Our monthly virtual Open Mic Night is hosted by Brooke McKinney and presented in partnership between the Pat Conroy Literary Center and the South Carolina Writers Association. Our featured writer for October is novelist and Write on SC radio host Kasie Whitener. Join us live on the Conroy Center's Facebook page for readings by a pantheon of participating writers from in and beyond our South Carolina lowcountry. Interested in reading as part of Open Mic? Contact host Brooke McKinney at brooke@patconroyliterarycenter.org About our featured writer: GenX fiction writer Kasie Whitener hosts a radio show called “Write On SC,” and a weekly Twitter chat called #wschat. Her debut novel, After December, was a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards in 2020 and her second novel, Before Pittsburgh, releases August 2021. Whitener is a recipient of the 2021 Fresh Voices in the Humanities Award and has delivered workshops for the South Carolina Writers Association, Pat Conroy Literary Center, Winter Wheat Festival, Fairfax County Public Library, and the South Carolina Book Festival.

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Robert Olen Butler (Late City); Alabama’s youngest and first African American Poet Laureate Ashley M. Jones (Reparations, Now); literary activist and morning show host E. Ethelbert Miller (When Your Wife Has Tommy John Surgery); best-selling writers Patti Callahan (Once Upon a Wardrobe), Wiley Cash (When Ghosts Come Home), and Brian Panowich (Hard Cash Valley); award-winning photographer Andrew Feiler (A Better Life for Their Children); and Carrie McCray Nickens Poetry Fellowship winner Elizabeth Robin (Where Green Meets Blue) and all five fellowship finalists are scheduled to headline this year’s sixth annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival, November 4-7. The event includes free author events held in locations across Beaufort County and online, as well as writers workshops. See details at www.patconroyliteraryfestival.org and www.facebook.com/PatConroyFestival (where announcements and updates will be posted frequently). Register for workshops and virtual events at https://patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.com

The Pat Conroy Literary Center will host a virtual evening with Deborah J. Cohan, author of the memoir Welcome to Wherever We Are on Tuesday, October 5, at 6:00 p.m. Order books through your local booksellers or at https://bookshop.org/a/8118/9781978808928. "Welcome to Wherever We Are is a brave memoir that sheds light on the challenges of caring for an abusive parent. This volume is bound to offer solace and support to those in similar situations. Deborah J. Cohan’s honesty and compassion make this a unique and valuable memoir for anyone who has survived abuse by a parent and struggles to make sense of the conflicting feelings of love and responsibility as well as anger and resentment toward their abuser." ―Ms. Magazine "This memoir of caretaking unspools so many of the complicated emotions wrapped up in helping a parent as they die. Writing about taking care of her father, Deborah J. Cohan details the realities of what it means to get sick and the toll it takes on the people around the ill person. A compassionate narrative, the book shows us how life doesn’t stop when we are providing care to sick loved ones — it only gets trickier."―Buzzfeed Deborah J. Cohan is Professor of Sociology at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. Alongside her many academic publications, she is the author of the popular blog “Social Lights” for Psychology Today . You can learn more about her at www.deborahjcohan.com

{presentation begins after 10-minute slideshow} “When I thought God had abandoned me, I discovered that He had simply given me a different voice to praise the inexhaustible beauty of the made world.”—Pat Conroy, My Losing Season Acclaimed southern storyteller Pat Conroy (1945-2016) is best remembered as the author of a dozen beloved books, including The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, and The Prince of Tides. In this free, public presentation, explore Conroy’s spiritual and humanistic faith as reflected in his turbulent life and bestselling books—from his Roman Catholic upbringing to The Citadel’s honor code to themes of spirituality in his writings to his life of service as a mentor to his fellow writers to his connections to his “second church,” First Presbyterian Church of Beaufort. Presented by Jonathan Haupt, the executive director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center, and Holland Perryman, founder of Beaufort High School’s Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization, this free community outreach program was offered in collaboration between Lowcountry Presbyterian Church and the nonprofit Conroy Center. ABOUT OUR PRESENTERS Jonathan Haupt is the executive director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center and the former director of the University of South Carolina Press. His book reviews and author interviews have appeared in the Charleston Post and Courier, Lowcountry Weekly, Beaufort Lifestyle, Savannah Morning News Beacon magazine, and the Southern Review of Books. He is co-editor of the anthology Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, winner of 17 book awards. The first intern of the Pat Conroy Conroy Literary Center, Holland Perryman is a senior at Beaufort High School, where she is founder of the Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization and winner of the second annual Ann Head Literary Prize for Short Story. Her book reviews and author interviews have been published in the Charleston Post and Courier, Lowcountry Weekly, and the Southern Review of Books. www.patconroyliterarycenter.org www.lowcountrypres.org

