Join Us in the Storied Lowcountry for the 8th Annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival

The Pat Conroy Literary Festival began as Pat Conroy’s 70th birthday celebration in October 2015 and now continues as an annual signature event of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center. The 8th Annual Conroy Festival will be held on Thursday, October 26, through Sunday, October 29, as a series of free and ticketed events in Beaufort, SC, featuring author discussions, writers workshops, a poetry reading, a screening of the film The Lords of Discipline, and a musical performance. The ribbon cutting for the new Witness Tree Park has been postponed to 2024.

Presenting writers, poets, and instructors include bestselling authors Ron Rash (The Caretaker), Mary Alice Monroe (The Summer of Lost and Found), Mary Kay Andrews (Bright Lights, Big Christmas), Victoria Benton Frank (My Magnolia Summer), Cassandra King (Tell Me a Story), Homeira Qaderi (Dancing in the Mosque), and Mitchell Zuckoff (The Secret Gate); screenwriter Tom Pope (The Lords of Discipline); Gallery Books executive editor Carrie Feron; poets Jennifer Bartell Boykin (Traveling Mercy), Freya Manfred (When I Was Young and Old), and Tim Conroy (No True Route); English professors and literary scholars Valerie Sayers, Sean Heuston, and Ellen Malphrus; and many more.

The 8th Annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival is made possible by the generous support and collaboration of

- Robert S. Handler Charitable Trust

- South Carolina Arts Commission

- Oyster Cay Collection

- Eugene A. Rugala & Associates

- Patricia A. Denkler

- Hahn Family Wines

- Lowcountry Real Estate

- The Cunningham Team – Merrill Lynch Wealth Management

- Bank of America

- Bay Street Jewelers

- Grayco

- Nadine O’Quinn, Real Estate

- The Greenery, Inc.

- Mike McFee, Real Estate

Schedule of Events:

October 26, 2023

12:00 pm: Tours: Pat Conroy Literary Center @ Pat Conroy Literary Center - Free

2:00 pm: Workshop: Say What? A Playful Dialogue Workshop Led by Valerie Sayers @ Pat Conroy Literary Center - $45

6:30 pm: Book Club: My Losing Season @ Rhett House Inn - $10

October 27, 2023

9:00 am: Workshop: From Bad to Good to Unputdownable Led by Sean A. Scapellato @ Pat Conroy Literary Center - $45

11:00 am: Author Event: New York Times best-selling author Ron Rash @ USC Beaufort Center for the Arts - $10

12:00 pm: Tours: Pat Conroy Literary Center @ Pat Conroy Literary Center - Free

12:30 pm: Workshop: The Gift of Family Led by Freya Manfred @ Pat Conroy Literary Center - $45

2:00 pm: Author Event: Leading Ladies in Southern Fiction @ USC Beaufort Center for the Arts - $10

4:00 pm: Film Panel: Panel discussion of The Lords of Discipline @ USC Beaufort Center for the Arts - $10

6:00 pm: Film Screening: The Lords of Discipline @ USC Beaufort Center for the Arts - $10

October 28, 2023

10:00 am: Film Discussion: The Lords of Discipline @ USC Beaufort Center for the Arts - $10

10:30 am: Workshop: Excavating Memory into Poetry Led by Jennifer Bartell Boykin @ Pat Conroy Literary Center - $45

11:15 am: Author Event: The Secret Gate: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice During the Collapse of Afghanistan @ USC Beaufort Center for the Arts - $10

12:00 pm: Tours: Pat Conroy Literary Center @ Pat Conroy Literary Center - Free

2:00 pm: Author Event: Homeira Qaderi, author of Dancing in the Mosque @ USC Beaufort Center for the Arts - $10

3:30 pm: Poetry Panel: Why Poetry Matters @ USC Beaufort Center for the Arts - $10

3:30 pm: Workshop: Writing a Great Fiction Query Letter Led by Carrie Feron @ Pat Conroy Literary Center - $100

7:00 pm: Reception: 2023 Wrap Party @ Pat Conroy Literary Center - $35

October 29, 2023

12:00 pm: Tours: Pat Conroy Literary Center @ Pat Conroy Literary Center - Free

3:00 pm: Postponed To 2024: Witness Tree Park Ribbon Cutting @ Pat Conroy Literary Center - Free

Date:
October 26-29, 2023

Locations:
Pat Conroy Literary Center, 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, SC 29902
Rhett House Inn, 1009 Craven Street, Beaufort, SC 29902
USC Beaufort Center for the Arts, 805 Carteret Street, Beaufort, SC 29902

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