, and Feedback Opportunities.\nDiscussion of Publication Options \nLed by an award-winning memoirist and novelist\, this workshop is for those who want to put in writing their cache of family legends or happenings\, for the memoir writer\, and for those who want to assist their parents or relatives or friends in doing just that. It’s a great time to start your stories for holiday giving!\nThis interactive writers workshop will be held at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St.\, Beaufort) on Thursday\, October 17\, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Limited to 15 participants. $45/person. Advance registration required. \nLearn more and register at https://patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.com \nABOUT OUR INSTRUCTOR\nEstelle Ford-Williamson is a former UPI reporter whose most recent book is Rising Fawn\, a novel set in Atlanta and Lookout Mountain\, GA. Previously she published Abbeville Farewell\, a Novel of Early Atlanta and North Georgia\, and co-wrote a memoir\, Seed of South Sudan: Memoir of a ‘Lost Boy’ Refugee with Majok Marier. For four years\, she led “Writing Your Story” workshops at a senior center in the Atlanta area; a dozen students went on to publish full memoirs. She has received awards for her novels and short fiction\, and offers writing workshops through the Pat Conroy Literary Center and the South Carolina Writers Association. Estelle lives on nearby St. Helena Island.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/writing-family-stories-writing-workshop-led-by-estelle-ford-williamson/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23698_image_486638185_1067355385425935_2317385065415143589_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20241010T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20241010T193000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214526Z
UID:10001458-1728583200-1728588600@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Open Mic Night - Featuring Jennifer Bartell Boykin\, Author of Only Believe
DESCRIPTION:The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on Thursday\, October 10\, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is Columbia City Poet Laureate Jennifer Bartell Boykin\, author of Only Believe\, selected for the 2023 Hilary Tham Capital Collection. 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 Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. \nAbout Our Featured Writer\nPoet Laureate of Columbia\, South Carolina\, and a 2023 Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellow\, Jennifer Bartell Boykin is the author of the poetry collections Traveling Mercy and Only Believe. Her poetry has also appeared in Obsidian\, Callaloo\, the Raleigh Review\, kinfolks: a journal of black expression\, the museum of americana: a literary review\, and Scalawag. \nBartell Boykin is the recipient of fellowships from Callaloo and The Watering Hole. A school librarian at Muller Road Middle School in Blythewood\, SC\, she previously taught creative writing and English at Spring Valley High School in Columbia\, SC\, where she was also named the 2019–20 Teacher of the Year. She has been recognized as an American Library Association Spectrum Scholar and an Augusta Baker Scholar at the University of South Carolina’s School of Information Science\, where she earned her master of library and information science degree. Bartell Boykin was born and raised in Bluefield\, a Black community in Johnsonville\, South Carolina. \n“Bartell’s Only Believe carefully treads through remembering childhood assault confounded with good memories that some would struggle to keep\, including memories that elders lose if we’re not quick enough to catch them. These poems are part oral history and part affirmation\, but this collection complicates faith and walks readers closer to truth\, healing\, and forgiveness and standing tall in a grandmother’s house.”–Tara Betts\, author of Refuse to Disappear and Break the Habit \n“There are two stories in Only Believe–the story of a girl who doesn’t know how or when to tell what happened to her\, and the story of her grandma\, whose house is a place of both refuge and danger\, whose decline into Alzheimer’s is a counterpoint to the speaker’s own struggles with memory. Memory\, as Jennifer Bartell reminds us\, is neither window nor mirror nor veil\, but all at the same time. Religion promises answers—’My Black Jesus can do anything’–but tricks her into blame and shame instead. Something happened to that girl and she knows that ‘it’s time to speak / it’s time to heal.’ The only way to do that is by telling both stories\, that of the girl struggling to speak\, and that of the grandmother\, whose life reminds her that ‘God is a woman / on a big black Singer / sewing machine\, whose quilts became her tablets\, whose needle becomes her pen.’–Ed Madden\, author of A Pooka in Arkansas and Ark
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/open-mic-night-featuring-jennifer-bartell-boykin-author-of-only-believe/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23700_image_486140745_1067351345426339_4554684042318311484_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240919T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240919T183000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214526Z
UID:10001462-1726765200-1726770600@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:An Evening with Novelist Roger Jones\, Author of The Final Victory
DESCRIPTION:The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with novelist Roger Jones\, author of The Final Victory\, on Thursday\, September 19\, 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. \nAbout the Book:\nIn a novel that fuses the riveting action of The Boys in the Boat with the emotional heft of The Fault in Our Stars\, twenty men and women with cancer-ridden bodies compete in a grueling race only to discover that real victory is achieved within. \nAfter he is diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer\, Tripp Avery feels like all is lost. He finds himself coaching a team of twelve men and eight women with cancer diagnoses of their own\, hoping to qualify for the Mixed Masters Dragon Boat national championship and defy their prognoses. If they win\, they will represent the United States at the International Dragon Boat races in Hong Kong. \nBut things soon get complicated\, as four of his teammates struggle against their physical limitations and the psychological weight of their conditions. In the summer heat of Chattanooga\, their resolve grows thin—along with Tripp’s patience. After a devastating loss to the defending national champions\, Tripp can only see the finish line\, and he pushes the team even harder. Soon\, the team starts to fall apart. \nAs members of the team collapse under the pressure and one is hospitalized\, he must confront his own failings and find a way to move forward. He begins to question his motives\, wondering if the win is worth the trauma and what that says about him. Despite the odds\, he resolves to rally the team toward a comeback that seems impossible\, if only for one final victory.  \n“What is courage? In this notable debut\, Roger Jones explores the strength\, resilience\, compassion\, and willpower of a band of athletes who define courage and triumph over unspeakable odds.These twenty men and women overcome cancer to not merely win a national championship but to survive. I laughed. I cried.I was inspired. The Final Victory is an uplifting novel we all need to read.”—Mary Alice Monroe\, New York Times bestselling author \n “An inspiring and stirring tale of courage\, The Final Victory is inspired by the true story of a group of athletes who face life-threatening illnesses and are bonded together by their indomitable will to win. Jones gives us a novel that is equal parts laugh out loud funny\, moving\, and uplifting. You will love it!”—Patti Callahan Henry\, New York Times bestselling author \n“The Final Victory brilliantly demonstrates that women recovering from breast cancer can lead full and active lives — paddle for sure\, but also pick up and hug their grandchildren. Dragon boating challenges the limits of human performance\, especially for those with more than their share of hurdles to clear. That’s the magic that Roger Jones captures\, and that’s why The Final Victory is a great book.”—Dr. Don McKenzie\, Founder of the original Breast Cancer Dragon Boat team \nAbout the Author\nRoger Jones\, businessman\, philanthropist\, humanitarian and avid athlete has founded numerous business and community organizations. In 1996\, he started Companion Associates\, Inc.\, one of South Carolina’s largest privately held real estate development firms. Companion Associates was distinguished as one of South Carolina’s fastest growing companies by The South Carolina State Chamber of Commerce in 2006. Jones has helped establish and launch a number of non-profit organizations including Reading Partners of South Carolina\, Charleston Social Venture Partners\, and The Charleston Paddle Club.  \nDuring a 2012 trip to East Germany to receive a newly developed intensive radiation treatment for Neuroendocrine Cancer\, Jones decided to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a writer. The Final Victory is his first novel. He has had articles and short stories published in several local publications as well as The Writers Digest. Married for forty-seven years\, he is the proud father of three children and grandfather of three grandchildren. His life’s greatest lesson is quoted by The Final Victory’s protagonist Tripp Avery\, “Forgiveness is the foundation of every miracle.”
