The University of South Carolina Union will present the Upcountry Literary Festival on March 11 – 12, 2011 at the campus in Union. The festival is free and open to the public and will feature more than 15 local and regional authors, including the three featured authors: Robert Morgan, Kwame Dawes, and Jim Clark. SC Humanities supported this project through a Major Grant in February 2011.
The primary purpose of the Upcountry Literary Festival is to promote and encourage the region’s literary talent through exposure to accomplished writers, to influence a greater awareness of the humanities, and to highlight the value of improved literacy. Union County is an underserved and rural area that suffers lower than normal scores on standardized text performance in the areas of English and Language Arts. This event will be a celebration of the written word geared to engage and inspire local citizens in literacy and literary reading.
The Upcountry Literary Festival will include workshops, presentations, roundtables, and a Dinner with Authors event to introduce the public to authors and their writing. The event will run from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday, March 11 and from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 12 at USC Union’s auditorium.
For more information about the festival, contact the English Professor Randy Ivey at USC Union at 864-427-3681, x7757 or see the website at: http://uscunion.sc.edu/upcountrylitfest.pdf for a schedule of events.
The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. SC Humanities programs and initiatives are balanced, reflecting sensitivity to the diversity of ideas, encourage open dialogue, demonstrate integrity, and are ethical in operations.
