Tribute to feature panel, ‘Banned Together’ screening
Staff reports
Hosted by the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center, this year’s Pat Conroy Literary Festival will pay special tribute to the vital work of librarians in championing the welcoming world of books, stories, and storytellers. The Conroy Festival will be held in Beaufort on Friday, Nov. 1 and Saturday, Nov. 2, with the Conroy Center also open to the public for tours on Thursday, Oct. 31 and Monday, Nov 3.
On Friday, Nov. 1, at the USC Beaufort Center for the Arts (805 Carteret Street, Beaufort), the festival will host two free sessions sponsored by the Robert S. Handler Charitable Trust and supporting the freedom to read.
From 4 to 5:15 p.m., award-winning intellectual freedom expert, retired school librarian, and author Pat R. Scales will moderate a Freedom to Read panel discussion among librarian and student advocates, including Bluffton High School librarian Karen Gareis (featured on 60 Minutes and in Banned Together), Smith College student Julia Garnett (American Library Association Banned Books Week Honorary Youth Chair featured in Banned Together), and a trio of current and past student leaders of DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization (featured on Nick News and in Banned Together). As a lead-in to the discussion, this special presentation will also include a screening of the 60 Minutes news segment on Beaufort’s response to book bans and the Nick News segment on the youth advocacy of DAYLO. Scales will be available to sign copies of her newest book, Banned Books for Kids (with a foreword by Judy Blume) following the program.
The festival resumes at 6:30 p.m. Friday evening with a free screening of the newly released documentary film “Banned Together,” highlighting the advocacy of current and past student leaders of DAYLO, national and regional freedom to read experts, librarians, educators, lowcountry community members, and an international group of best-selling authors.
Followed the screening, film producers Tom and Jenn Wiggin will participate in an audience Q&A. Preceding the screening, Pat Conroy Literary Center executive director Jonathan Haupt will present a brief tribute to the essential roles of libraries and librarians in the context of Pat Conroy’s legacy as reader, writer, and advocate.
The two-day festival will also feature presentations and conversations with New York Times bestselling authors for all ages, including Kwame Alexander (Black Star), Kirsten Miller (Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books), Raj Haldar (This Book Is Banned), and Cassandra King (Tell Me a Story), as well as Reese’s Book Club author DéLana R.A. Dameron (Redwood Court).
A lively panel discussion with Southern women mystery authors will include Agatha Award-winning and USA Today bestselling novelist Susan M. Boyer (The Liz Talbot Mysteries), Alicia Bessette (The Outer Banks Bookshop Mysteries), and Kristen Ness (At Loggerheads), with a special appearance by Gallery Books executive editor Carrie Feron.
The festival’s closing reception will also feature a musical performance by the beloved Beaufort Mass Choir. Learn more and register in advance for free and ticketed events at www.patconroyliteraryfestival.org.