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/an-evening-with-novelist-roger-jones-author-of-the-final-victory-2/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23708_image_486664608_1067775398717267_7785266766530816881_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240914T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240914T160000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214526Z
UID:10001463-1726322400-1726329600@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:The Hilton Head Poetry Trail -- A Presentation by Poet Elizabeth Robin
DESCRIPTION:Let’s talk about the Hilton Head Poetry Trail \nHave you heard? Hilton Head Island has a poetry trail! Want to visit but can’t get there now? Know what’s in store before you go? Learn how to create a trail in your own town? Join us for a special presentation by award-winning poet Elizabeth Robin\, all about the Hilton Head Poetry Trail.  \nA marriage of technology\, creative writing\, public art\, and arts-minded businesses\, the Hilton Head Poetry Trail offers a new way to see Hilton Head Island: through the eyes of the poets who live there. Grabbing extra copies of Local Life Magazine? Scan the sign placed inside the front door and read a Pop-up Poets collaboration. Contemplating the landscape as you rest on Toni Morrison’s bench at Mitchelville Freedom Park? Read James Mallory’s poem “The Beautiful Couple.” Confused\, asking “What is it?” as you stare at Caracol in Shelter Cove Park? Scan the trail sign and Jacque Markham gives you one interpretation.  \nIt’s the kind of collaboration that makes the arts an experience. A unique approach to a public arts project\, this trail brings poetry into public spaces in a permanent-yet-flexible medium. Because it uses QR codes\, the trail can track its visits and regularly switch out trail content to include more poets and poems at each site. Monthly visits have averaged over 300 readings from 20-plus states and 4 or more foreign countries in its first year. Some poems have been read over 1\,000 times! \nThe project is a partnership between the town of Hilton Head Island’s Office of Cultural Affairs and the Island Writers Network. The technology guru and idea man on the project is Bill Schmitt\, who developed the logo\, the sign design and Facebook page. Natalie Harvey\, the Director of Cultural Affairs\, oversees the sculptures approved for the project and the affixing of signs near the public art and park installations. Poet Elizabeth Robin recruited the poets and the businesses that are participating\, and pairs poems to locations. \nElizabeth Robin\, retired teacher and award-winning poet\, is the author of three collections of poems published by Finishing Line Press: To My Dreamcatcher (2022)\, Where Green Meets Blue (2018) and Silk Purses and Lemonade (2017). She partnered with the Office of Cultural Affairs to establish the Hilton Head Poetry Trail\, a 25-station route of local poets. A Piccolo Spoleto Sundown Poet (2023)\, she won the 2021 Carrie McCray Nickens Fellowship\, was an Island Writers Network open mic emcee for eight years\, and creates literary programs on Hilton Head Island. Recent work appears in Tall Women\, The Jasper Project: Poetry of the People\, Poetry Society (SC) Yearbook\, Catfish Stew\, Ukweli\, Drunk Monkeys and others.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/the-hilton-head-poetry-trail-a-presentation-by-poet-elizabeth-robin/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23710_image_486452936_1067527915408682_3967335678463265278_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240912T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240912T193000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214526Z
UID:10001464-1726164000-1726169400@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Open Mic Night -- Featuring Deirdre Garr Johns
DESCRIPTION:The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on Thursday\, September 12\, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is Deirdre Garr Johns\, author of the forthcoming children’s picture book Weathering the Storm and the forthcoming poetry chapbook Fallen Love. 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 Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. \nAbout Our Featured Writer\nDeirdre Garr Johns writes poetry\, nonfiction\, and children’s fiction. Her work is often inspired by the beauty of nature and the memories of people and places. Deirdre hopes to inspire others and create a sense of connectedness to the world around us. Deirdre’s poetry has appeared in Sylvia Magazine\, South Carolina Bards Poetry Anthology\, Eunoia Magazine\, Nymeria Magazine\, Silver Birch Press\, Stone Poetry Quarterly\, Pink Magazine\, and more. Her nonfiction has appeared in Sasee Magazine. \nFallen Love (Finishing Line Press)\, her first chapbook collection\, will be available for pre-sales this fall and published in January 2025. Her children’s book\, Weathering the Storm\, will be published later this fall. She currently resides in South Carolina with her family\, but Pennsylvania will always be home. She enjoyed a teaching career for eighteen years. Learn more at www.amuseofonesown.com.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/open-mic-night-featuring-deirdre-garr-johns/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23712_image_486178585_1067527905408683_242854389641526652_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240910T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240910T183000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214526Z
UID:10001465-1725987600-1725993000@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:An Evening with Lowcountry Legend Ron Daise\, Author of Raptors in the Ricelands
DESCRIPTION:The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with lowcountry legend Ron Daise\, author of the newly published novel Raptors in the Ricelands\, on Tuesday\, September 10\, 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. \nAbout the Book and Author:\nIn the twenty-first century fictional community of Georgetown\, South Carolina\, a story unfolds revealing family secrets and conflicts that challenge cultural beliefs. With bighearted intention\, newlyweds Florence and Chadwick Wineglass attempt to promote economic legacy\, but their unconscious motives often ensnare those they assist. The Wineglasses become raptor-like in their generosity at a moment when other community members’ intentions also prove to be menacing.\nConveyed in four acts and with chapter names that follow the production stages of Carolina Gold Rice\, Raptors in the Ricelands spans the future\, the present\, and the past\, and fosters a message of connection with African diasporic communities around the globe. Historical accounts include the Orangeburg Massacre; Black church life\, particularly in Oconee County as begun during slavery; the launch of White supremacy in Fort Mill; the Reconstruction Era; and the Universal Negro Improvement Association. \n“Ron Daise is an American griot. In this novel\, Daise welcomes us into his village and\, with his words\, feeds our imagination and spirit. His voice connects our past with the present and helps us to get a glimpse of what our future might look like. This modern-day Gullah tale reflects the experiences of many Americas; in fact\, it creates a bridge from the Lowcountry of South Carolina to the world.”