The Pat Conroy Literary Center's monthly Open Mic Night is presented in partnership with the South Carolina Writers Association and hosted by Brooke McKinney. Reading this month were Barry Dickson, Susan Gene McCartney, Laura Mahaffey, Elizabeth Robin, Brooke McKinney, and our featured writers, the Otram Slabess poetry group: Jacquelyn Markham, Olivia Stiffler, Warren Slesinger, Quitman Marshall, and Emily Davis-Fletcher.

"Writers of the world, if you've got a story, I want to hear it. I promise it will follow me to my last breath."—Pat Conroy, My Reading Life New York Times best-selling writer Pat Conroy (1945–2016) inspired a worldwide legion of devoted fans numbering in the millions, but none are more loyal to him and more committed to sustaining his literary legacy than the many writers he nurtured over the course of his 50-year writing life. In sharing their stories in Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, 67 of his fellow writers honor his memory. Volume co-editor and executive director of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center Jonathan Haupt will discuss Conroy's legacy as friend, mentor, and champion to his tribe of scribes. This free virtual program was originally presented for Richland Library and hosted by Kristen Amsden on 7/16/20. Learn more about Richland Library at www.richlandlibrary.com. ABOUT OUR PRESENTER: Jonathan Haupt is the executive director of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center and the former director of the University of South Carolina Press, where he created the Story River Books fiction imprint with Pat Conroy, named by Garden & Gun magazine as one of "the top ten things to love about the South." Jonathan’s book reviews and author interviews have appeared in the Charleston Post and Courier, Beaufort Lowcountry Weekly, Beaufort Lifestyle magazine, Savannah Morning News’ Beacon magazine, the Southern Review of Books, and Southern Writers Magazine’s Suite T blog. He is co-editor with Nicole Seitz of the anthology Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, the recipient of more than a dozen book awards. Learn more at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org

Kick-Start National Poetry Month Reading, presented with the Island Writers Network—featuring poets Elizabeth Abrams, Michael Bassett, Tim Conroy, Barry Dickson, Miho Kinnas, Marilyn Lorenz, Susan Madison, Brooke McKinney, Horace Mungin, Bill Newby, Meryl Newell, Connor Nold, Elizabeth Robin, and Olivia Stiffler. Learn more about the Island Writers Network at www.islandwritersnetworkhhi.org. Learn more about the Pat Conroy Literary Center at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org.

The Pat Conroy Literary Center honors the writing and teaching life of one of America's best-loved storytellers, the author of The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, and The Prince of Tides. The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center is South Carolina's only affiliate of the American Writers Museum and second American Library Association Literary Landmark, Tripadvisor's top-rated destination in Beaufort, South Carolina, and winner of Beaufort's 2019 Civitas Award for Tourism Leadership. Newly relocated at 601 Bladen Street in historic Beaufort, the Conroy Center is open to the public for guided tours Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m.--or other times by appointment. Admission is free, donations are welcome. To learn more about the educational mission of the Conroy Center--and our full calendar of virtual and in-person programs--please visit us online at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org, on Facebook, or in person at 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC 29902.

Let's Talk Book Reviews with Annie McDonnell of the Write Review. (Part 1 of 2: March 18, 2021) Write Review founder Annie McDonnell discusses the importance of readers' book reviews and the various ways in which readers can write and post reviews in support of favorite books and writers in the first of this free two-part workshop, Let's Talk Book Reviews. A lifelong reader and advocate for writers and books, Annie McDonnell is a graduate of High Point University (NC). In 2006, she entered a contest with Elle Magazine and become a book reviewer for the magazine. When Elle stopped running book reviews, Annie moved to blogging and eventually began the Write Review. An entire community was born. Annie writes book reviews, beta reads, blurbs books, runs a book club, interviews authors, and hosts fun, interactive events to promote literacy. In recognition of her many efforts, Annie was awarded the 2021 Doug Marlette Award for Literacy Leadership, a lifetime achievement award presented by the Pulpwood Queens, the largest book club in the U.S. In February 2021, the Annie McDonnell Book Award was announced, honoring her dedication to the literary community and her courage and strength in battling a rare illness. Annie lives in Mastic, NY, with her husband, three beautiful dogs and five lovely cats. She also volunteers at One Love Dog Rescue and supports Operation Paperback and Children’s Literacy. Learn more at https://thewritereview.com www.facebook.com/thewritereview

Robyn Zimmerman, host of WHHI-TV’s North of the Broad, interviews Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt about the Center’s new home at 601 Bladen Street in Beaufort. The nonprofit Conroy Center is open to the public from noon to 4:00 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and other times by appointment. Learn more at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org or www.facebook.com/patconroyliterarycenter.

