Ninth Annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival

Please register in advance. If a festival event is not sold out beforehand, tickets will also be available for sale at the door on the day of.

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“I was born to be in a library,” wrote beloved and bestselling author Pat Conroy (1945-2016) in his book My Reading Life. Hosted by the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, this year’s Pat Conroy Literary Festival will pay special tribute to the vital work of librarians in championing the welcoming world of books, stories, and storytellers. The Conroy Festival will be held in Beaufort on November 1 and 2, with the Conroy Center also open to the public for tours on October 31 and November 3.

Now in its ninth year, the Conroy Festival is a popular destination event with literary tourists visiting from across the country as well as for local readers, writers, educators, and students of all ages. With a robust schedule of free and ticketed educational and enrichment programs, this year’s festival will include author conversations and readings, panel discussions, writers workshops, book signings, musical performances, guided tours, a film screening, and a read-aloud for children and their families.

Featured presenters include New York Times bestselling authors Kwame Alexander (Black Star), Kirsten Miller (Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books), Raj Haldar (This Book Is Banned), and Cassandra King (Tell Me a Story), as well as Reese’s Book Club author DéLana R.A. Dameron (Redwood Court). A lively panel discussion with Southern women mystery authors will include Agatha Award-winning and USA Today bestselling novelist Susan M. Boyer (The Liz Talbot Mysteries), Alicia Bessette (The Outer Banks Bookshop Mysteries), and Kristen Ness (At Loggerheads), with a special appearance by Gallery Books vice president and executive editor Carrie Feron.

High school and college student volunteers from DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization will host a read-aloud for young readers and their families at the Port Royal Farmers Market. A Freedom to Read panel discussion, moderated by intellectual freedom champion Pat R. Scales, will feature youth advocates and librarian advocates who have been instrumental in local, regional, and national responses to education censorship. The festival will also include a private pre-screening (open to festival attendees with advance registration) of the new feature-length documentary film Banned Together, prefaced by a tribute to librarians and followed by a discussion with producers Tom and Jenn Wiggin. A celebratory musical performance by the famed Beaufort Mass Choir and a reception catered by Debbi Covington at the Conroy Center will conclude this year’s festival.

To the benefit of writers, the Conroy Festival will also host a quartet of workshops on poetry, prose writing, and publication, led by Tim Conroy, Susan Madison, Valerie Sayers, Sean Scapellato, John Warley, and Chad Rhoad.

The ninth annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival is made possible by the generous support and collaboration of the Robert S. Handler Charitable Trust, the South Carolina Arts Commission, Bank of America Private Bank, and others.

FESTIVAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31

Noon to 4:00 p.m. TOURS: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public for guided tours. Free. (601 Bladen St., Beaufort)

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1

9:00 to 10:30 a.m. WORKSHOP: Poetry of Practice, led by Tim Conroy and Susan Madison. $45/person (Conroy Center, 601 Bladen St., Beaufort) Register: https://thepoetryofpractice.eventbrite.com

11:00 a.m. to Noon. AUTHOR EVENT: DéLana R.A. Dameron, author of the debut novel Redwood Court (a Reese’s Book Club Pick) in conversation with Ellen Malphrus, USC Beaufort writer in residence. $10/person. Followed by a book signing. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) Register: https://patconroyliteraryfestival2024.eventbrite.com

Noon to 4:00 p.m. TOURS: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public for guided tours. Free. (601 Bladen St., Beaufort)

12:30 to 2:00 p.m. WORKSHOP: How to Submit to Literary Magazine, led by Valerie Sayers. $45/person (Conroy Center, 601 Bladen St., Beaufort) Register: https://howtosubmittoliterarymagazine.eventbrite.com