–Alison Mc Letchie\, Assistant Professor\, Department of Social Sciences\, South Carolina State University \n“The many characters in this fictional story seem familiar and fully realized as Daise expertly shows the reader the connectivity between their lives\, their Gullah culture\, and the valuable “Carolina Gold” rice. Equally important in this book are the teachings of Marcus Garvey Jr.\, and the reminder that all that humanity can only move forward when we unselfishly commit to helping those most in need.’–Eric Crawford\, author of Gullah Spirituals: The Sound of Freedom and Protest in the South Carolina Sea Islands \nRon Daise\, a son of St. Helena Island\, SC\, is an author\, performer\, educator\, and cultural interpreter. His books\, productions\, and recordings have documented and shaped Gullah Geechee heritage since 1986. Co-star of “Gullah Gullah Island\,” Nick Jr. TV’s award-winning children’s program of the 1990s\, Ron also is a former chairman of the federal Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission\, and is featured in exhibits at the International African American Museum\, Charleston\, SC; the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture\, Washington\, DC; and Brookgreen Gardens\, Murrells Inlet\, SC. When not writing and performing\, Ron is a baker and owner of Mr. Ron’s Gullahlicious Pound Cakes. A graduate of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University)\, Ron and his wife Natalie reside in Georgetown\, SC\, and are parents of two adult children.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/an-evening-with-lowcountry-legend-ron-daise-author-of-raptors-in-the-ricelands/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23714_image_486523754_1067351768759630_523527751413092964_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240823T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240823T183000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214526Z
UID:10001466-1724432400-1724437800@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:An Evening with Novelist Zackary Vernon\, Author of Our Bodies Electric
DESCRIPTION:The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with novelist Zackary Vernon\, author of Our Bodies Electric\, on Friday\, August 23\, 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. \nAbout the Book and Author:\nTormented by his religious family and the broader conservative community of Pawley’s Island\, South Carolina\, fourteen-year-old Josh struggles with the pressure to conform to their puritanical standards. As he embarks upon his high school years\, Josh meets a supportive cast of eccentric small-town characters\, falls in love with his classmate\, becomes obsessed with David Bowie\, and fumbles in his attempts to make his own thongs. But it’s when his elderly neighbor gives him a copy of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” that he begins to understand his own sexuality. Our Bodies Electric is a coming-of-age story that celebrates the exuberance of youth\, the individual quest for sexual identity\, and the joy of finding connections in the most unexpected of places. \n“In this spirited coming-of-age novel\, Zack Vernon vividly renders Josh and his fellow middle-school misfits as they seek understanding and acceptance in a world that wishes only to trap them into a stifling conformity. Our Bodies Electric is poignant and comic\, and Vernon’s linking Walt Whitman’s celebration of indi-viduality to the characters adds to the novel’s pleasures.”—Ron Rash\, author of The Caretaker\, Serena\, and In the Valley \n“I haven’t heard music so sweet and heartfelt since I first read Lewis Nordan. Imagine a novel that sings like a love-drunk cross between The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Breakfast Club. Now imagine it set in the sweltering heat of lowcountry South Carolina. Now imagine it told in the spirit of Walt Whitman. Now imagine that book in your hands.”—Mark Powell\, Hurricane Season and The Late Rebellion \nZackary Vernon is a writer and scholar based in Boone\, North Carolina. His work has appeared in a range of magazines and journals\, including The Bitter Southerner\, Carolina Quarterly\, and Southern Cultures\, and he received the Alex Albright Creative Nonfiction Prize from the North Carolina Literary Review. He is currently an Associate Professor of English at Appalachian State University.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/an-evening-with-novelist-zackary-vernon-author-of-our-bodies-electric-2/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23716_image_486125806_1067495012078639_1471047071282741888_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240814T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240814T200000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214526Z
UID:10001467-1723658400-1723665600@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Expose & Compose: Photographic Prompts\, Workshop Led by Amber Wheeler Bacon
DESCRIPTION:Author Donna Baier Stein said that writers can use photography to “expand… meaning—not in terms of enlarging [an] original work\, but in terms of offering more possibilities.” In this workshop\, we use a combination of professional and amateur photography\, including our own family photos\, in conversation with poems and short prose to generate creative new work. We’ll use the unconscious subtexts of these photos\, the befores and afters\, and the memories they evoke. We’ll also take a look at the objective properties of the photographs\, including composition and the objects within them to inspire us. The workshop will include 4 prompts\, so come to this class ready to write. What creative possibilities are lying in wait in these photographs? Sign up and find out! All genres welcome! \nThis virtual workshop will be held via Zoom on August 14\, 6:00-8:00 p.m.\, limited to 15 participants. (A minimum of 5 needed to hold the class.) $45/person. \nRegister in advance at https://patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.com \nABOUT OUR INSTRUCTOR:\nAmber Wheeler Bacon is a writer and teacher whose work has appeared in Crazyhorse\, Ecotone\, Epiphany\, Five Points\, Prairie Schooner and Witness. You can find her writing online at Ploughshares and CRAFT. She’s the recipient of the 2018 Breakout Writers Prize sponsored by The Author’s Guild and a 2021 Bread Loaf scholarship. She received the 2022 Lit/South Award for flash fiction\, a 2023 Prairie Schooner Award and was a finalist for the 2023 Chautauqua Janus Prize\, nominated by Ecotone Magazine. Amber has an MFA from Bennington College and teaches English at Coastal Carolina University. She’s been a fiction editor at Four Way Review\, Managing Editor for South Carolina Writers Association publications and a daily editor at the Southern Review of Books. She lives by the beach in South Carolina and is represented by Amy Bishop-Wycisk at Trellis Literary Management.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/expose-compose-photographic-prompts-workshop-led-by-amber-wheeler-bacon/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23718_image_486027650_1065438105617663_611145863538743795_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240808T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240808T193000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214526Z
