Join the South Carolina Academy of Authors in Beaufort, South Carolina, on April 27–29 for the SCAA’s 32nd annual induction weekend, honoring cookbook author Nathalie Dupree, novelist Mary Alice Monroe, novelist Valerie Sayers, and dramatist John Blake White. South Carolina Humanities supported this programming with a Fast Track Literary Grant.
The South Carolina Academy of Authors is the state’s literary hall of fame, each year inducting a new group of honorees in a weekend of educational events and culturally enriching gatherings. Since its formation in 1986, SCAA has inducted 77 writers, living and deceased, from across the breadth of the genres and geographies represented in South Carolina’s literary life. The statewide educational mission of the nonprofit SCAA is performed by an all-volunteer board of governors and by past inductees.
The 2018 induction weekend includes a tour commemorating the writing life of Beaufort’s past SCAA honoree Pat Conroy, a series of free public events celebrating the work of this year’s honorees, and a ticketed awards dinner with current and past SCAA honorees, the SCAA board of governors, and the winners of the 2018 SCAA writing awards in fiction and poetry.
The full schedule of events is:
FRIDAY, 4/27
Noon-4:00 p.m., Pat Conroy Literary Center (308 Charles Street, Beaufort)
Free tours of exhibition materials related to the writing life of Pat Conroy, a past SCAA honoree.
www.patconroyliterarycenter.org
2:00–3:30 p.m., Beaufort Tours’ “Pat Conroy’s Beaufort” van tour (departs from Beaufort’s downtown marina, 1006 Bay St.)
Visit sites in Beaufort related to the life, writing, and film adaptations of Pat Conroy.
Advance reservation required. $30. www.beauforttoursllc.com/pat_conroys_beaufort.html
6:00–8:30 p.m., Technical College of the Lowcountry, MacLean Hall (Bldg 12, 921 Ribaut Rd, Beaufort)
Screening of the 2002 film Due East, adapted from Valerie Sayers’ novels Due East and How I Got Him Back, followed by a conversation and book signing with the author. Free and open to the public.
SATURDAY, 4/28
Noon-4:00 p.m., Pat Conroy Literary Center (308 Charles Street, Beaufort)
Free tours of exhibition materials related to the writing life of Pat Conroy, a past SCAA honoree.
www.patconroyliterarycenter.org
2:00–3:00 p.m., Technical College of the Lowcountry, MacLean Hall (Bldg 12, 921 Ribaut Rd, Beaufort)
Mary Alice Monroe will discuss her use of fiction and storytelling to educate readers on issues of conservation connected to her adopted home of the lowcountry. Followed by a book signing. Free and open to the public.
3:30–4:30 p.m., Technical College of the Lowcountry, MacLean Hall (Bldg 12, 921 Ribaut Rd, Beaufort)
Nathalie Dupree will speak about her cooking, teaching, and writing lives, sharing her own education in southern foodways and her passion for educating others. Followed by a book signing. Free and open to the public.
6:30–9:00 p.m., Holiday Inn Conference Center ballroom (2225 Boundary St., Beaufort)
SCAA induction ceremony and dinner, honoring Nathalie Dupree (introduction by Josephine Humphreys), Mary Alice Monroe (introduction by Marjory Wentworth), Valerie Sayers (introduction by Cassandra King Conroy), and John Blake White (remarks by Jon Tuttle). Proceeds benefit the year-round educational mission of the SCAA.
$55/person or $90/couple.
Sunday, 4/29
10:00 a.m.–noon, Technical College of the Lowcountry Fellowship Hall
Private event: SCAA board of governors fellowship brunch and presentation of SCAA writing awards in fiction and poetry.
Noon-4:00 p.m., Pat Conroy Literary Center (308 Charles Street, Beaufort)
Free tours of exhibition materials related to the writing life of Pat Conroy, a past SCAA honoree.
www.patconroyliterarycenter.org
2:00–3:30 p.m., Beaufort Tours’ “Pat Conroy’s Beaufort” van tour (departs from Beaufort’s downtown marina, 1006 Bay St.)
Visit sites in Beaufort related to the life, writing, and film adaptations of Pat Conroy.
Advance reservation required. $30. www.beauforttoursllc.com/pat_conroys_beaufort.html
More information about the South Carolina Academy of Authors and the 2018 induction weekend can be found on the website at: http://www.scacademyofauthors.org/induction-ceremony.html.
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.