4:00 to 5:15 p.m. FREEDOM TO READ PANEL: Moderated by Pat R. Scales (award-winning retired librarian and author of Banned Books for Kids) in conversation with high school librarian Karen Gareis (featured on 60 Minutes), Julia Garnett (American Library Association Banned Books Week Honorary Youth Chair), and current and past student leaders of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization (featured on Nick News and in Banned Together). This special presentation will also include a screening of the 60 Minutes news segment on Beaufort’s response to book bans and the Nick News segment on the youth advocacy of DAYLO. Followed by a book signing with Pat R. Scales. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) – This program is sponsored and made freely available by a generous gift from the Robert S. Handler Charitable Trust. Register: https://patconroyliteraryfestival2024.eventbrite.com

6:30 to 8:30 p.m. TRIBUTE TO LIBRARIANS and FILM SCREENING: Honoring our festival’s theme of “I Was Born to Be in a Library,” Pat Conroy Literary Center executive director Jonathan Haupt will present a brief tribute to the essential roles of librarians in the context of Pat Conroy’s legacy. Following that, the festival will present a private pre-screening (freely open to all festival attendees with advance registration) of the feature-length documentary film Banned Together, highlighting current and past student leaders of DAYLO; national and regional freedom to read experts and advocates; librarians, educators, and community members; and an international group of best-selling authors. Followed by an audience Q&A with film producers Tom and Jenn Wiggin. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) – This program is sponsored and made freely available by a generous gift from the Robert S. Handler Charitable Trust. Register: https://patconroyliteraryfestival2024.eventbrite.com

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2

9:00 to 10:30 a.m. WORKSHOP: How Not to Get Published, led by John Warley and Sean Scapellato. $45/person (Conroy Center, 601 Bladen St., Beaufort) Register: https://hownottogetpublished.eventbrite.com

9:30 a.m. to Noon. READ-ALOUD: The student volunteers of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization will host their Teddy Bear Picnic read-aloud—a free monthly community literacy program for young readers and their families—at the Port Royal Farmers Market. Free. (1615 Ribaut Rd., Port Royal)

11:00 a.m. to Noon. AUTHOR EVENT: Mysterious Women: New York Times bestselling writer Cassandra King (Tell Me a Story) in conversation with a trio of Southern mystery authors, Agatha Award-winning and USA Today bestselling novelist Susan M. Boyer (The Liz Talbot Mysteries), Alicia Bessette (The Outer Banks Bookshop Mysteries), and Kristen Ness (At Loggerheads), with a special appearance by Gallery Books vice president and executive editor Carrie Feron. $15/person. Followed by a book signing. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) Register: https://patconroyliteraryfestival2024.eventbrite.com

Noon to 4:00 p.m. TOURS: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public for guided tours. Free. (601 Bladen St., Beaufort)

1:00 to 2:00 p.m. AUTHOR EVENT: #1 New York Times bestselling children’s author Raj Haldar (P Is for Pterodactyl and This Book Is Banned), who is also the rapper, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Lushlife, with a special performance of story and songs. Free. Followed by a book signing. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) Register: https://patconroyliteraryfestival2024.eventbrite.com

1:00 to 2:30 p.m. WORKSHOP: Know Your Place: Setting as Character, led by Chad Rhoad. $45/person (Conroy Center, 601 Bladen St., Beaufort) Register: https://knowyourplacewritersworkshop.eventbrite.com

2:30 to 3:30 p.m. AUTHOR EVENT: #1 New York Times bestselling for adults, young adults, and children Kwame Alexander (The Door of No Return and Black Star) in conversation with Cassie Owens Moore, middle school librarian and South Carolina Association of School Librarians Intellectual Freedom Committee chair. Free. Followed by a book signing. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) Register: https://patconroyliteraryfestival2024.eventbrite.com

4:00 to 5:00 p.m. AUTHOR EVENT: New York Times bestselling for adults, young adults, and children Kirsten Miller (Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books and How to Lead a Life of Crime) in conversation with Pat Conroy Literary Center executive director Jonathan Haupt. $10. Followed by a book signing. (USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret St., Beaufort) Register: https://patconroyliteraryfestival2024.eventbrite.com

