From staff reports
In November 2021, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will offer its third Conroy Center Writer’s Residency, available to writers of all genres who are addressing water as a subject or theme of their work.
Located on a salt marsh, the residency will provide a writer an inspirational, creative space in the heart of Pat Conroy’s beloved Lowcountry for a stay of eight days to march forth in their writing. The residency location is a guest cottage on St. Helena Island, approximately 15 minutes from downtown Beaufort and 15 minutes from the beach at Hunting Island State Park.
The residency will begin Wednesday, Nov. 3, and includes complimentary admission to up to five of the writers workshops being held as part of the sixth annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival from Nov. 4 to 7. Workshop instructors include a pantheon of accomplished writers, such as E. Ethelbert Miller, Rosemary Daniel, Judy Goldman, Estelle Ford-Williamson, Jennifer Daniels, Derek Berry, Ann-Chadwell Humphries, Danielle Verwers, Miho Kinnas, Elizabeth Robin, and Yvette Murray.
To apply, submit the following by Sept. 28, to contact@patconroyliterarycenter.org with the subject line CONROY CENTER WRITER’S RESIDENCY:
- Tell us a story … about water. What is your work in progress? And how is water (as subject or theme) essential to your creative work? Let us know in 200 words (no more) in the body of the email.
- Let’s talk time and place. How will being in the Lowcountry for a residency benefit your writing? Be specific and tell us in 200 words (no more) in the body of the email.
- Who are you? Send us a short bio of no more than 100 words, along with your contact information, also in the body of the email.
- Do you have a favorite Pat Conroy book? If so, tell us which one, and why, in approximately 50 words in the body of the email. Don’t have a favorite Conroy book? Then tell us which book by another author is closest to your heart and why.
- Let’s have a look. Include a writing sample of your work, three-to-five double-spaced pages of prose or three-to-five poems (collectively no more than five pages), attached as a PDF.
Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of Conroy Center advisors. The selected writer will be notified by Oct. 15. The residency will start on Wednesday, Nov. 3, for eight days until Thursday, Nov. 11.
The residency is open to both published and unpublished writers. At the end of the residency, the writer can submit a piece for editing and subsequent publication in Lowcountry Weekly.
Visit www.airbnb.com/rooms/19360110 for photos and details about MarshSong Cottage. The selected writer must provide her or his own transportation. Residency is for the writer only; no guests or pets. A $200 breakage/damage deposit is required a week prior to arrival and will be returned if there is no damage to the property.
