Pat Conroy Literary Center Children’s Book Fair

The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s second annual Children’s Book Fair will be held Saturday, October 12, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Santa Elena History Center, 1501 Bay Street. The event is free and open to readers of all ages, with an emphasis on activities for children ages 4-12. Register in advance at https://childrensbookfair2.bpt.me. SC Humanities supported this program with a Mini Grant.

The Children’s Book Fair is a day-long event of interactive workshops, readings, and book signings. Some of this year’s events will include a treasure hunt led by Susan Diamond Riley, author of The Sea Island’s Secret; a Beaufort County Library System bookmobile, offering young attendees a chance to get their first library cards and to check out books; face painting; book give-aways throughout the day; a Camp Conroy tent, featuring young Camp Conroy authors; and a “banned book jail cell” featuring children’s books that have been banned in the past. Incarcerated books will include Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, and The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Marjory Wentworth, South Carolina’s poet laureate, will lead a discussion on the history of banned books. The full schedule of workshops is available here.

Additional featured authors include: Michael Bassett (Batrocks and Greenie), Patricia Bee (Try’umsee’s Wings, Mama’s Pearls), Lisa Anne Cullen (Little Orange Honey Hood, Three Wild Pigs), Rebecca Chamberlain (Maralee and the Turtles of the Sea), Delores B. Nevils (Amadeus, the Leghorn Rooster), Chelsea Rowe (Ebenezer Has a Word for Everything), Susan Diamond Riley (The Sea Island’s Secret), Miho Kinnas (Today, Fish Only and Move Over, Bird), Marlena Smalls and Marianne Rice (Anire’s Adventure), Helen Wilbur (Lily’s Victory Garden), Marjory Wentworth (Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets), and Camp Conroy authors (Re-World: Fix the Damage Done).

The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s mission is to cultivate a passionate and inclusive reading and writing community in honor of Pat Conroy, who dedicated his life to spreading his love for literature and writing to future generations. Learn more at https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/.

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 20-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.