6:30 to 8:30 p.m. CLOSING RECEPTION: Wrap-up party with catering by Debbi Covington and featuring a musical performance by the Beaufort Mass Choir at the Pat Conroy Literary Center and adjacent Witness Tree Park. $40. (601 Bladen St., Beaufort) Register: https://patconroyliteraryfestival2024.eventbrite.com

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 3

Noon to 4:00 p.m. TOURS: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public for guided tours. Free. (601 Bladen St., Beaufort)

ALSO, WHILE IN BEAUFORT, PLEASE VISIT THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY BOOK SALE

Waterfront Park in Historic Downtown Beaufort

Friday, November 1: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (Friends members only), 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 2: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, November 3: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, publisher, Emmy® Award-winning producer, and #1 New York Times bestselling author of 40 books, including This is the Honey, Why Fathers Cry at Night, An American Story, The Door of No Return, Becoming Muhammad Ali (co-authored with James Patterson), Rebound, which was shortlisted for the prestigious UK Carnegie Medal, and The Undefeated, the National Book Award nominee, Newbery Honor, and Caldecott Medal-winning picture book illustrated by Kadir Nelson.

Kwame is also the Executive Producer, Showrunner, and Writer of the Emmy-award winning series , based on his Newbery-Medal winning novel of the same name, which premiered on Disney+ in April 2023. The series was produced in partnership with LeBron James' SpringHill Company and Big Sea Entertainment, Kwame's production company that is dedicated to creating innovative, highly original children’s and family entertainment. Other current projects in development at Big Sea include , the groundbreaking reality television series for writers, as well as an animated series in production with GBH based on his beloved children’s book Acoustic Rooster.

Kwame was recently appointed as the Michael I. Rudell Artistic Director of Literary Arts for Chautauqua Literary Arts, and also serves as their Inaugural​ Writer-in-Residence. A regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition, Kwame is the creator and host of the podcast featuring conversations about love and parenting and loss, with fathers and sons. He regularly shares his passion for literacy, books and the craft of writing around the world at events like the Chautauqua Lecture Series, the Edinburgh Book Festival, Aspen Ideas, and the Global Literacy Symposium in Ghana, where he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana.

His mission is to change the world, one word at a time.

The Beaufort Mass Choir was formed in 2008 and is made up of members from the Fellowship Concert Choir, which consists of various churches and religious affiliations in Beaufort and Islandton, South Carolina, the St. Paul Baptist Church Adult Choir, the Gullah Kinfolk, and members of the Unity Diversity Choir. The Beaufort Mass Choir has performed at many annual community and historical events. They are under the direction of Scott Allen Gibbs.

Alicia Bessette is the bestselling author of the Outer Banks Bookshop mystery series. Book 1 in the series, , was Edgar®-nominated for the inaugural Lilian Jackson Braun Award by the Mystery Writers of America. Before penning fiction, Bessette worked as a reporter in her home state of Massachusetts, where she won a first-place award from the New England Press Association. Her poetry has appeared in numerous literary magazines. A pianist and editor, she now loves living in Beaufort, South Carolina with her husband, novelist Matthew Quick.

Susan M. Boyer is the author of the USA TODAY bestselling Liz Talbot mystery series. Her debut novel, Lowcountry Boil, won the 2012 Agatha Award for Best First Novel, the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, and garnered several other award nominations. The third book in the series, Lowcountry Boneyard, was a Spring 2015 Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Okra Pick, and was short-listed for the 2016 Pat Conroy Beach Music Mystery Prize. Lowcountry Book Club was a Summer 2016 SIBA Okra Pick and was short-listed for the 2017 Southern Book Prize in Mystery & Detective Fiction. There are eleven full-length novels and one novella in the Liz Talbot Series.

Big Trouble on Sullivan’s Island, a Carolina Tales novel and the start of a new series, released on April 11, 2023, and won the 2024 Independent Publisher Book Award silver medal in Southeast Regional Fiction. Each of the Carolina Tales can be read as standalones.

