Oct. 22, 2016: A day at the Pat Conroy Literary Festival

The Pat Conroy Literary Festival was as enchanting as I thought it would be. I was there for the day on a Saturday and felt the magic of the Festival as soon as I arrived in downtown Beaufort, SC. Pat Conroy's presence was felt by everyone there, as one program followed another. Besides his literary talents, it's his big heart, his generosity that was best remembered. I was honored to be a part of the readings from the anthology Found Anew, published by the University of South Carolina Press and edited by R. Mac Jones and Ray McManus.

It was one of those days that somehow feels just perfect. I hope I can attend again next year to feel some more of that magic.

2016 Piccolo Spoleto Sundown Poetry Series schedule

Barbara G.S. Hagerty and I are happy once again this year to be coordinating the Piccolo Spoleto Sundown Poetry Series, which starts next Tuesday evening. What a roster of talented poets! If you're in the area, we'd love to see you at some of the events. Experience these magical moments at the historic Dock Street Theatre Courtyard, where the readings are free and open to the public, each followed by a lovely art gallery reception.

__________________

2016   P i c c o l o   S p o l e t o  

S u n d o w n   P o e t r y   S e r i e s

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

May 31 – Jun. 3  &  Jun 7 - 10     •    6:30 p. m.

Dock Street Theatre Courtyard, 135 Church St., Charleston, SC 

Reception at a nearby art gallery after each reading    •    Free & open to the public  

  

Tue., May 31– “From the Ward to the Word: Nurses as Writers.” Poetry performances by four award-winning and widely published nurse writers coming from various locations to read for us: Cortney Davis, Jeanne Bryner, Veneta Masson, and Muriel A. Murch. Lisa Kerr, facilitator. Brief readings that showcase how nurses translate the mysterious moments they share with patients and their observations of health care into artful poetry and prose. Co-sponsored by the MUSC Writing Center and University Humanities Committee.

Wed., Jun. 1 – Dannye Romine Powell, of Charlotte, NC, is the author of four poetry collections, including her latest, Nobody Calls Me Darling Anymore (Press 53, 2015). Her awards include poetry fellowships from the NEA and the NC Arts Council, as well as numerous book awards. She is a long-time columnist and book reviewer for The Charlotte Observer.

Thur., Jun 2 – John  Milkereit, of Houston TX, is the author of A Rotating Equipment Engineer Is Never Finished (Ink Brush Press, 2015), as well as two chapbooks published by Pudding House Productions. His work has also appeared in San Pedro River Review, Big River Poetry Review, and other journals. A Charleston native, he is completing an MFA degree at Rainier Writing Workshop.

Fri., Jun. 3 – Jaki Shelton Green, of Mebane, NC, is the author of numerous poetry collections, including her latest, Feeding the Light (Jacar Press, 2014). Her work has also appeared widely in publications such as Essence Magazine, Obsidian, and Poets for Peace. A highly regarded literary teacher and consultant, she was the inaugural Poet Laureate of Piedmont NC and  2016 Writer-in-Residence at Lenoir-Rhyne University. In 2014 she was inducted into the NC Literary Hall of Fame.  

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Tue., Jun. 7 – Nick Lindsay is—at 89—a troubadour, expert builder, master storyteller, and accomplished musician. Son of Vachel Lindsay and a longtime resident of Edisto Island, he will read from his book Esau Lanier, a lyrical exploration of race, work, place, the natural world, and more. This epic poem is rendered in Pushkin sonnets, telling of Nick’s African American friend and co-worker Esau, with whom he built houses on Edisto Island in the mid-20^th century.

Wed., Jun. 8 – Jacqueline Johnson, of Brooklyn, NY, is the author of the award-winning poetry collections A Woman’s Season (Main Street Rag Press, 2015) and A Gathering of Mother Tongues (White Pine Press, 1998). She is a Cave Canem fellow and has performed at numerous venues, including the New York Center for Book Arts, St. Marks Poetry Project, Pratt Institute, and Metropolitan Museum.

Thur., Jun 9 – Laurel Blossom is the Poet Laureate of Edgefield, SC. Her new collection, Longevity (Four Way Books, 2015) is a book-length narrative prose poem and companion piece to her book Degrees of Latitude. Her earlier books are Wednesday: New and Selected Poems; The Papers Said; What’s Wrong; and Any Minute. Her many awards include a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Fri., Jun 10 – Nikky Finney, of Columbia, SC, is the author of four poetry collections, including her latest, Head Off & Split (Triquarterly Books/Northwestern U Press, 2011), winner of the National Book Award. She is also editor of the anthology The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South (Univ. of Georgia Press, 2007) and cofounder of the Affrilachian Poets. She is the John H. Bennett, Jr., Chair in Southern Letters and Literature at the University of South Carolina.

