SC Humanities is pleased to announce that, with generous support from the South Carolina Arts Commission, we have awarded six Fast Track Literary Grants for literary arts programs that will take place around the state in 2026. Funded programs include literary festivals, author talks, and the 2026 Literary Hall of Fame induction.
The funded programs include:
Sponsoring Organization: Richland Library
Project Title: Read Freely Fest
Project Director: Lee Snelgrove
Awarded: $2,500; Cost-share: $231,500
Richland Library will present their second annual Read Freely Fest on March 27 – 29, 2026 in Columbia. The weekend festival event will feature a variety of authors, panels, vendors, and entertainment, including an opening evening party and children’s programming. Read Freely Fest is a celebration of community and culture.
Sponsoring Organization: Pat Conroy Literary Center
Project Title: Pat Conroy Literary Center – March Forth Weekend 2026
Project Director: Bruce Murdy
Awarded: $2,500; Cost-share: $14,300
The Pat Conroy Literary Center will present their annual March Forth Weekend literary event on March 6 – 8, 2026. The event features author talks, writing workshops, and tours, among other activities. Confirmed presenting authors include Mary Alice Monroe, Brendan Slocumb, Kardea Brown, and Rob Edwards. The majority of the weekend’s events are free; some have a modest ticket price.
Sponsoring Organization: Charleston Southern University
Project Title: Charleston Southern Visiting Writers Series
Project Director: Dr. Megan Busch
Awarded: $2,500; Cost-share: $2,500
Charleston Southern University will host their 5th annual Visiting Writers Series in March and April 2026. In March 2026, they will present creative nonfiction writers Martha Park and Grant Currier. In April 2026, they will present narrative writers Jeremy Jones and Robert Maynor. The events are free and open to community members as well as students.
Sponsoring Organization: Lancaster County Council of the Arts
Project Title: Third Annual Lancaster County Literary Arts Festival
Project Director: Eric Grace
Awarded: $2,500; Cost-share: $2,600
The Lancaster County Council of the Arts will present their third annual Lancaster County Literary Arts Festival on April 25, 2026. The event will include the unveiling of a new “StoryWalk” on Main Street, two workshops by local authors, children’s activities at the library, a Silent Community Read, and a poetry reading/open mic at the local coffee house, among other activities. Featured authors include novelist Glenda Manus and poet Kimberlyn Blum-Hyclak. Events are free and open to the public.
Sponsoring Organization: Beaufort County Library
Project Title: Pen & Palmetto: A Local Author Celebration at Bluffton Library
Project Director: Theresa Furbish
Awarded: $1,200; Cost-share: $1,200
The Bluffton Branch of the Beaufort County Library will host “Pen & Palmetto: A Local Author Celebration” on March 28, 2026. This free, half-day festival will book sales, writing workshops, 1:1 mentoring opportunities, and two panel discussions on “Getting Started with Writing” and “Publishing 101.” Seventeen local authors have confirmed participation, and partnering organizations include USC Beaufort and the Pat Conroy Literary Center.
Sponsoring Organization: University of South Carolina Aiken
Project Title: Celebrating South Carolina Voices: The 2026 Literary Hall of Fame
Project Director: Andrew Geyer
Awarded: $2,500; Cost-share: $2,500
The South Carolina Academy of Authors and the University of South Carolina Aiken will partner to host the state’s biennial induction weekend. Four authors will be honored: J. Drew Lanham, Jenks Farmer, Claudia Smith Brinson, and Dianne Johnson. There will be two key events over the weekend: a free public reading by the four authors on Friday, March 20 and a ticketed induction dinner ceremony on March 21.
Due to the termination of SC Humanities’ federal grant funding by DOGE, the majority of our grant opportunities have been suspended since April. We were happy to be able to open a Fast Track Literary Grant deadline this fall to support these excellent literary programs. SC Humanities Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Gunter said, “We’re so grateful to the South Carolina Arts Commission for their continued support of South Carolina Humanities. It’s especially meaningful this year to be able to offer these grants. We know that they will foster important programs that will lead to improved understanding of the varied lives of South Carolinians.”
Currently, grant opportunities, including Fast Track Literary Grants, are on hiatus while SC Humanities continues to advocate for renewed federal funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities and state humanities councils in FY2026.
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.
This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