Susan loves beaches, Southern food, and small Southern towns where everyone knows everyone, and everyone has crazy relatives. You’ll find all of the above in her novels. She and her husband call Greenville, SC home and visit the Carolina coast as often as possible.

Author of the collections Theologies of Terrain and No True Route , Tim Conroy is a poet and former educator. His work has appeared in Fall Lines, Jasper Magazine, Marked by the Water, Sheltered, Twelve Mile Review, Poetry on the Comet, The Post and Courier, Ukweli: Searching for Healing Truth, and Our Prince of Scribes: Writers Remember Pat Conroy. In 2022, he received the Broad River Prize for prose from Fall Lines, Volume IX. A founding board member of the Pat Conroy Literary Center established in his brother’s honor, Tim, and his wife Terrye, live in Dunedin, Florida.

DéLana R.A. Dameron is an artist whose primary medium is storytelling. Dameron’s debut novel Redwood Court was a New York Times Editor's Choice and a Reese's Book Club Pick. Her debut poetry collection, How God Ends Us, was selected by Elizabeth Alexander for the South Carolina Poetry Book Prize, and her second collection, Weary Kingdom, was chosen by Nikky Finney for the Palmetto Poetry Series. She is a graduate of New York University’s MFA program in poetry and holds a BA degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dameron is also the founder of Saloma Acres, an equestrian and cultural space in her hometown in South Carolina, where she resides.

She is currently working on her second novel Fairfield County.

Carrie Feron is the newly named Executive Editor of Fiction at Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster . She previously worked at Morrow/Avon, where she published more than 30 New York Times bestselling authors. Her legions of loyal writers—many of whom she has worked with for more than 25 years—include Meg Cabot, Deborah Crombie, Christine Feehan, Dorothea Benton Frank, Sunny Hostin, Eloisa James, Faye Kellerman, Lisa Kleypas, Laura Lippman, Sarah MacLean, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Julie Quinn, and Nora Roberts. She has edited at least one winner of every major mystery and romance award (Edgar, Anthony, Agatha, Shamus, RITA), and she herself has won multiple industry awards.

Raj Haldar is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book, P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever . But, for close to a decade, he has been better known as Lushlife, the rapper, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. In that time, he's amassed a fervent global fanbase and released award-winning viral music videos that highlight his erudite lyrics. The Sunday New York Times describes his work as “an intoxicating mix of captivating rhymes with audacious, gorgeous production.” So it should come as no surprise that Haldar has made the leap into the world of children’s literature. His latest book entitled, This Book is Banned gives young readers a lighthearted entrypoint to begin understanding the dangers of book banning and censorship. His work has been featured by The Washington Post, Interview Magazine, VICE, Pitchfork, Village Voice, Mental Floss, BBC, SPIN and more! Raj currently lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with his wife and two young daughters.

Cassandra King is an award winning and bestselling novelist whose fiction has won the hearts of readers everywhere, especially in the American south. Often told in first person, her novels portray strong and memorable characters who struggle with the same timely issues and dilemmas that readers face in their own lives. Before becoming an author, she has taught creative writing on the college level, conducted corporate writing seminars, and worked as a human interest reporter. The widow of acclaimed author Pat Conroy, Cassandra resides in Beaufort, South Carolina, where she is honorary chair of the Pat Conroy Literary Center.

Kirsten Miller is the author of The Change (a GMA Book Club pick), the New York Times bestselling YA novel The Eternal Ones, and the groundbreaking YA series starring Kiki Strike. Her most recent book are the adult novel Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books and the YA novel How to Lead a Life of Crime. Born and raised in a small town in North Carolina, she now lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Kristen Ness grew up in South Carolina and serves as a volunteer for the Island Turtle Team on Isle of Palms. A graduate of Duke University and the University of South Carolina School of Law, she is an immigration attorney obsessed with marine biology. She lives near the coast in Charleston, South Carolina, with her family. At Loggerheads is her first novel.

Host or Publisher Pat Conroy Literary Center Inc.