Barbara G. S. Hagerty & Susan Laughter Meyers, Coordinators

2017 applications available in the fall of 2016 at http://www.piccolospoleto.com

Deckle Edge Literary Festival, Feb. 18-21, Columbia, SC

I'm honored to be a participant in the first Deckle Edge Literary Festival, the newly envisioned annual festival that came into being after the SC Book Festival announced last year that it would no longer be held. Bravo for the new tea--headed by Annie Boiter-Jolley and Darien Cavanaugh--who jumped in to serve the state's readers, book buyers, writers--the whole literary community!

Feb. 18-21

Deckle Edge Literary Festival

Columbia, SC

http://deckleedgesc.org

I'm participating on Feb. 20

"Found Anew" panel, 3:30 p.m.

Read all about the 2016 Deckle Edge Literary Festival. Come join in the celebration of books and literature!

Looking back--fondly!--on the 2015 Carolina Mountains Literary Festival (CMLF)

What a wonderful weekend the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival was back in September--the 11th and 12th--in charming Burnsville, NC. The groups in my two discussion sessions, as well as the poets in my poetry workshop, were bright and eager to participate. Each person there made the time with the groups that much more special. And what talent in the poetry workshop!

I'm grateful for being one of the presenters for this beautiful festival. The highlight was Saturday night's on-stage conversation between Ann Patchett and Barbara Kingsolver. So entertaining, memorable, and wise! If you have a chance to go next fall, don't miss it.

Sept. 10-12: Carolina Mountains Literary Festival

I'm excited to be teaching a poetry workshop and presenting two poetry sessions at this wonderful fall festival -- a free literary celebration for readers (and writers). Come to Burnsville, NC!

The 10th Annual
Carolina Mountains Literary Festival
Thursday – Saturday, September 10-12, 2015

Our Earth…Our Time…Our Space…

Celebrate the stories of our shared earth.  Reflect on our pasts and wonder about the possibilities for our futures.

Alan Gratz ~ Alexandra Duncan ~ Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle 

Ann Patchett ~ Ashley Adams English ~ Barbara Bates Smith 

Barbara Kingsolver ~ Beth Revis ~ Brent Martin ~ Lisa Blackburn  

Lynn McLure ~ Sue Wasserman ~ Catherine Reid ~ Christopher Scotton 

Hilda Downer ~ Jason Mott ~ Jay Erskine Leutz ~ Jeremy Jones  

Jim Rogers ~ Marci Spencer ~ Mary Ann Claud ~ Mindi Meltz 

Sara Gruen ~ Saro Lynch-Thomason ~ Shelby Stephenson 

Susan Laughter Meyers ~ Wiley Cash ~ Will Harlen

cmlitfest.org Carolina Mountains Literary Festival « cmlitfest.org

The 10th Annual Carolina Mountains Literary Festival Thursday - Saturday, September 10-12, 2015 Our Earth...Our Time...Our Space... Celebrate the stories

CMLITFEST.ORG

2014 workshops, readings, residencies, and other events

Thank you to the sponsors of these events and residencies that enabled me to teach, read, and write poetry in various venues last year:

WORKSHOPS taught:

• OLLI at CCU, Litchfield, SC 
• "Persistence and the Poem" -- Feb. 20
• "Poetry Critique Workshop" -- May 1
• "Opening the Gates of the Imagination" -- Nov. 13
• Lowcountry Initiative for the Literary Arts (LILA), Charleston, SC
• "Complicating the Poem"-- Apr. 26
• Gathering of Poets, Press 53 & Jacar Press
• "Lose (Your) Intention & Find a Poem"-- Apr. 5
• Kevin Watson & Richard Krawiec, founders/facilitators

READINGS:

