<p style="text-align: center;">Both contributed essays to SOUTH-What it means to be here in heart or in spirit</p>
This is the first year that the Spirit &amp; Pride of South Carolina Award will be presented at the 9th Annual Beaufort International Film Festival. Best-selling author, Pat Conroy will bestow the honor to Andie <a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cover-Wendy-with-Books_circle.png"><img class="alignright wp-image-20893 size-medium" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cover-Wendy-with-Books_circle-e1422582355836-300x300.png" alt="Cover-Wendy with Books_circle" width="300" height="300" /></a>MacDowell, a multi-talented actress and model originally from Gaffney, SC during the festival awards ceremony on Saturday, February 14th.

Both Conroy and MacDowell are contributors in Wendy Nilsen Pollitzer’s new book, SOUTH-What it means to be here in heart or in spirit, a collection of essays that merge the charm of the Old South with the verve of the New South from people of note across the Southern region.

MacDowell’s essay is titled Soul Food, a piece about her love of Farmers Markets, local seafood and roadside vegetable stands. This is an excerpt:

“To be from the South is to know the South’s food…where it comes from, who grows it best, and which season (down to the week) it’s most suitable to harvest. I am the original hippie, learning from my parents at an early age that the best tasting food is locally grown. And, depending on where you are in the South, each small town has its beloved crop that has contributed to the success of its economy. Buying vegetables from the back of a pickup truck on a dirt road pretty much ensures its authenticity, and it’s the only way to really get to know the locals.”

Conroy’s essay is titled, Why Dying Down South is More Fun. One quote from his essay is a sentiment that many Southerners share. “Cooking food for a grieving family and their friends is still one of the classiest ways to send a love note that I can think of.” – Pat Conroy

Pollitzer will be signing copies of her book in between screenings at the festival, which will be held at USCB Center for the Arts on Thursday, February 12th through Saturday, February 14th. The book retails for $34.95 plus SC sales tax. The leather bound coffee-table book is becoming a commemorative heirloom across the country. SOUTH is a celebration of heritage and a collector’s item for future generations. For more information about the book, please visit www.wendypollitzer.com.

<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cover-SOUTH-50-Emotional-Essays-21-Talented-Photographers-One-Subject-WendyPs-conflicted-copy-2014-09-17.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-20898" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cover-SOUTH-50-Emotional-Essays-21-Talented-Photographers-One-Subject-WendyPs-conflicted-copy-2014-09-17-300x72.jpg" alt="Cover-SOUTH-50 Emotional Essays, 21 Talented Photographers, One Subject (WendyP's conflicted copy 2014-09-17)" width="300" height="72" /></a> <a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cover-Lydia-Inglett-SOUTH-What-it-means-to-be-here-Wendy-pollitzer.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-20897" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cover-Lydia-Inglett-SOUTH-What-it-means-to-be-here-Wendy-pollitzer-300x194.jpg" alt="Cover-Lydia-Inglett-SOUTH-What-it-means-to-be-here-Wendy-pollitzer" width="300" height="194" /></a>