UID:10001468-1723140000-1723145400@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Virtual Open Mic Night\, Featuring Jessica Goody\, Author of Phoenix: Transformation Poems
DESCRIPTION:The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held virtually on Thursday\, August 8\, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is poet Jessica Goody\, author of Phoenix: Transformation Poems. 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 Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. \nAbout Our Featured Writer\nJessica Goody is the award-winning author of Defense Mechanisms (Phosphene Publishing\, 2016) and Phoenix: Transformation Poems (CW Books\, 2019). Her writing has appeared in over one hundred publications\, including The Wallace Stevens Journal\, Reader’s Digest\, Phantom Drift\, The High Window\, Bird’s Thumb\, The Centrifugal Eye\, Really System\, Along Southern Roads\, Event Horizon\, The Dime Show Review\, Chicken Soup for the Soul\, The Seventh Wave\, Third Wednesday\, The MacGuffin\, Harbinger Asylum\, and The Maine Review. Defense Mechanisms was chosen as a “Power Read” by Hilton Head Monthly\, a Book of the Month by The Creativity Webzine\, and received an Honorable Mention for the 2020 North Street Book Prize. Jessica facilitated poetry slams and taught writing courses for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at USCB. She contributed poetry to the stage productions Womanhood and A Voyage of Poetic Discovery for the Sun City Community Theatre and CoronaVox: Stories from the Front for the Phamaly Theatre Company. A freelance journalist\, she has been a contributing writer for Hilton Head Monthly\, The Bluffton Sun\, SunSations\, Local Life and Bluffton Today. Jessica is the winner of the 2016 Magnets and Ladders Poetry Prize. Her poem “Beachcombing” was recently added to the Hilton Head Poetry Trail. \n“Phoenix: Transformation Poems is a rich triumph and marks its author\, once again\, as an artist whose work should be followed closely by those interested in the forces shaping the future of American poetry.”–Harvey Trabb\, author of September 19 \n“This is strong poetic work.”—Bill Newby\, author of Passing Through \n“Jessica Goody excels in description\, pulling in readers with her use of words to capture the senses.”–Harvee Lau\, Book Dilettante
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/virtual-open-mic-night-featuring-jessica-goody-author-of-phoenix-transformation-poems/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23720_image_486017142_1066418875519586_127705252026975736_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240725T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240725T183000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214527Z
UID:10001470-1721926800-1721932200@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:An Evening with Novelist Martha B. Boone\, Author of Mother Charity
DESCRIPTION:The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with retired surgeon turned novelist Martha B. Boone\, author of Mother Charity\, in conversation with retired FBI Special Agent turned novelist Dana Ridenour\, author of the Lexie Montgomery Series\, on Thursday\, July 25\, at 5:00 p.m.\, at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.\, Beaufort). Books will be available for sale and signing. Seating is limited: please reserve in advance to attend this free author event: 843-379-7025. \nAbout Mother Charity\nEvolving from a naive girl to a competent female surgeon\, Elizabeth has survived the first round of surgery training. What happens next will change her or the hospital forever. After barely surviving her first six months as a trauma intern at Charity Hospital\, Dr. Elizabeth Roberts is exhausted from the long hours\, senseless violence\, and breakneck pace. Despite the tough experience\, she has grown to love New Orleans-its food\, culture\, music\, and people. But now she must endure the hardest rotation in the hospital\, led by her nemesis… who doesn’t think Elizabeth even belongs in the world of surgery. Navigating the brutal and exhilarating world of trauma surgery\, she wants to do her duty\, but has bitten off more than she can chew. It’s great training for a surgeon\, but the emotional toll on a previously sweet\, young southern lady may be too much to bear. Once the young doctor discovers what she has to give up to overcome her challenges\, the question arises: will she continue to pursue her dream? If so\, at what cost?  \nThis sequel to Martha Boone’s novel The Big Free continues the gripping story of an intern in surgery and all the trials and tribulations that come with it\, from devastating horror to ribald dark humor. \nAbout the Author\nMartha B. Boone\, M.D. was a surgery resident and urology resident at Tulane and trained at Charity Hospital in New Orleans from 1985- 1991. She is one of the first one hundred women board certified in Urology in the United States. Boone retired from the practice of urology after 35 years to travel and write. She was challenged by her mentor Dr. Norman McSwain to memorialize the great Charity Hospital in her novels. Mother Charity is her third book and the sequel to The Big Free. She is also the author of the nonfiction book\, The Unfettered Urologist. \nAbout the Interviewer\nDana Ridenour is the award-winning author of the Lexie Montgomery FBI Series: Behind the Mask\, Beyond the Cabin\, and Below the Radar. Ridenour is a retired FBI special agent who spent most of her career as an undercover operative. She now lives and writes in the South Carolina lowcountry.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/an-evening-with-novelist-martha-b-boone-author-of-mother-charity-2/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23725_image_486390557_1065986335562840_6586249565958519382_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240713T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240713T183000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214527Z
UID:10001471-1720890000-1720895400@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:An Evening with Jo Angela Edwins\, Poet Laureate of the Pee Dee and Author of A Dangerous Heaven