• Charleston, SC -- Monday Night Poetry & Music, Feb. 24
• East Bay Meeting House, 160 East Bay St.
• James J. Lundy, Jr., coordinator
• Charleston, SC -- LILA reading, Mar. 27
• Richard Garcia, Barbara G.S. Hagerty, Susan Laughter Meyers, Marjory Wentworth
• Circular Church
• Chapel Hill, SC -- Flyleaf Bookstore, Apr. 10
• Beth Swann & Susan Laughter Meyers
• Pam Baggett & Stan Absher, coordinators
• Raleigh, NC -- Quail Ridge Books & Music, May 4
• Maureen Sherbondy, John Thomas York, Susan Laughter Meyers
• Jo Taylor, coordinator
• Fearrington Village, NC -- McIntyre's Bookstore, Jun. 22
• Barbara G.S. Hagerty, Susan Laughter Meyers, Deborah Miller
• Series sponsored by The North Carolina Poetry Society
• Sara Claytor, founder/coordinator
• Southern Pines, NC -- NC Poetry Society, Sept. 20
• Brockman-Campbell Book Award honorable-mention reading
• Opening reading for Charmaine Cadeau, winner of the award
• Columbia, SC -- "Poems: Bones of the Spirit," Oct. 21
• Barbara G.S. Hagerty, Susan Laughter Meyers, Debbie Scott
• Al Black, founder/coordinator

SC BOOK FESTIVAL -- May 17-18

• Panel session -- "Diverse Verse"
• Gilbert Allen, Barbara G.S. Hagerty, Susan Laughter Meyers and Marjory Wentworth
• Ed Madden, moderator

FESTIVAL attended: Palm Beach Poetry Festival -- Jan. 20-25

• Workshop with poet Nick Flynn -- "Poetry as Bewilderment"

SC STATE PARKS SYSTEM Artist-in-Residence Program:

• Hickory Knob State Park, McCormick, SC -- Oct. 24-31 residency

May 16 - 18: Last weekend's SC Book Festival

Last weekend’s 18^th annual SC Book Festival drew its usual crowds, and I was delighted to be a part of it:

May 16-18

SC BOOK FESTIVAL

Columbia Convention Center

Columbia, SC

Sunday, May 18, 1:30 p.m. panel: "Diverse Verse"

with Gil Allen, Barbara Hagerty, Susan Laughter Meyers & Marjory Wentworth; Ed Madden, moderator

free & open to public

http://scbookfestival.org

I especially enjoyed hearing Nikki Giovanni talk and read a couple of poems in her session. That session was one of only two poetry events offered at the Festival. So the other events there that I attended featured writers of other genres. Sessions I sat in on included Christopher Buckley, the keynote speaker; novelist Gail Godwin; and a roundtable by Pat Conroy and his siblings.

Those of us on the poetry panel were happy to see the room filled with about 50 poets and friends of poetry. Gil read a couple of poems from his new book Catma; Barbara from Twinzilla; me from My Dear, Dear Stagger Grass; and Marjory from her New and Selected. (Ed will be reading from his new book, Nests, at next year’s Festival.)

Barbara Hagerty and I would like to say a big thank you to the wonderful Hub City Press booth for carrying our books: her Twinzilla (The Word Works, 2014) and my own My Dear, Dear Stagger Grass (Cider Press Review, 2013).

The Poetry Society of SC and LILA shared a booth in the Festival’s exhibit hall—with members taking turns to be at the booth. Among them—Debbie Scott, outgoing president of PSSC; Frances Pearce; Barbara Hagerty; Linda Annas Ferguson; and me. Linda was my guest for the weekend, giving us a chance to catch up on all things poetry and non-poetry. Such a fun-filled weekend!

2014 Sundown Poetry Series

ANNOUNCING. . . [drum roll] . . . 

this year's schedule of superb featured poets. 

Each reading will be followed by
a lovely reception at a nearby art gallery.

Please join us for ten terrific nights of poetry!

2014   P i c c o l o   S p o l e t o   

S U N D O W N   P O E T R Y   S E R I E S   

______________________________________________________________

May 26 – 30;  Jun 2 - 6  •  6:30 p.m.  •  free & open to the public   •  Dock Street Theatre Courtyard, 135 Church St., Charleston, SC

Mon., May 26 – Richard Garcia, of Charleston, SC, is the author of five books of poetry, most recently The Other Odyssey (2014), winner of The American Poetry Journal Book Prize; and The Chair (BOA Editions),  forthcoming. His work has appeared in The Georgia Review, Crazyhorse, Ploughshares, and other journals. Awards include an NEA fellowship and a Pushcart Prize. He teaches in the Antioch MFA program and online.  

