A Wide Variety of Literary Speakers Available for Public Programs

Over the past year, South Carolina Humanities has added more than 15 new literary speakers to the Speakers Bureau: Humanities Out Loud roster. The speakers represent a variety of genres and presentation styles, offering everything from poetry workshops for students to readings of prize-winning novels. Expanding the number of literary scholars on the Speakers Bureau is one of South Carolina Humanities’ new literary initiatives that is available year round to communities all over the state.

The literary speakers on the Speakers Bureau roster include:

Kim Boykin Headshot for lindseyKim Boykin
As a stay-at-home mom, Kim Boykin started writing, grabbing snip-its of time in the car rider line or on the bleachers at swim practice. After her kids left the nest, she started submitting her work, sold her first novel at 53, and has been writing like crazy ever since. She is the author of A Peach of a Pair, Echoes of Mercy, Palmetto Moon, and The Wisdom of Hair and has a heart for librarians and book junkies like herself.
The Indestructible Southern Sisterhood
From the Ether
Once Upon a Time There Was a Library
Writing Your Memoir

 

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Hope Clark
C. Hope Clark spends her days aiding writers through her FundsforWriters.com website and evenings writing mysteries, with an emphasis on South Carolina settings. She is author of two mystery series set in her home state: Carolina Slade Mysteries, and The Edisto Island Mysteries, both award-winning. She speaks widely to writers, book clubs, and libraries about the craft, business, and motivational aspects of writing, in hope of inspiring others to find the thrill in reading and writing.
Turning Your Ideas Into Stories
How a Character Becomes 3-D
Writing the Mystery Series
Too Shy to Write
Never Thought I’d Be a Writer
Why Edisto?

Jennie Holton Fant
Jennie Holton Fant has published The Travelers’ Charleston: Accounts of Charleston and Lowcountry, South Carolina, 1666–1861, an innovative collection of firsthand narratives that document the history of the South Carolina lowcountry region to the Civil War. She is a South Carolina native, writer, and librarian who served for a decade on the staff of Duke University Libraries.
The Traveler’s Charleston
Postbellum Charleston Travelers

 

FarleyBenBenjamin Farley
Benjamin W. Farley is a graduate of Davidson College and has a Ph.D from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia. He is the author of 8 scholarly works in the field of reformation studies and philosophy and 7 works of fiction.
Faith and Fiction
The French and Indian War – A Novelist’s Perspective

 

 

MalphrusEllenEllen Malphrus
Ellen Malphrus lives and writes in her native Carolina lowcountry and southwest Montana. She was a student of James Dickey’s and teaches at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. Untying the Moon is her first novel.
A General Reading From and Discussion of Untying the Moon, followed by Q&A
A “Rooted/Restless Road Trip” Reading From and Discussion of Untying the Moon, followed by Q&A
“A Coastal Conversation” Reading From and Discussion of Untying the Moon, followed by Q&A
No Better Buddies: Pat Conroy and James Dickey as Literary Mentors
Lowcountry Lowdown from a Born-and-Bred Native

 

matthewsmattMatt Matthews
Matt Matthews’ first novel and winner of the South Carolina Arts Commission First Novel Prize was published in May 2011 by the award-winning Hub City Press. Mercy Creek also won an honorable mention from the 2012 Library of Virginia Literary Awards and a Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance Bronze Award.
The Part-Time Author’s View Into The Writing Life
A Reading From and Discussion of the Novel Mercy Creek

 

 

McNeelyPatPat McNeely
USC Professor Emerita Patricia G. “Pat” McNeely taught writing and reporting in the journalism school for 33 years. Before joining the USC faculty, McNeely was a reporter and editor for The Greenville News, The State and The Columbia Record. She is the author of several books of Civil War history.
Sherman’s Flame and Blame Campaign Through Georgia and the Carolinas
Sherman’s Psychological War on Civilians and the Burning of Columbia
The End of Sherman’s Campaign through the Carolinas and the Lost Confederate Gold

 

McTeerJames

James McTeer
Born and raised in Beaufort, SC, James E. McTeer II is the winner of the 2015 South Carolina First Novel Prize. A school librarian in Columbia, SC, he is the grandson of the late J. E. McTeer, whose 37 years as High Sheriff of the Lowcountry (and local witch doctor) served as inspiration for Minnow.
Minnow
Author’s Craft
The Writing Librarian

 

PalmerKateSalleyKate Salley Palmer
Kate has been writing and illustrating picture books for children for over 20 years, and she has had over 25 books published by national and regional publishers. For more about Kate and her books go to www.warbranchpress.com.
Helping Teach South Carolina History With Picture Books
Political Campaigns Illustrated by a Cartoonist
The Little Chairs – Helping Young Children Understand Mental Illness
How to Publish Your Own Book

 

