Staff reports
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host its 8th annual Lowcountry Book Club Convention on Friday, Sept. 27, at the Technical College of the Lowcountry in Beaufort, and Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Culinary Institute of the South at the Technical College of the Lowcountry in Bluffton.
Ideal for book club members, those interested in joining a book club, or anyone who simply loves the joy of reading, the Lowcountry Book Club Convention is presented in partnership with NeverMore Books and the Pulpwood Queens Book Club.
The Lowcountry Book Club Convention will begin on Friday evening with a panel discussion among four local authors: novelist Virginia Hall-Apicella (“Even a Sparrow”), journalist Michael DeWitt Jr. (“The Fall of the House of Murdaugh”), novelist Pete Masalin (“Military Brat”), and novelist Kim Poovey (“Shadows of the War”). This opening session will be followed by a book signing and reception, catered by Downtown Catering.
This is a ticketed event, held in Building 12 of Beaufort’s TCL campus at 104 Reynolds Street in Beaufort.
The Convention continues Saturday at the Culinary Institute of the South in Bluffton (1 Venture Drive), with three author keynote conversations and gourmet box lunches catered by Downtown Catering.
Novelist Kimberly Brock, author of “The Fabled Earth” and a past Georgia Author of the Year honoree, will be in conversation with Conroy Center executive director Jonathan Haupt. Award-winning middle school librarian Amanda Jones, author of that “That Librarian” and a past School Library Journal Librarian of the Year, will be interviewed by Bluffton High School librarian Karen Gareis as a Let Freedom Read Day special event, sponsored by the Robert S. Handler Charitable Trust. Novelist Rhonda McKnight, author of “The Thing About Home” and a past winner of the Emma Award for Inspirational Romance, will be in conversation with Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce executive director Marilyn Harris.
Each author conversation will be followed by a book signing. This is a ticketed event.
Advance registration is required by September 22 for this year’s Lowcountry Book Club Convention – register at https://lowcountrybookclubconvention2024.eventbrite.com or via the Events tab at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org.
About the keynote authors
— Kimberly Brock is the bestselling author of “The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare,” which was shortlisted for the prestigious Townsend Prize for Fiction, and “The River Witch,” recipient of the Georgia Author of the Year Award. Brock is the founder of Tinderbox Writers Workshop and has served as a guest lecturer for many regional and national writing workshops including at the Pat Conroy Literary Center.
A native of North Georgia, she now lives near Atlanta. Her latest novel, “The Fabled Earth,” will be published on October 1, with copies made available for early release at this year’s Lowcountry Book Club Convention.
“Weaving a stunning Southern landscape, Gilded Age glamour, and the societal turmoil of the late 1950s, Brock takes readers on an epic journey that conjures the longing of forgotten youth while simultaneously reminding us of its dangers. I have never read a novel where the author’s love of storytelling shines more brightly than this one.” — Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of “The Matchmaker’s Gift”
— Amanda Jones has been an educator for 23 years, at the same middle school she attended as a child. She has served as president of the Louisiana Association of School Librarians and won numerous awards for her work in school libraries, including School Library Journal Librarian of the Year. Jones is a frequent volunteer for state and national library associations, as well as a co-founder of the Livingston Parish Library Alliance and founding member of Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship. She lives in Livingston Parish, Louisiana. “That Librarian” is her first book and has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, O Magazine, NPR, MSNBC, and selected as a September Indie Next Pick by the American Booksellers Association.
“A must-read in order to understand the … enduring need to stand up for books. Jones is an inspiration to everyone combating book bans and her memoir/guidebook should be available to all to help us defend our right to read.” — Booklist (Starred Review)
— Rhonda McKnight is the author of several bestselling novels, including “An Inconvenient Friend” and “What Kind of Fool.” She is the winner of the 2015 Emma Award for Inspirational Romance of the Year. She loves reading and writing books that touch the heart of women through complex plots and interesting characters in crisis. Themes of faith, forgiveness, and hope are central to her stories. Originally from a small coastal town in New Jersey, McKnight writes from the comfort of her South Carolina home. “The Thing About Home” is her most recent novel.
“In this zippy outing from McKnight, a humiliated social media influencer rediscovers her roots … McKnight lays out some vivid lowcountry history, and her fully realized characters ring true.” —Publishers Weekly
About the local authors
— Hampton County native Michael M. DeWitt Jr. is a multiple-award-winning journalist, longtime editor of the 143-year-old The Hampton County Guardian, and author of “Wicked Hampton County” and, most recently, “Fall of the House of Murdaugh.” DeWitt’s boots-on-the-ground coverage of the Murdaugh crime saga has been published in print and online around Gannett’s nationwide USA TODAY Network, and he has appeared on ABC’s 20/20, CBS’s 48 Hours, Dateline NBC, and Netflix documentaries to discuss the case.
— Virginia Hall-Apicella spent 30 years as a psychologist in the New York City court system, as a consultant in mental health agencies, and in private practice, specializing in the concerns of women and children. Her debut novel, “Even A Sparrow,” is a fictional account of her ancestors’ journey from Europe to America in 1815.
— Pete Masalin was born into a Navy family and experienced all the turns and trials associated with that of a career Navy man. Drawing upon his youthful exploits and adventures, “Military Brat” is Masalin’s second published offering. It follows his 2016 book “The Sorrow of Loss, The Wisdom of Recovery: A Narrative of an Unwanted Journey.”
— Kim Poovey is an author, storyteller, and Victorian re-enactress. She is the author of eight historical novels, most recently “Shadows of the War,” her highly anticipated sequel of “Shadows of the Moss.” Poovey has also written for several publications, including Beaufort Lifestyle, Bluffton Breeze, Citizen’s Companion, and the Civil War Times.