Tue., May 27 – Frances Justine Post is the author of Beast (Augury Books, 2014). Her work has also appeared in Kenyon Review, Denver Quarterly, Pleiades, and elsewhere. Her numerous awards include the “Discovery” / Boston Review Poetry Prize. Originally from Sullivan’s Island, she is currently earning her PhD in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston, where she is a poetry editor for Gulf Coast.

Wed., May 28 – Vernon Fowlkes, of Mobile, AL, is the author of The Sound of Falling (Negative Capability Press, 2013). His work has also appeared in The Southern Review, JAMA, The Ampersand Review, Birmingham Arts Journal, Elk River Review, and other literary journals. He has been a featured poet in various programs, including Charleston’s MNP&M and the Southern Writers Reading Series in New York.

Thurs., May 29 – Nancy Dew Taylor, of Greenville, SC, is the author of the chapbook Stepping on Air (Emrys Press, 2008). In 2011 she received the Linda Flowers Literary Award from the NC Humanities Council for her sequence of poems Mill Creek Suite. Her poems have also appeared in journals and anthologies, including Tar River Poetry and The South Carolina Review, as well as The Southern Poetry Anthology.

Fri., May 30 – Ed Madden, associate professor of English at USC in Columbia, is the author of three books of poetry: Nest (Salmon, 2014); Prodigal: Variations (Lethe, 2011); and Signals (USC, 2008), which won the SC Poetry Book Prize. His work has appeared in Best New Poets 2007, The Book of Irish American Poetry, The Southern Poetry Anthology, and elsewhere. Awards include a fellowship from the SC Arts Commission.

Mon., Jun 2 – Ray McManus is the author of four books of poetry, most recently Red Dirt Jesus (2011), winner of the Marick Press Poetry Prize; and Punch (Hub City Press), forthcoming. His poetry has appeared in numerous journals, including Barely South and Hayden’s Ferry Review. He is assistant professor of English at USC Sumter and the creative writing director for the Tri-District Arts Consortium in SC.

Tue., Jun 3 – Paul Hamill, of Charleston, SC, is the author of four collections of poetry, including his most-recent chapbook, Meeting the Minotaur: Field Guide to the Labyrinth (Split Oak Press, 2010). His work has appeared in numerous journals, including The Georgia Review, The Southern Review, and Cortland Review. He has served as Poet Laureate of Tompkins County, New York, and president of The Poetry Society of SC.

Wed., Jun 4 – Angela Kelly, of Spartanburg, SC, is the author of Voodoo for the Other Woman (Hub City Press, 2013) and four poetry chapbooks. Her work has also appeared in numerous journals, including North American Review, Rattle, and Nimrod. Her awards include the SC Fellowship of the Arts from the SC Arts Commission and the Carrie McCray Nickens Fellowship in Poetry from the SC Academy of Authors.  

Thurs., Jun 5 – Gilbert Allen is the author of six collections of poetry, most recently Catma (Measure Press, 2014). His honors include a Literary Arts Fellowship from the SC Arts Commission, the Robert Penn Warren Prize in Poetry from The Southern Review, and induction into the SC Academy of Authors. He is the Bennette E. Geer Professor of Literature at Furman University and serves as editor of Ninety-Six Press.

Fri., Jun 6 – Jim Natal, of Los Angeles, CA, is the author of four poetry collections, most recently 52 Views: The Haibun Variations and Memory and Rain. His work has appeared in New Poets of the American West and other anthologies/journals. Featured readings include the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival and the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. He is founder/director of The Literary Southwest series in Prescott, AZ.

Barbara G. S. Hagerty & Susan Laughter Meyers, Coordinators

2015 applications available fall 2014 at http://www.piccolospoleto.com

Piccolo Spoleto Sundown Poetry Series: A joy to Coordinate!

Barbara G. S. Hagerty and I had a wonderful time putting together the Piccolo Spoleto Sundown Poetry Series programming for the first time this year. We knew we were in for a big job, following in the footsteps of Carol Furtwangler, Coordinator for the Series for the past fifteen years. Carol was a tremendous help in getting us oriented and ready to go as the new Coordinators. The Series consists of ten evenings, Monday through Friday during the Picolo Spoleto Festival, of poetry readings by poets from the Charleston area and beyond. This year's Series featured the following talented poets:

Mon., May 27         William P. Baldwin
Tue., May 28           Lola Haskins
Wed., May 29         Edward Gold
Thur., May 30         Barbara G. S. Hagerty
Fri., May 31            Glenis Redmond

Mon., Jun. 3           Emily Rosko
Tue., Jun. 4            Randy Spencer
Wed., Jun. 5          Alice Osborn
Thur., Jun. 6          Henk Brandt
Fri., Jun. 7             Sandra Beasley

Much gratitude to all the fine poets who read, plus to the wonderful audiences who made it all worthwhile. We're already looking forward to the 2014 Series. Applications will be posted online this fall at the Piccolo Spoleto website .