The Pat Conroy Literary Center honors the writing and teaching life of one of America's best-loved storytellers, the author of The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, and The Prince of Tides. The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center is South Carolina's only affiliate of the American Writers Museum and second American Library Association Literary Landmark, Tripadvisor's top-rated destination in Beaufort, South Carolina, and winner of Beaufort's 2019 Civitas Award for Tourism Leadership. Newly relocated at 601 Bladen Street in historic Beaufort, the Conroy Center is open to the public for guided tours Thursday through Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m.--or other times by appointment. Admission is free, donations are welcome. To learn more about the educational mission of the Conroy Center--and our full calendar of virtual and in-person programs--please visit us online at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org, on Facebook, or in person at 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC 29902.

Judithe Little, author of The Chanel Sisters, in conversation with the Beaufort chapter of the Pulpwood Queens Books Club, hosted by Char M. Lane. “Triumphant yet heartbreaking, this so true-to-life story of the fabulous Chanel sisters hits all the right notes: luxury settings, especially Paris, love and betrayal, and family bonds that both build and bind. Judithe Little has a big gift she shares with us in The Chanel Sisters. I loved this great escape.”--Karen Harper, NYT bestselling author of The Queen's Secret About the author: Judithe Little is the award-winning author of two historical novels, The Chanel Sisters and Wickwythe Hall. She grew up in Virginia and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia. After studying at the Institute of European Studies and the Institut Catholique in Paris, France, and interning at the U.S. Department of State, she earned a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law where she was on the Editorial Board of the Journal of International Law and a Dillard Fellow. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and three children, where she is working on her third novel. When she’s not writing or practicing law, Judithe enjoys riding horses, reading, scouring the fields during Round Top Antiques Week, and volunteering. Learn more at www.judithelittle.com

Our monthly virtual Open Mic Night is hosted by Vivian Bikulege and presented in partnership between the Pat Conroy Literary Center and the South Carolina Writers Association. Our featured writer for March is award-winning fiction writer Niles Reddick--joined by a pantheon of participating writers from in and beyond our South Carolina lowcountry. About our featured writer: Niles Reddick is author of the Pulitzer nominated novel Drifting too far from the Shore, two collections Reading the Coffee Grounds and Eppie finalist Road Kill Art and Other Oddities, and a novella and Foreward finalist Lead Me Home. His work has been featured in seventeen anthologies, in twenty-two countries, and over three hundred publications including The Saturday Evening Post (ranking him among the Top Ten Most Popular New Fiction of 2019), PIF, New Reader Magazine, Forth Magazine, Boston Literary Magazine, Flash Fiction Magazine, and Storgy. He works for the University of Memphis and lives in Jackson, Tennessee, with his wife Michelle, two teens, and two schnauzers named for two Poet Laureates.

As part of the Pat Conroy Literary Center's 5th annual March Forth, executive director Jonathan Haupt led a virtual tour of the Conroy Center's new location at 601 Bladen Street in Beaufort, showcasing exhibits and stories which offer inspirational insights into Pat Conroy's writing and teaching life. Learn more about the Pat Conroy Literary Center at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org. March Forth is a signature annual program of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, commemorating the anniversary of Pat Conroy’s death (March 4, 2016) with educational conversations about storytelling, conservation, social justice, and inclusivity—major themes of Conroy’s writing and teaching life. Presented in partnership with Penn Center, NeverMore Books, the Beaufort County School District, and First Presbyterian Church of Beaufort, March Forth is sponsored by South Carolina Humanities, a not-for-profit organization inspiring, engaging and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture, and heritage. ABOUT OUR PRESENTER Jonathan Haupt is the executive director of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, South Carolina’s first affiliate of the American Writers Museum, second American Library Association Literary Landmark, and TripAdvisor’s top-ranked destination in Beaufort, South Carolina. Haupt is also the former director of the University of South Carolina Press, where he created the Story River Books fiction imprint with the late Pat Conroy. He serves as an associate producer of the SCETV author interview program By the River and hosts the Live from the Pat Conroy Literary Center monthly podcast on the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network. Haupt’s book reviews and author interviews have appeared in the Charleston Post and Courier, Savannah Morning News’ Beacon magazine, Lowcountry Weekly, Beaufort Lifestyle, Southern Review of Books, and Southern Writers’ Suite T blog. He is co-editor of the anthology Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy, winner of 17 book awards.