The Pat Conroy Literary Center, in partnership with the Beaufort Bookstore, hosted an in-person visit with debut novelist Gervais Hagerty, author In Polite Company, on September 28. Gervais was introduced by Cassandra King, best-selling author and honorary chair of the nonprofit Conroy Center. ABOUT THE NOVEL “Here is the captivating story of a contemporary young woman navigating the expectations of family, the traditions of Charleston’s elite, and the fierce pull of her own heart... This is a beautiful debut novel.”--Sue Monk Kidd "Peek behind the veil of Charleston’s cobbled streets, Southern charm and pedigreed society. In Polite Company offers a nuanced look at birth and death, privilege and discrimination at odds between generations. Gervais Hagerty is an author to watch!”--Mary Alice Monroe Tourists think they see the real Charleston, but Simons Smythe knows there’s more to her hometown than sweet tea and Southern hospitality. Behind the walled gardens, inside the fabled historic homes, live Charleston’s elite. Simons was born into this powerful aristocracy that has quietly ruled the city for centuries. Simons’s family has a banner year ahead; Her older sister will give birth to her second child, and her younger sister will make her debut—a series of cocktail parties and balls to introduce her to society. And in one year, Simons plans to marry Trip. She hopes that’s enough time to fall back in love. Simons produces the news at a local TV station, a job that increasingly tests her loyalty to her family and friends. On her days off, Simons surfs the waves of Folly Beach, crabs the salty rivers of Edisto Island, and follows her wayward heart to King Street bars. The one touchstone in this confusing time is her elegant and secretive grandmother, Laudie, who—repeatedly and mysteriously—urges Simons to “be brave”. In this sparkling novel, Simons unlocks riddles from the past, flirts with a new future, and discovers that some rules are made to be broken. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Gervais Hagerty grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. She earned her B.A. in psychology from Vanderbilt University. After a post-college stint in Southern California, she returned to the east coast, where she worked as a news reporter and producer for both radio and television broadcasts. In 2013, she earned her M.B.A. from The Citadel, and soon after became a professor, where she taught Leadership Communications. As the director of Patricia McArver Public Speaking Lab, she coached students, faculty, and staff to become effective speakers. She also advised the college’s public speaking club. She is a board member of The Charleston Council for International Visitors and serves on Charleston’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. She lives in Charleston with her husband and daughters. https://gervaishagerty.com

Presented as part of the 5th Annual Lowcountry Book Club Convention, the Pat Conroy Literary Center' hosted a Facebook Live Virtual Happy Hour discussion with a half-dozen book club and book forum leaders. We chatted about the origins and features of these vibrant communities of readers, and learned more about how new readers can join and how writers can participate and benefit as well. Featuring literary dynamos Susan Peterson (Sue’s Reading Neighborhood), Mandy Haynes (Pulpwood Queens Book Club), Suzanne Leopold (Suzy Approved Book Tours), Tina Hogan Grant (Read More Books), Annie McDonnell (The Write Review), and Susie McMahon (Luxurious Journeys). LEARN MORE Sue's Reading Neighborhood: www.facebook.com/groups/1977460229183119 Pulpwood Queens Book Club: www.thepulpwoodqueens.com Suzy Approved: https://suzyapproved.com Read More Books: www.facebook.com/groups/tinahogangrant The Write Review: https://thewritereview.com Luxurious Journeys: www.facebook.com/groups/1079854965731397

In the final session of our 5th annual Lowcountry Book Club Convention, writer Kim Harwanko discussed Novel Women, a book about a book club—written by the Between Friends Book Club, and now with two sequels completing its trilogy. Energized by changes in careers and romances, the fictional ladies of the Novel Women book club transition from their tumultuous summer into autumn. Free from societal expectations they soon discover that this sage stage of life doesn’t come with instructions. Sandwiched between their parents and children they look to each other to help navigate this confusing period. The six women buoy each other up to ride out these storms with an abundance of wisdom, resilience, strength, and love. After all, book club is so much more than just reading. Novel Women is written by the real-life members of the Between Friends Book Club. We are pleased to welcome the book club’s founder, Kim Sullivan Harwanko, a freelance writer who earned her midlife degree in journalism from Rutgers. Now Mrs. Harwanko blogs, tweets, and posts for interior designers in Northern New Jersey, where she is also a writer for local community newspapers. She is an active member of the Women’s Association of Morristown Medical Center and a board member for Mansion in May, a designer showhouse. She was joined by her sister Shannon, a fellow member of the Between Friends Book Club. www.patconroyliterarycenter.org