Saturday, May 18: Two panels at the South Carolina Book Festival

Thanks to the University of South Carolina Press for asking me to participate on two panels at this year's South Carolina Book Festival in Columbia. For the first panel, Sheila Morris moderated a session about the anthology Seven Strong: A South Carolina Poetry Book Prize Reader, 2006-2012. Marjory Wentworth, who wrote the foreword for the book, Ed Madden, Ray McManus, and I were on the panel. We each read a poem or two of our own work, plus the work of one of the four poets in the anthology who were not present: Worthy Evans, Delana Dameron, Julia Koets, and Jennifer Pournelle. Here are the books that are in the series:

Keep and Give Away (my collection), 2006
Driving through the Country before You Are Born, 2007, Ray McManus
Signals, 2008, Ed Madden
How God Ends Us, 2009, DeLana R. A. Dameron
Green Revolver, 2010, Worthy Evans
Excavation: A City Cycle, 2011, Jennifer Pournelle
Hold like Owls, 2012, Julia Koets

Seven Strong: A South Carolina Poetry Book Prize Reader, 2006-2012. Edited by Kwame Dawes. Foreword by Marjory Wentworth.

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For the second panel, Charlene Spearen moderated. Artist Jonathan Green was the anchor of the panel, talking about his now-famous work of art titled Seeking, commissioned by Mepkin Abbey and the impetus for the anthology. He also explained the inspiration for the painting: his experience as a child wanting to join the church, a child who first was required to spend time alone in the woods as a part of the Gullah tradition's way of being trained to seek the depth of his commitment and the truth of his own life. Again, Marjory, Ed, Ray, and I participated on the panel. We talked about the spiritual connections that the Seeking project brought to us, and we each read our poem in the anthology. Poets Linda Annas Ferguson, Mary Hutchins Harris, and Ellen Hyatt joined us for a signing immediately following the panel session. It's amazing how much richer such an experience is when a whole group of poets is a part of it.

Seeking: Poetry and Prose Inspired by the Art of Jonathan Green. Edited by Kwame Dawes and Marjory Wentworth.

Capital BookFest Charleston was a huge success!

Capital BookFest Charleston drew 4000-5000 people to its inaugural event last Saturday, November 6, and plans are in the works to make it an annual festival after the mayor declared the first Saturday in November as Capital BookFest Day. A large part of that draw was the inimitable poet Nikki Giovanni, loved by all ages--children and adults alike. The mission of the festival is "strengthening families through reading"--and with that in mind, it was a wonderful sight to see so many teenagers and children at the festival.

Which reminds me, I'd like to give a shoutout to the North Charleston High School students who published the poetry anthology Find Me Beyond Statistics Inside Teardrops through the Book-in-a-Day program directed by Kwame Alexander, the founder of Capital BookFest. The students gave a terrific reading from their book at Saturday's BookFest, captivating the audience and electrifying the whole room. Congratulations!

I had a wonderful time attending the whole day at the downtown library and Blue Bicycle Books on King Street. It was great fun in a morning session to read with poets Tinesha Davis, Le Hinton, Deanna Nikaido, and Marjory Wentworth from the book Cooking Up South, recently published for BookFest, and later to read at Blue Bicycle Books with Linda Annas Ferguson.

I'm already looking forward to next year's event! This year's festival was one of three offered, the other two being in Largo (MD) and Harrisburg (PA). Much gratitude to Kwame Alexander and the Capital BookFest staff for bringing the festival to Charleston.

April 16-17: University of Central Florida Book Festival

University of Central Florida Inaugural Book Festival
Saturday, Apr. 17, 2010
9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
UCF Arena in Orlando, FL
Morgridge International Reading Center
Friday events by invitation
Saturday, free & open to the public
National/local authors, exhibits, book appraisals, children's activities

I'll be participating on a panel based on the anthology After Shocks: The Poetry of Recovery for Life-Shattering Events. I'll be on it with After Shocks editor Tom Lombardo, of Atlanta; London poet Satyendra Srivastava; and Marjory Wentworth, Poet Laureate of SC. The panel is scheduled on Saturday from 3:30 to 4:20 p.m. Other featured authors in the Festival include former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, novelists Ann Hood and Carl Hiassen, and NC poet Laura Hope Gill.

