Beaufort-based author T.D. (Tim) Johnston has been named the winner of the 2017 International Book Award for Short Fiction, for his short-story collection Friday Afternoon and Other Stories. Johnston's book, which contains a dozen short stories, has drawn rave reviews since its publication last year.

Interview by Janis Owens

Porch Talk, the blog of the Pat Conroy Literary Center, is pleased to welcome Kerry Kletter, author of the debut YA novel The First Time She Drowned, an American Library Association's Booklist magazine'€™s Top 10 for Youth selection. A former film and TV actress, Kerry lives and writes in Santa Monica, California. Kerry joins us on the Porch to share some reflections from her writing life.

In partnership with historic Grace Chapel AME Church, the Pat Conroy Literary Center presents a community poetry reading featuring eight talented writers from South Carolina, representing Palmetto State natives and newcomers alike. €œPoetry of Place€ will explore (among other subjects) our inherent connectivity to a sense of place, be that home or elsewhere, real or imagined.