DESCRIPTION:The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with Jo Angela Edwins\, Poet Laureate of the Pee Dee and author of A Dangerous Heaven\, on Saturday\, July 13\, 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. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-379-7025. \nEdwins will also lead a poetry writing workshop earlier that afternoon\, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Details and registration: https://mystifyingthefamiliar.eventbrite.com \nAbout the book and author\nA Dangerous Heaven creates personal and political conversations that resound through both the sacred and the secular worlds. Jo Angela Edwins has spent the past many years excavating those personal relationships which shape and haunt us. She turns the same observant eye on events happening around the word. From “The Last Wild Elephant Alive” to “Death\, A Rock Icon\, and Sewage Pipes” Edwins is able to draw the reader into seeing events from her own unique perspective. \n“In A Dangerous Heaven\, Jo Angela Edwins walks us through a multi-layered grief process for accumulated wrongs and losses: historical\, biblical\, global\, national\, and personal. “It is your responsibility to grieve\,” one poem says\, and this is not a command\, but an acknowledgement. These poems don’t look away from wounds\, especially those of women\, and they don’t turn elsewhere for comfort\, yet they leave me feeling seen and comforted. Everyone needs to read this book.”–Katie Manning\, author of Tasty Other \n“An intimate volume with cosmic reach\, witty and compassionate\, A Dangerous Heaven transports us through a wide range of emotions\, carries us to lofty and surprising places which might be dangerous if we didn’t have Jo Angela Edwins’s sure hand to catch us\, to place our feet firmly on home soil. Crafted to honor insight and emotion\, these daring poems will keep us company over time\, like trusted friends.”–Marilyn Kallet\, author of Even When We Sleep \nJo Angela Edwins has published poems in over 100 journals and anthologies\, including Calyx\, descant\, The Hollins Critic\, and New South. She is the author of the collection A Dangerous Heaven (Gnashing Teeth Publishing\, 2023) and the chapbooks Bitten (forthcoming from dancing girl press\, 2024) and Play (Finishing Line Press\, 2016). She has received awards from Winning Writers\, Poetry Super Highway\, and the SC Academy of Authors and is a Pushcart Prize\, Forward Prize\, Best of the Net\, and Bettering American Poetry nominee. A native of North Augusta\, she now lives in Florence\, where she teaches at Francis Marion University and serves as the first poet laureate of the Pee Dee region of South Carolina.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/an-evening-with-jo-angela-edwins-poet-laureate-of-the-pee-dee-and-author-of-a-dangerous-heaven/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23727_image_485682245_1066413072186833_1957514233118628118_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240713T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240713T160000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214527Z
UID:10001472-1720879200-1720886400@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Mystifying the Familiar: Writers Workshop Led by Jo Angela Edwins
DESCRIPTION:In this workshop\, we’ll discuss how imaginative unions in poems can lead to insight. We’ll look at poems like Billy Collins’ “Hippos on Holiday” or Heid E. Erdrich’s “Indigenous Elvis at the Airport” to see the effect of the juxtaposition of the ordinary and the unexpected. As a generative exercise\, we’ll also do a writing activity to inspire the beginnings of such a poem. \nSaturday\, July 13\, 2:00-4:00 p.m. at the Pat Conroy Literary Center. Limited to 15 participants. (A minimum of five participants is needed for this workshop.) $40/person. Advance registration required to attend: https://mystifyingthefamiliar.eventbrite.com \nABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR\nJo Angela Edwins has published poems in over 100 journals and anthologies\, including Calyx\, descant\, The Hollins Critic\, and New South. She is the author of the collection A Dangerous Heaven (Gnashing Teeth Publishing\, 2023) and the chapbooks Bitten (forthcoming from dancing girl press\, 2024) and Play (Finishing Line Press\, 2016). She has received awards from Winning Writers\, Poetry Super Highway\, and the SC Academy of Authors and is a Pushcart Prize\, Forward Prize\, Best of the Net\, and Bettering American Poetry nominee. A native of North Augusta\, she now lives in Florence\, where she teaches at Francis Marion University and serves as the first poet laureate of the Pee Dee region of South Carolina.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/mystifying-the-familiar-writers-workshop-led-by-jo-angela-edwins/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23729_image_485988763_1066413045520169_2330360096214197140_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240711T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240711T193000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214527Z
UID:10001473-1720720800-1720726200@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Open Mic Night\, Featuring Novelist Rebecca Thompson
DESCRIPTION:The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on Thursday\, July 11\, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is novelist Rebecca Thompson\, winner of the Ann Head Literary Prize and author of the duology The Girl of the Tree and Seeking the Truth. 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 Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. \nAbout Our Featured Writer\nRebecca Thompson started writing during the coronavirus pandemic\, determined to complete her first book. Not only has she successfully self-published one novel as a teen author\, but now two! Thompson is the author of the novels The Girl of the Tree and its sequel Seeking the Truth. She is the 2024 winner of the Ann Head Literary Prize at Beaufort High School. She lives in the lowcountry of South Carolina with her mom\, dad\, brother\, two cats\, and fish.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/open-mic-night-featuring-novelist-rebecca-thompson/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23731_image_485742260_1065438118950995_1398734013893784302_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240627T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240627T183000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214527Z
UID:10001474-1719507600-1719513000@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:An Evening with McCracken King Poston Jr.\, Author of Zenith Man