UCF Book Festival

Feb. 27-28, 2010: South Carolina Book Festival

South Carolina Book Festival
Saturday & Sunday
February 27 & 28
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center
Columbia, SC

There are several sessions at this year's SC Book Festival that I'm looking forward to being a part of:

Saturday, Feb. 27
4:30 - 6 p.m.
Special tribute to the late Stephen Gardner
A reading by poet friends that will include poems by the much-loved poet Stephen Gardner who passed away last fall.

Sunday, Feb. 28
11:30 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.
Poetry Panel
Linda Annas Ferguson, Linda Lee Harper, Susan Meyers, and Marjory Wentworth
Each poet will read a few poems and talk about what particular passion fuels her poetry.

Sunday, Feb. 28
2 - 2:50 p.m.
USC Poetry Initiative Book Prize Winners
Susan Meyers, Ray McManus, DeLana R.A. Dameron
Each winner of the SC Poetry Book Prize will read a few poems and talk about the writing life, as well as specifics about the Book Prize.

Book signings to follow these last two events.

Feb. 27 - Mar. 1: SC Book Festival

Books

from the panels

& readings

I'm working with

at the

SC Book Festival.

Feb. 27 - Mar. 1: South Carolina Book Festival

February 27 - March 1, 2009
South Carolina Book Festival
Convention Center
Columbia, SC

The South Carolina Book Festival is a much-anticipated event each year--a whole weekend of panels, readings, workshops, and presentations at the Convention Center in Columbia, SC.

I'm looking forward to being on a panel about the anthology After Shocks: The Poetry of Recovery for Life-Shattering Events, published by Sante Lucia Press. Tom Lombardo is the editor, and he'll be moderating the panel. Other participants are Laurel Blossom, Clinton Campbell, Ed Madden, and Marjory Wentworth. The panel is at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday, February 28.

Later that day, at 4:30 p.m., five of us are reading our poetry: Laurel Blossom, Tom Lombardo, Ray McManus, Marjory Wentworth, and I.

On Sunday at 11:30 a.m. I'm moderating a panel called "Poetry: Taking Risks," with panelists Dan Albergotti, Paul Allen, Linda Lee Harper, and Ed Madden. All four are SC teaching poets with new books. Dan's book is The Boatloads (BOA Editions); Paul's is Ground Forces (Salmon); Linda Lee's is Kiss, Kiss (Cleveland Poetry Center); and Ed's is Signals (Univ. of SC Press).

At 4:15 p.m. on Sunday I'll be introducing writers Ken Burger, Clinton Campbell, Lane Filler, and Linda Lee Harper, who will be reading from their latest books.

Check the South Carolina Book Festival website for further information.

Feb. 22-24: SC Book Festival

Feb. 22-24, 2008
South Carolina Book Festival
Convention Center
Columbia, SC
http://www.scbookfestival.org

A whole weekend of readings, panel sessions, and a book fair. On Friday, for a modest fee, there are several afternoon master classes. The Saturday and Sunday sessions and book fair are free and open to the public.

I'll be moderating two panels on Sunday:

"From the Foothills to the Coast": SC poets Ray McManus, Carol Ann Davis, Phebe Davidson, Linda Annas Ferguson.

"First Women of Poetry: State Poets Laureate from Across the Nation" -- Marjory Wentworth (SC), Lisa Starr (RI), Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda (VA), Joyce Brinkman (IN)

Feb. 23-25: South Carolina Book Festival, Columbia, SC

SC Book Festival
Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center
1101 Lincoln St., Columbia, SC
Saturday, Feb. 24, 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 25, 11:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Panels, readings, book fair
Other special ticketed events, Friday through Sunday
www.scbookfestival.org

Saturday, 12:40 - 1:30 p.m. -- I'll be participating in a panel/reading session called "The Poet's Voice" with Richard Garcia, Mark Turcotte, and Ryan Van Cleave. Marjory Wentworth, poet laureate of SC, will be the moderator. We'll all be signing books afterward.

The University of South Carolina Press, publisher of my book Keep and Give Away, is an exhibitor at the festival's book fair.