Beaufort’s top-rated destination on Tripadvisor, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center is located at 905 Port Republic Street in historic downtown and open to the public for free tours on Thursdays through Sundays from noon to 4:00 p.m. The Conroy Center honors the writing and teaching life of the late Pat Conroy (1945–2016), author of The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, The Prince of Tides, and more. 

In January, the Conroy Center will host three guest author programs and three writers workshops—all accessible anywhere as virtual programs.

JANUARY AUTHOR EVENTS

Wednesday, January 20, 6:00 p.m.The Conroy Center will present a reading and discussion with local writer and writing teacher Estelle Ford-Williamson (above), author of the debut novel Rising Fawn, with special guests alt-country, folk rock band Jennifer Daniels from Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Hosted by the Conroy Center’s communications and events coordinator Brooke McKinney, this free virtual program will be available through Zoom and live-streamed on the Conroy Center’s Facebook page, Facebook.com/patconroyliterarycenter.

Wednesday, January 20, 7:00 p.m.On the Live from the Pat Conroy Literary Center podcast, executive director and host Jonathan Hauptwill interview North Carolina writer Heather Bell Adams, author of the novel The Good Luck Stone. Listen in live or thereafter on Blog Talk Radio. The Conroy Center’s monthly podcast is made possible by the Authors on the Air Global Radio Network.  

Wednesday, January 27, 6:00 p.m.The Conroy Center will host southern novelists Bren McClain,author of One Good Mama Bone, and Jon Sealy, author of The Merciful, for a discussion of what makes for a good South Carolina story. They will also be reading from their respective South Carolina-based novels. This free virtual program will be available through Zoom and live-streamed on the Conroy Center’s Facebook page, Facebook.com/patconroyliterarycenter.

JANUARY WRITERS WORKSHOPS

Tuesday, January 12, 6:00 p.m. Award-winning novelist Stephanie Austin Edwards will lead a virtual edition of the Conroy Center’s popular workshop, Creative Organization for Writers. Registration is $45 and limited to 20 participants. Learn more and sign up at PatConroyLiteraryCenter.Eventbrite.com. 

Thursday, January 21, 6:00 p.m. Award-winning fiction writer Niles Reddick will present the Conroy Center’s first flash fiction workshop, Cultivating Flash, open to writers of all levels of experience with short fiction and hosted on Zoom. Registration is $45 and limited to 15 participants. Learn more and sign up at PatConroyLiteraryCenter.Eventbrite.com. 

Thursday, January 28, 6:00 p.m.The Conroy Center’s communications and events coordinator Brooke McKinney (right), an award-winning poet and writer, will lead a character development workshop, Desire in Storytelling, hosted on Zoom. Registration is $45 and limited to 15 participants. Learn more and sign up at PatConroyLiteraryCenter.Eventbrite.com.   

To learn more about the nonprofit Conroy Center’s year-round educational mission and its many programs, please visit PatConroyLiteraryCenter.org.