DESCRIPTION:The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with McCracken King Poston Jr.\, author of Zenith Man: Death\, Love\, and Redemption in a Georgia Courtroom\, on Thursday\, June 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 through the Beaufort Bookstore. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-379-7025. \nAbout the book and author\nLike a nonfiction John Grisham thriller with echoes of Rainman\, Just Mercy\, and a captivating smalltown Southern setting\, this is the fascinating true story—sometimes humorous\, sometimes heartbreaking—of an idealistic young lawyer determined to free an innocent neurodivergent man accused of murdering the wife no one knew he had. \nIn October 1997\, the town of Ringgold in northwest Georgia was shaken by reports of a murder in its midst. A dead woman was found in Alvin Ridley’s house—and even more shockingly\, she was the wife no one knew he had. Was this small-town TV repair man “a harmless eccentric or a bizarre killer” (Atlanta Journal Constitution). For the first time\, Alvin Ridley’s own defense attorney reveals the inside story of his case and trial in an extraordinary tale of friendship and an idealistic young attorney’s quest to clear his client’s name—and\, in the process\, rebuild his own life. \nMcCracken Poston Jr. had been a state representative before he lost his bid for U.S. Congress and returned to his law career. Alvin Ridley was a local character who once sold and serviced Zenith televisions. Though reclusive and an outsider\, the “Zenith Man\,” as Poston knew him\, hardly seemed capable of murder.  \nAlvin was a difficult client\, storing evidence in a cockroach-infested suitcase\, unwilling to reveal key facts to his defender. Gradually\, Poston pieced together the full story behind Virginia and Alvin’s curious marriage and her cause of death—which was completely overlooked by law enforcement. Calling on medical experts\, testimony from Alvin himself\, and a wealth of surprising evidence gleaned from Alvin’sjunk-strewn house\, Poston presented a groundbreaking defense that allowed Alvin to return to his peculiar lifestyle\, a free man. \nYears after his trial\, Alvin was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder\, a revelation that sheds light on much of his lifelong personal battle—and shows how easily those who don’t fit societal norms can be castigated and misunderstood. Part true crime\, part courtroom drama\, and full of local color\, Zenith Man is also the moving story of an unexpected friendship between two very different men that changed—and perhaps saved—the lives of both. \n“A wild ride of love\, death\, and justice in small-town Georgia . . . McCracken Poston\, Jr shares intimate knowledge of a sensational case. This highly engaging read combines the best parts of hard-boiled true crime with a host of colorful characters\, a small-town Southern setting\, and Poston’s natural gift for gab. The results beg for an eight-part Netflix series.” —Atlanta Journal-Constitution \n“Wildly entertaining…Zenith Man is a true crime book\, but the events described seems more like a John Grisham novel.” —Mystery Tribune \n“Poston is a good storyteller and has a good story to tell\, with the kinds of twists and turns that will make readers think it’s great fiction—except it all happened.” —Jon Meacham\, New York Times bestselling author\, winner of the Pulitzer Prize \nMcCracken King Poston\, Jr.\, is a criminal defense attorney and former state legislator in the Georgia House of Representatives. He gained national attention for his handling of several notable cases that were featured on CNN Presents\, Dateline NBC\, A&E’s American Justice\, and Forensic Files. He lives in Ringgold\, Georgia. www.mccrackenpostonjr.com
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/an-evening-with-mccracken-king-poston-jr-author-of-zenith-man-2/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23733_image_485136613_1064047025756771_2919339398456655190_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240615T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240615T190000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214527Z
UID:10001475-1718470800-1718478000@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Book Launch Drop-In for Donna Keel Armer\, Author of Moringa: Tree of Life
DESCRIPTION:The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center is honored to host a free public drop-in launch event for Donna Keel Armer’s Moringa: Tree of Life ~ Book 2 in the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series. Join us on Saturday\, June 15\, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 601 Bladen St.\, in downtown Beaufort. No advance registration required. Books will be available for sale and signing. Refreshments will be provided. The author will speak briefly at 5:45 p.m. \nAbout Moringa: Tree of Life (Book 2 in the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series)\nWho can you trust\, when you can’t even trust what is right in front of you? \nAfter the death of her best friend and her own near-death experience in Italy\, Cat Gabbiano returns to her home in the South Carolina Lowcountry. During Cat’s absence\, her business reputation was tarnished from the ongoing dispute with her most influential client. Her first goal is to reestablish her catering business with the help of her friend and colleague\, Cassie Burton. \nWhile scouting out a venue for a wedding reception at a long-vacated plantation\, Cat encounters a hammer-wielding assailant. Before the dust settles\, she’s contacted by an old classmate who swears he’s an undercover FBI agent. He not only warns her to stay away from the plantation\, but he tells her it’s under surveillance for human trafficking and trespassing could result in dire consequences.  \nAlong with this startling revelation enters a Spanish count who insists on Cat becoming his confident as he tries to purchase the abandoned plantation for a life-sustaining project. Perhaps the count is interested in more than a business partnership. Has Cat already forgotten her Italian lover\, Lorenzo? Added to this mix of characters is a state senator who sweeps Cassie off her feet and into his web of deceit. Will Cassie betray Cat too? \nWill Cat discover the truth before it’s too late? Or will she end up in places far darker than the mafia she encountered in Italy? \n“Set against the backdrop of marshes and oaks draped with Spanish moss in South Carolina\, Moringa: Tree of Life is a page-turner of a mystery that addresses real life and difficult societal issues. As with Armer’s other novels\, readers are drawn into the lives of her characters and their stories and are pulling for them all the way. Moringa: Tree of Life is yet another beautifully crafted masterpiece destined for an award.”