As part of the 5th annual Lowcountry Book Club Convention, we hosted author Lauren Marino for a discussion of Bookish Broads: Women Who Wrote Themselves into History, in conversation with interviewers Holland Perryman and Jonathan Haupt. Bookish Broads author Lauren Marino is a writer, editor, and publishing executive with extensive experience working with major publishers, literary agents, and authors. She is currently executive editor at Hachette Books, where she acquires and edits nonfiction in many categories. Prior to that, she was Vice President and Editorial Director of Gotham Books where she was the founding editor in 2001, acquiring, editing, and publishing multiple bestsellers in a variety of nonfiction categories. Ms. Marino is also the author of the Dolly Parton-inspired What Would Dolly Do? and Jackie and Cassini: A Fashion Love Affair. Interviewer Holland Perryman is a senior at Beaufort High School, where she is student body president, captain of the Girls Varsity Lacrosse team, winner of the Ann Head Literary Prize for Short Story, and founder of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization. She was selected as the first student intern of both the Conroy Center and the Friends of South Carolina Libraries. Her book reviews and author interviews have been published in the Charleston Post and Courier, Beaufort’s Lowcountry Weekly, and the Southern Review of Books. Holland was joined by her mentor Jonathan Haupt, the executive director of our Pat Conroy Literary Center, the former director of the University of South Carolina Press, and co-editor of Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, winner of 17 book awards. In 2020, Mr. Haupt was honored with the Doug Marlette Literacy Leadership Award, presented by the Pulpwood Queens, the sponsors of our Lowcountry Book Club Convention. www.patconroyliterarycenter.org

New York Times Bestselling Writer Tamara Winfrey Harris, Author of Dear Black Girl, in Conversation with Bluffton Book Festival Founder Rockelle Henderson. This empowering conversation from our 5th annual Lowcountry Book Club Convention is presented in partnership with Beaufort High School's DAYLO: the Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization. Tamara Winfrey-Harris is a writer who specializes in the ever-evolving space where current events, politics, and pop culture intersect with race and gender. About her writing, she says, “I want to tell the stories of Black women and girls, and deliver the truth to all those folks who got us twisted—tangled up in racist and sexist lies. I want my writing to advocate for my sisters. We are better than alright. We are amazing.” Winfrey-Harris’ first book, The Sisters Are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America, was called “a myth-busting portrait of Black women in America” by The Washington Post. The book won the Phillis Wheatley Award, IndieFab Award, Independent Publishers Living Now Award and the IPPY Award. Her second book, Dear Black Girl: Letters from Your Sisters On Stepping Into Your Power, is born from her Letters to Black Girls project, where she asked black women to write honest, open, and inspiring letters of support to young black girls aged thirteen to twenty-one. Her call went viral, resulting in a hundred personal letters from black women around the globe that cover topics such as identity, self-love, parents, violence, grief, mental health, sex, and sexuality. The book organizes a selection of these letters, providing “a balm for the wounds of anti-black-girlness” and modeling how black women can nurture future generations. Her writing also can be found in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Cosmopolitan, New York Magazine, and The Los Angeles Times, and numerous anthologies. She is the co-founder of Centering Sisters, an organization that unapologetically addresses the needs and issues of Black women, girls, and femmes. Winfrey-Harris graduated with a BA degree from the Greenlee School of Journalism at Iowa State University, and is a native of Gary, IN. She was interviewed by Rockelle Henderson, the President & CEO of Rock Inked, Inc., which provides marketing and consulting services in publishing, film, and television. She has spent 30 years in the publishing industry in various positions at Random House, HarperCollins, Penguin, and Disney/Hyperion. Before launching her agency, Henderson was Associate Publisher at Amistad/HarperCollins where she spear-headed campaigns for New York Times’ bestselling books and authors, such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning, The Known World by Edward P. Jones, The Pursuit of Happiness by Chris Gardner, and more. Throughout her career, Henderson has also worked on campaigns for New York Times’ bestselling authors Kwame Alexander, Michael Crichton, Terry McMillan, Bill Gates, and Stephen King. In 2016, she founded The Bluffton Book Festival whose mission is to increase literacy levels in the Southeast. She also serves on the board of the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, as well as on the MIT Management Board.

Led by Janet McCauley, the Beaufort Chapter of the Pulpwood Queens Book Club discuss A Lowcountry Heart (2016) by Pat Conroy at the 5th annual Lowcountry Book Club Convention, hosted by the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center (9/25/21). www.patconroyliterarycenter.org