PolandTomTom Poland
Tom writes about the South, its people, land, culture, and nature. The author of six books about South Carolina, he travels back roads looking for forgotten places, captivating people, and vestiges of bygone times, many of which appear in his columns and features.
Discoveries & Surprises Along South Carolina’s Back Roads
A Vanishing Southland: The Loss of Ways and Traditions
How a Road Trip Led to Four SC Books
Stories Behind the Photos
How a Mule Kick Killed Eight People: A True Story
From Georgetown to Georgialina – The Enduring, Endearing South
Carolina Bays – South Carolina’s Mysterious Landform
Unforgettable People & Places
What the Shag Taught Me

AidaRogers2016JPGAida Rogers
Aïda Rogers is a writer and editor whose feature journalism has won national and regional awards. A Lexington native, she lives in Columbia and works for the South Carolina Honors College at her alma mater, the University of South Carolina.
South Carolina: Sometimes We Like It, Sometimes We Don’t

 

ScheinBernieBernie Schein
Born, bred and Bar Mitzvahed in Beaufort, SC., Bernie graduated Newberry College and earned his Master’s Degree in Education from Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Bernie is the author of Famous All Over Town -2014 (USC Press-Story River Books).
Growing Up Jewish in the South
Historical Perspective of the Lowcountry

 

SimmsKimberly2016Kimberly Simms
While dedicating some of her time between her work as a teaching artist and her writing for young adults, Kimberly Simms is an award winning poet in her own right. She was recently named as the 2016 Carl Sandburg Writer-In-Residence.
A Poetry Reading: Discovering South Carolina through poetry. (Grades 4 -12 OR Adults.)
A Festival Reading: A Poetic Journey through South Carolina (All Ages)
Celebrating Carl Sandburg: Hands on Poetry Experience (K-8)
Talking to Disaster: Finding healing through poetry. (Adults)
Poetic Perspectives: Exploring the humanities through poetry. (K-12 OR Adults)
Cooking up Poetry: Writing recipe poems. (K-12 OR Adults)
Poetry Slam: Putting performance into contemporary poetry. (Grades 4-12 OR Adults)


StanardBonnieBonnie R. Stanard
Bonnie Stanard graduated from the University of South Carolina and has published six novels in the last five years, one of which was listed on BlueInk Review’s selection of “Best Novels of 2015.” Her poems and stories have been published in journals such as Harpur Palate, Slipstream, Eclipse, and North Atlantic Review.
Acting on Poetry
A Demanding Genre – Historical Fiction
Prose Poems, Or Is It Flash Fiction?

 

tekulvesusanSusan Tekulve
Susan Tekulve is the author of In the Garden of Stone, winner of the 2012 South Carolina First Novel Award and a 2013 SIBA “Okra Award.”   An Associate Professor of English at Converse College, she teaches in the BFA and MFA in Creative Writing Programs.
Are there too many trees in my story?: How to harness the forces of nature in your narratives
Moments of Being and Non-Being; Finding Extraordinary Stories in Every Day Objects and First Homes
From Fairy Tale to Literary Narrative: How to Transform Family Stories Into Fiction and Essays
Crossing Borders: Travel Writing in Three Genres

ThompsonJohnJohn Thompson
After twenty-five years on Wall Street, John Thompson chose “the road less traveled” and became an award-winning author of Middle Grade fiction, as well as thrillers and occult thrillers for adults.
The Importance of Teaching Literacy
The Girl From Felony Bay and Disappearance at Hangman’s Bluff

 

 

 

WentworthMarjoryMarjory Wentworth
Marjory Wentworth’s poems have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize five times. Marjory is on the faculty at The Art Institute of Charleston, and she is the Poet Laureate of South Carolina.
What is a Poet Laureate?
Expressions of Healing
One River, One Boat: what’s so scary about a three minute poem?
Book Banning
The Power of Poetry
Poetry in the Public Life
The News from Poems
Poetry and Empathy
Poetry and Spirituality
Poetry and Resilience
Taking a Stand, The Evolution of Human Rights

WhitenerKasieKasie Whitener
Kasie Whitener is a South Carolina native, small business owner, and English professor. She has written dozens of short stories and completed four novels.
Writers’ Work: Re-Vision Means Seeing the Work Again
Writers’ Work: Self-Editing for Submission
Writers’ Work: Stories that Say More
Reading like a Writer

 

The Speakers Bureau is one of South Carolina Humanities’ longest-running programs. SC Humanities makes these speakers available to non-profit groups and public agencies at a reasonable cost. SC Humanities provides $250 towards speaker honorariums, which covers full speaker payment for many of the speakers; any other costs are negotiated between speaker and sponsor. All speaker programs must be free and open to a general public. Learn more about the Speaker Bureau: Humanities Out Loud program. Or contact T.J. Wallace at 803-771-2477 for more information.

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 22-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or 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.