Ninth Annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival

“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: New York Times bestselling author 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.