Join the South Carolina Academy of Authors (SCAA) in Beaufort County on May 3 – 5, 2024 for the SCAA’s biennial induction weekend, honoring Marcus Amaker, William P. Baldwin, Harlan Greene, and the late Ann Head. South Carolina Humanities supported this programming with a Mini grant.
The South Carolina Academy of Authors is the state’s literary hall of fame, inducting a new group of honorees every two years in a weekend of educational events and culturally enriching gatherings. 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 literary hall of fame. The statewide educational mission of the nonprofit SCAA is performed by an all-volunteer board of governors and by past inductees.
In addition to hosting this literary hall of fame, the SCAA also sponsors annual fellowships and student prizes in poetry and prose through support from the Penelope Coker Hall/Eliza Wilson Ingle Fund of Central Carolina Community Foundation.
ABOUT THE HONOREES
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 tenth book is Hold What Makes You Whole, from Free Verse Press.
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.
The SCAA recognizes authors both living and deceased, and, this year, will be posthumously celebrating fiction writer Ann Head (1915-1968). She published several novels as well as over 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 OF EVENTS
~ FRIDAY, MAY 3 ~
Noon to 4:00 p.m.: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public (601 Bladen St., 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.
2:00 to 3:30 p.m.:Pat Conroy’s Beaufort golf cart tour via Beaufort Tours. $40/person; register in advance at www.beauforttoursllc.com.
5:00 to 7:00 p.m.:Harlan Greene author presentation at the Pat Conroy Literary Center (601 Bladen St., 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 Rd., Port Royal). Free, no registration required.
Noon to 4:00 p.m.: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public (601 Bladen St., 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 St., Beaufort), followed by a book signing. Free, advance registration required.
2:00 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 8:00 p.m.: South Carolina Literary Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Dinner at the Culinary Institute of the South (1 Venture Dr., Bluffton). Honorees William P. Baldwin and Harlan Greene will be recognized in person. Marcus Amaker is unable to attend, but will appear in a pre-recorded video acceptance. Ann Head will be represented by her daughters, Nancy Thode and Stacey Ahner. Buffet dinner and bar service by Downtown Catering. $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 St., Beaufort). Call the Inn at 843-524-9030 to reserve brunch seating.
Noon to 4:00 p.m.: Pat Conroy Literary Center open to the public (601 Bladen St., Beaufort). Free, no registration required.
1:00 to 2:00 p.m.: SCAA Fellowship Award Winners reading at the Rhett House Inn Garden (1009 Craven St., Beaufort). Winners not yet announced. Free, advance registration required.
Tickets for the Induction Dinner and the free events are available through Eventbrite.
Learn more about the South Carolina Academy of Authors: https://www.scacademyofauthors.com/.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c)3 organization is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos, and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation and individual donors. The National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