—Niles Reddick\, author of Who’s Going to Pray for Me Now? and Forgiven \n“Donna Keel Armer’s second novel in her Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series continues the spine-tingling page-turning allure of The Red Starfish. After fleeing Italy\, Cat returns to her South Carolina Lowcountry home. While struggling to rebuild her business\, she stumbles into a covert FBI operation on an abandoned plantation on the cusp of a wedding reception\, a setting interwoven with ties to a Spanish count\, a state senator\, and an undercover federal agent. Once again\, fate calls on Cat to solve a seemingly impossible mystery as she struggles to find her footing against the backdrop of corruption\, human trafficking\, and dangerous liaisons. Armer has gifted new and returning readers with a resolute and emphatic heroine\, one who fails and falls\, and nevertheless rises again. Cat’s appeal is universal; she is on a journey\, as are we all.” —Jonathan Haupt\, coeditor of Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy \n“Donna Keel Armer hits another home run with Moringa: The Tree of Life. An electrifying second novel in the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series.” —Dana Ridenour\, author of the award-winning Lexie Montgomery FBI series \nAbout the Author\nDonna Keel Armer is the author of The Red Starfish\, Book #1 in the Cat Gabbiano Mystery Series\, and Solo in Salento: A Memoir\, which has been translated into Italian as Un’americana in Salento. She recently completed a book tour of Southern Italy. She’s a photojournalist and has published essays for travel anthologies and in magazines featuring photographs and articles on travel\, food and wine\, home and garden and various other topics. When she’s on the road\, she writes a private travelogue.\nShe graduated with honors from Mississippi University for Women with a double major in psychology and social sciences and graduate studies in theology. Her first job during high school was a gofer for a furniture company and her last position before turning to writing was president of the hospitality business owned by Donna and her husband Ray. In-between she’s been in senior management in both the insurance and airline industries. She’s a former board member of Friends of the Library\, a member of Sea Island Spirit Writers\, and a docent at the Pat Conroy Literary Center. Donna and Ray split their time between their forever home in the South Carolina Lowcountry and their beloved Italy.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/book-launch-drop-in-for-donna-keel-armer-author-of-moringa-tree-of-life/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23735_image_485881429_1065973092230831_2541567592195169286_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240613T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240613T193000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214527Z
UID:10001476-1718301600-1718307000@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Virtual Open Mic Night\, Featuring Laura Mahaffey\, Author of Subject to the Tide
DESCRIPTION:The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held virtually on Thursday\, June 13\, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is novelist Laura Mahaffey\, author of Subject to the Tide. 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 Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. \nAbout Our Featured Writer\nLaura Mahaffey writes romance with a dash of suspense\, a hint of folklore\, and a splash of magical realism. She loves to explore the potential of the unseen. Coastal South Carolina is home to some of her fondest memories. She’s kayaked its marshes\, explored its cemeteries\, and fell in love with its beauty during the four years she lived among the mysteries brewing in the Spanish Moss. Now\, she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her two dogs\, a dignified miniature schnauzer and a sassy shitzu.www.dooglewrites.com  \n“Subject to the Tide is a beguiling novel weaving hints of romance and dark mystery into a dreamy\, love letter to the shadow haunted\, South Carolina coast. Amanda and Hal make for an entertaining tandem whose story you won’t want to put down.”–Erick Mertz\, author of the Strange Air Series
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/virtual-open-mic-night-featuring-laura-mahaffey-author-of-subject-to-the-tide/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23737_image_485802729_1065362918958515_3939805491929836982_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240605T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240605T200000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214527Z
UID:10001478-1717610400-1717617600@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Beating the Numbers Game: Submissions Strategies\, Workshop Led by Amber Wheeler Bacon
DESCRIPTION:In this workshop\, we discuss what it’s like as a literary magazine editor moving through the slush pile: sins we’re willing to forgive\, and those we’re not. We’ll also explore tools to finding literary magazines that are a best fit for your work\, how to rate them\, and when to submit to what. Finally\, we’ll look at strategies for submitting to contests. If submitting your work is in part a numbers game\, then this class is about figuring out your best odds. \nThis virtual workshop will be held via Zoom on June 5\, 6:00-8:00 p.m.\, limited to 15 participants. (A minimum of 5 needed to hold the class.) $45/person.  \nRegister in advance at https://patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.com \nABOUT OUR INSTRUCTOR:\nAmber Wheeler Bacon is a writer and teacher whose work has appeared in Crazyhorse\, Ecotone\, Epiphany\, Five Points\, Prairie Schooner and Witness. You can find her writing online at Ploughshares and CRAFT. She’s the recipient of the 2018 Breakout Writers Prize sponsored by The Author’s Guild and a 2021 Bread Loaf scholarship. She received the 2022 Lit/South Award for flash fiction\, a 2023 Prairie Schooner Award and was a finalist for the 2023 Chautauqua Janus Prize\, nominated by Ecotone Magazine. Amber has an MFA from Bennington College and teaches English at Coastal Carolina University. She’s been a fiction editor at Four Way Review\, Managing Editor for South Carolina Writers Association publications and a daily editor at the Southern Review of Books. She lives by the beach in South Carolina and is represented by Amy Bishop-Wycisk at Trellis Literary Management.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/beating-the-numbers-game-submissions-strategies-workshop-led-by-amber-wheeler-bacon/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23741_image_485649301_1065438112284329_6833658590919252616_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240523T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240523T183000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214527Z
UID:10001479-1716483600-1716489000@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:An Evening with Award-Winning Novelist Mindy Friddle\, Author of Her Best Self
