Robert L. Gwaltney brings decades of nonprofit leadership to the Beaufort organization
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
Four years ago, Robert L. Gwaltney came to Beaufort as a writer with a growing connection to the Pat Conroy Literary Center.
On Sept. 1, he returned in a very different role.
Gwaltney, an award-winning Southern fiction writer with more than 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience, is the center’s new executive director, bringing together two parts of his career that until now largely existed alongside one another: nonprofit leadership and writing.
“The position of executive director at the Pat Conroy Literary Center really is just the perfect intersection of my passion for nonprofit work and for my passion for literary engagement, supporting readers and writers,” Gwaltney told The Island News.
Gwaltney arrived at the center Monday, Aug. 31, a day ahead of his official start date, because he wanted to “hit the ground running.”
It turned out to be an eventful first day.
The remaining portion of the centuries-old Witness Tree at the center’s nearby park had fallen overnight, weeks after a large section of the live oak came down. Gwaltney spent part of his first day talking with Beaufort County representatives and others about what comes next for the tree and park.
But even with the unexpected start, Gwaltney said he was excited to finally be in Beaufort.
Despite the unexpected start, Gwaltney said he has been warmly welcomed by the center’s staff, board and the Beaufort community.
From Atlanta to Beaufort
Gwaltney spent nearly 26 years in Atlanta and most recently served as vice president of operations for Easterseals North Georgia, where he worked with programs focused on early childhood education and family services. He moved to Atlanta from Tallahassee, Fla., in October 2000 after attending Florida State University.
He told The Island News he has worked in nonprofit organizations and state government for more than 30 years.
But outside of that career, Gwaltney was building another one.
A native of Cairo, Ga., Gwaltney writes Southern literary fiction heavily influenced by place, memory and the history of the South. He is the author of two novels, The Cicada Tree, published in 2022, and Sing Down the Moon, published this year by Mercer University Press.
His newest novel received first place in the Literary & Contemporary Fiction category of the Somerset Awards from the Chanticleer International Book Awards.
Gwaltney’s connection to Conroy goes back even further.
He has cited Conroy as an influence on his own writing and recently told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he first read Conroy as a high school senior.
“He is one of those writers who’s showed me the possibility of Southern storytelling,” Gwaltney told the newspaper, pointing to Conroy’s writing about place, family and memory as themes that resonated with him.
Gwaltney first visited the Pat Conroy Literary Center in 2022, around the time his debut novel entered the world.
That connection ultimately helped bring the two sides of his professional life together.
Building on a decade of work
Gwaltney takes over as the Pat Conroy Literary Center marks its 10th year.
The nonprofit was founded in 2016 following Conroy’s death, and Gwaltney said his first priority isn’t to come in and reinvent what has already been built.
“This has been a thriving nonprofit for the last decade,” he said. “They’ve done a tremendous job and have done great work. So I have a really wonderful jumping off place.”
Instead, Gwaltney said he hopes to deepen the center’s impact while expanding its reach.
Part of that means strengthening its role as a place where people can come together through books and storytelling.
“We want to be a convener in the community,” he said. “We want to be able to connect unlikely people and bring them here to the table.”
That also means continuing to serve both readers and writers.
Gwaltney said he wants the center to offer programming that supports writers regardless of where they are in the process, from someone considering writing for the first time to established authors.
“We want to be able to support a writer at any stage of their career, at any level on their writing journey,” he said.
Eventually, Gwaltney would like to see the center’s reach extend well beyond Beaufort.
“We just want to continue to strengthen that programming and to be able to bring positive impact to the community here in Beaufort,” he said. “And ultimately, we would like to be able to have a greater national presence as well in the literary community.”
A place for writers
Several opportunities for writers and readers are already on the calendar.
The 10th annual Lowcountry Book Club Convention is scheduled for Sept. 26, followed by the 11th annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival in October.
Gwaltney said the center is also in the early planning stages for its first focused writers retreat, expected to be held at the beginning of the year.
The goal is to give writers an opportunity to concentrate on developing their work and skills.
For Gwaltney, creating that kind of community is important because he knows firsthand how solitary writing can be.
“Having, for me, having a community of writers has been critical,” he said.
And he said those programs aren’t only for people who already consider themselves authors.
“Oftentimes people are interested in writing,” Gwaltney said. “They’ve got a story or they’ve got a novel and they just don’t know what to do next.”
Community invited to meet Gwaltney
The Pat Conroy Literary Center will host a public reception to welcome Gwaltney from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, at the center, 601 Bladen Street in Beaufort.
The reception is free, but space is limited and reservations are requested. Those interested in attending can call 843-379-7025 to reserve a spot.
Gwaltney said the reception he has received from the center’s board, staff, volunteers and Beaufort community has already made an impression.
“Everyone has welcomed me with open arms,” he said. “I’m just thrilled to be here.”
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.