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<p><strong>An evening of art and poetry</strong></p>
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<p>The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center and Beaufort Arts Council will host art historian Midori Yamamura speaking on Yoko Ono’s <em>Painting to Hammer A Nail</em> and poet Luis H. Francia reading from his newest collection <em>Thorn Grass</em>.</p>
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<p>The event is free and open to the public from 5 to 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 17, at the Beaufort Arts Council at 921 Ribaut Road. Call 843-379-7025 to reserve a spot.</p>
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<p><strong>Conroy Center’s March Forth set</strong></p>
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<p>The Conroy Center's seventh annual March Forth will be held on Saturday, March 4, and Sunday, March 5, with a special preview event the evening of Friday, March 3. March Forth commemorates the anniversary of Pat Conroy's passing on March 4, 2016, with programs on major themes of his writing and teaching life, including social justice, inclusivity, conservation, education, and storytelling.</p>
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<p>Our 2023 March Forth will include appearances by MacArthur Fellowship honoree, environmentalist, memoirist, and poet J. Drew Lanham; South Carolina Academy of Authors honoree, environmentalist, memoirist, poet, and novelist John Lane; New York Times bestselling novelists De'Shawn Charles Winslow and Megan Miranda; and former Charleston City Poet Laureate Marcus Amaker.</p>
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<p><em>– From staff reports</em></p>
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