DESCRIPTION:In partnership with NeverMore Books\, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an evening with award-winning novelist Mindy Friddle\, author of Her Best Self\, in conversation with Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt\, on Thursday\, May 23\, at 5:00 p.m.\, at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.\, Beaufort). Books will be available for sale and signing through NeverMore Books. Seating is limited: please reserve in advance to attend this free author event: 843-379-7025. \nAbout Her Best Self\nJanelle Wolf longs to be the woman she once was—an adored wife\, a loving mother\, a career woman\, a force in her community—before a mysterious car accident stole her memories\, ruined her reputation\, and upended her life. These days\, her troubled family needs that capable woman from the past\, the one she calls “Janelle Before.” Enter Lana\, an alluring and magnetic psychic healer who meets secretly with Janelle. Lana coaxes Janelle to remember the circumstances of her accident in order to recover Janelle’ s “best self.” Instead\, Janelle uncovers the ugly truth behind that night. The revelations unravel Janelle’ s marriage\, disrupt her family\, and turn her small southern town upside down. Written with wry humor\, this diabolically entertaining tale of deception\, temptation\, and love is filled with dark twists\, exploring what happens when the transgressions of the past come back with a vengeance. \n“Fast paced\, clever\, and wickedly compelling.”—Michel Stone\, author of The Iguana Tree \nAbout the Author\nMindy Friddle’s novel\, Secret Keepers\, won the Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction. The Garden Angel\, her first novel and SIBA bestseller\, was selected for Barnes & Noble’s Discover Great New Writers. The South Carolina Arts Commission awarded Mindy a prose fellowship\, and she has twice won the state’ s Fiction Prize. Her stories and essays have appeared in numerous journals. She holds an MFA from Warren Wilson and lives on Edisto Island\, South Carolina. \nAbout the Interviewer\nJonathan 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 Charleston Post and Courier and vice president of the board of directors of the statewide Friends of South Carolina Libraries.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/an-evening-with-award-winning-novelist-mindy-friddle-author-of-her-best-self/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23743_image_484998362_1063021879192619_4617840161467417657_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240511T140000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240511T153000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214527Z
UID:10001480-1715436000-1715441400@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:An Afternoon with Novelist Caroline Cleveland\, Author of When Cicadas Cry
DESCRIPTION:The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host an afternoon with debut novelist Caroline Cleveland\, author of When Cicadas Cry\, on Saturday\, May 11\, at 2:00 p.m.\, at Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.\, Beaufort). Cleveland will be joined in conversation by Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt. Free and open to the public. Books will be available for sale and signing through NeverMore Books. Please call to reserve your seat in advance: 843-379-7025. \nAbout When Cicadas Cry\nIn this stunning debut by a South Carolina attorney\, Zach Stander\, a lawyer with a past\, and Addie Stone\, his indomitable detective and lover\, find themselves entangled in secrets\, lies\, and murder in a small Southern town. \nA high-profile murder case—A white woman has been bludgeoned to death with an altar cross in a rural church on Cicada Road in Walterboro\, South Carolina. Sam Jenkins\, a Black man\, is found covered in blood\, kneeling over the body. In a state already roiling with racial tension\, this is not only a murder case\, but a powder keg. \nA haunting cold case—Two young women are murdered on quiet Edisto Beach\, an hour southeast of Walterboro\, and the killer disappears without a trace. Thirty-four years later the mystery remains unsolved. Could there be a connection to Stander’s case? \nA killer who’s watching—Stander takes on Jenkins’s defense\, but he’s up against a formidable solicitor with powerful allies. Worse\, his client is hiding a bombshell secret. When Addie Stone reopens the cold case\, she discovers more long-buried secrets in this small town. Would someone kill again to keep them? \n“John Grisham meets Harper Lee in this immersive and thought-provoking Southern legal thriller. Caroline Cleveland’s talented storytelling propels this realistic tale of secrets and history\, combined with the power of contemporary passion and prejudice. The setting is authentic\, the characters relatable\, and the story propulsive and engaging. Standing ovation for this brilliant debut!”—Hank Phillippi Ryan\, USA Today bestselling author of One Wrong Word \n“A twisty narrative of secrets and lies\, I flew through When Cicadas Cry in a day. A haunting case from the past. A racially tinged murder in the present. And a small South Carolina town about to erupt like a powder keg. Equal parts courtroom thriller and gripping mystery.” —John McMahon\, author of The Good Detective \nAbout the Author\nCaroline Cleveland is a labor and employment lawyer based in Charleston. A native South Carolinian\, Caroline grew up in the Lowcountry and earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1991. When Cicadas Cry is her first novel. \nAbout the Interviewer\nJonathan 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 Charleston Post and Courier and vice president of the board of directors of the statewide Friends of South Carolina Libraries.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/an-afternoon-with-novelist-caroline-cleveland-author-of-when-cicadas-cry/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23745_image_485023548_1064046975756776_3881438421284226112_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240509T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240509T193000
DTSTAMP:20260505T183037
CREATED:20260427T134538Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260505T214527Z
UID:10001481-1715277600-1715283000@patconroyliterarycenter.org
SUMMARY:Open Mic Night\, Featuring Elizabeth Leverton
DESCRIPTION:The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s monthly Open Mic Night will be held at the Conroy Center (601 Bladen St.) on Thursday\, May 9\, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. Our featured writer is poet Elizabeth Leverton\, author Peace\, Rhododendron. 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 Open Mic? Let us know at contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org. \nAbout Our Featured Writer\nElizabeth Leverton earned a BA in English Lit and a master’s degree in English with a concentration in writing and editing at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She began writing poetry thirty years ago. A recent graduate of the Commercial Graphics program at Midlands Technical College\, Elizabeth is a graphic designer/typesetter who also enjoys songwriting and playing guitar\, singing karaoke\, dancing\, swimming\, tennis\, sewing functional art\, and acrylic painting. She lives in Columbia\, South Carolina\, with her Labrador Retriever\, Molly\, and part-Siamese sister cats\, Silo and Weaver. Peace\, Rhododendron is her first book.
URL:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/calendar/open-mic-night-featuring-elizabeth-leverton/
LOCATION:601 Bladen Street\, Beaufort\, SC\, United States\, South Carolina 29902
CATEGORIES:Other
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/23747_image_485654510_1063022109192596_3651369393134749319_n.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR