Marcus Amaker, William P. Baldwin, Harlan Greene, Ann Head latest inductees
From staff reports
The South Carolina Academy of Authors (SCAA), in partnership with the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, will hold its biennial induction weekend in Beaufort on Friday, May 3 through Sunday, May 5.
The SCAA selects new inductees whose works have been judged culturally important. Each inductee, whether living or deceased, has added to South Carolina’s literary legacy by earning notable scholarly attention or achieving historical prominence.
Including this year’s induction, the SCAA, founded in 1986, will have officially inducted more than 100 authors into its South Carolina Literary Hall of Fame. This year’s honorees are poet Marcus Amaker, fiction writer and poet William P. Baldwin, archivist and historian Harlan Greene, and fiction writer Ann Head (1915-1968).
The 2024 SCAA induction weekend is funded in part by a grant from South Carolina Humanities, a not-for-profit organization inspiring, engaging, and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture, and heritage.
– Marcus Amaker served as the first Poet Laureate of Charleston from 2016 to 2022. In 2019, he was honored with a Governor’s Arts award in South Carolina and was named the artist-in-residence of the Gaillard Center, a world-renowned performance and education venue. His 10th book is “Hold What Makes You Whole,” from Free Verse Press. (Due to commitments to his debut opera, Amaker is unable to attend in person, but his poetry will be read on his behalf throughout the weekend’s events.)
– Lowcountry native William P. Baldwin is being recognized for his work in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. His best-known novel, “The Hard to Catch Mercy,” was awarded the Lillian Smith Book Award. Most recently, he has published “The Unpainted South: Carolina’s Vanishing World,” a collection of songs, photographs, and poems, as well as the novel “Charles Town.”
– Harlan Greene has written both fiction and nonfiction, with a focus on Charleston. As an archivist and historian, he has worked to save and interpret the literary heritage of the state. His most recent work, “The Real Rainbow Row: Explorations in Charleston’s LGBTQ History” was published in 2022.
– Ann Head (1915-1968) published several novels as well as more than 50 short stories and novelettes in major magazines both here and abroad. Her most famous, “Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones,” was made into a TV movie and stayed in print for four decades. Head was also the first creative writing mentor to Pat Conroy (1945-2016), who was himself inducted into the literary hall of fame in 1988.
SCHEDULE
Friday, May 3
Noon to 4 p.m.: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public (601 Bladen Street, Beaufort). Free, no registration required.
12:30 to 1:30 p.m.: Ann Head author presentation by her daughters Nancy Thode and Stacey Ahner at Beaufort County Library Main Branch (311 Scott St., Beaufort), presented in partnership with the Beaufort District Collection. This special event will also include recognition of the 2024 winner of the Ann Head Literary Prize at Beaufort High School. Free, advance registration required.
2 to 3:30 p.m.: Pat Conroy’s Beaufort golf cart tour via Beaufort Tours. $40/person; register in advance at www.beauforttoursllc.com.
5 to 7 p.m.: Harlan Greene author presentation at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen Street, Beaufort), followed by a book signing and reception. Presented in partnership with Lowcountry Pride. Free, advance registration required. Catering by Debbi Covington. (Weather permitting, this event will be held outside at the Conroy Center.)
Saturday, May 4
9:30 a.m. to noon: Teddy Bear Picnic Children’s Read-Aloud, hosted by DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization at the Port Royal Farmers Market (1615 Ribault Road, Port Royal). Free, no registration required.
Noon to 4 p.m.: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public (601 Bladen Street, Beaufort). Free, no registration required.
12:30 to 1:30 p.m.: William P. Baldwin author presentation at Beaufort County Library Main Branch (311 Scott Street, Beaufort), followed by a book signing. Free, advance registration required.
2 to 3:30 p.m.: Pat Conroy’s Beaufort golf cart tour via Beaufort Tours. $40/person; register in advance at www.beauforttoursllc.com.
5:30 to 8 p.m., Main Event: South Carolina Literary Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Dinner at the Holiday Inn & Suites Conference Center (2225 Boundary St.) Honorees William P. Baldwin and Harlan Greene will be recognized in person. Marcus Amaker will appear in a pre-recorded video acceptance. Ann Head will be represented by her daughters, Nancy Thode and Stacey Ahner. $55/person. Books available for sale and signing.
Sunday, May 5
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Optional brunch at the Rhett House Inn (1009 Craven Street, Beaufort). Call the Inn at 843-524-9030 to reserve brunch seating.
Noon to 4 p.m.: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public (601 Bladen Street, Beaufort). Free, no registration required.
1 to 2 p.m.: SCAA Fellowship Award Winners reading at the Rhett House Inn Garden (1009 Craven Street, Beaufort). Winners not yet announced. Free, advance registration required.
WANT TO GO?
The register or purchase tickets, visit https://bit.ly/4atvg2z.
