Features Issue #21.08 :: 02/20/2008 - 02/26/2008 S.C. Book Festival 2008 Something For Everyone
at This Year's Event | What’s on your nightstand? Whether it’s a tawdry romance, a disturbing crime thriller, a musty Civil War history or the latest novel from some young literary up-and-comer, anyone who reads at all is likely to find something catering to their tastes at the 2008 South Carolina Book Festival.
“Our goal is to reach across the state in terms of age, gender and all areas of diversity,” says Paula Watkins, who is in her third year of directing the festival, which is a program of the S.C. Humanities Council.
With more than 80 authors in town covering every genre from cooking to the paranormal — as well as more than 90 publishing-industry exhibitors — the festival looks poised to draw a large cross-section of readers. Among the most well-known authors appearing are Charleston-based novelist Josephine Humphreys, author of Nowhere Else on Earth and Rich in Love; novelist Harlan Coben, author of The Woods and the forthcoming Hold Tight; and food writer Nathalie Dupree, whose books have sold more than 500,000 copies and who is best known for her understanding of Southern cuisine.
In addition to Humphreys, among the many locally and regionally based authors appearing are George Singleton (Pickens County), Janette Turner Hospital (USC), Elise Blackwell (USC), Kwame Dawes (USC), Jason Ockert (Coastal Carolina), John Lane (Spartanburg), Jack Bass (College of Charleston) and Will Allison (born in Columbia, lives in New Jersey).
Taking place Feb. 22-24 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center, the event includes a packed schedule of author panels on every topic from “Notable First Novels” and “Masters of Science Fiction” to “Environmental Writing,” “Medieval Manuscripts,” “Mystery Mayhem” and “Premier Poets.” Saturday and Sunday events at the Convention Center are free and open to the public; some other events require tickets.
Watkins says the festival can reasonably expect to attract 6,000 people, give or take a few. It can be more or less, she says, “depending on the weather.” That’s why this year the festival will have umbrellas on hand should the need arise. (Yes, really.)
Also new this year: Additional events at the Hilton across the street from the Convention Center (“Humanities at the Hilton”) and new programs for children, book clubs and aspiring writers. On the latter front, there will be a panel called “Big Screen, Blogs and Books: Authors Discuss Trends of the Publishing Industry.”
Keynoting the weekend’s events will be Kevin O’Keefe, author of The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation’s Most Ordinary Citizen. Armed with demographic statistics on what constitutes an “average American,” O’Keefe launched a search to find real-life people who fit the profile. He will speak at a 7 p.m. opening reception on Friday at USC’s Thomas Cooper Library. Tickets are $60.
“He is a fantastic individual who really is a marketing guru,” Watkins says. “I met him at another festival and invited him from that … his presentation Friday night will be interactive with the audience, as in, ‘How average are you?’”
With such a wide array of programming, navigating the book festival takes some advance planning. That’s why Free Times offers you this week’s cover package, which includes a full schedule of events and bios of selected authors. Need more? Visit www.scbookfestival.org for more details and bios of all participating authors. — Dan Cook
Authors
Below are brief bios on 20 of the more than 80 authors appearing at the festival. For information on more authors, visit www.scbookfestival.org.
Will Allison
Born in Columbia, the first novel by Allison, What You Have Left, is also set in our fair city. “Loss and redemption take center stage in story writer Allison’s beautifully written debut novel,” wrote Publishers Weekly. “Characters’ tension-fraught relationships are well played, and Allison is adept at navigating a labyrinthine web of psychological underpinnings.” Allison now lives in New Jersey and is working on his next novel.
Jack Bass
Bass is a professor of humanities and social sciences at the College of Charleston and the author of seven works of nonfiction about the South, including The Orangeburg Massacre and STROM: The Complicated Personal and Political Life of Strom Thurmond (co-authored with Marilyn Thompson). A former reporter and editor, he was also twice named South Carolina Journalist of the Year.
Elise Blackwell
“Timely reading from a thoughtful, subtle writer,” wrote Booklist of Blackwell’s 2007 novel, The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish, which was set in southern Louisiana before the 1927 flood. Blackwell is also the author of two more novels, Hunger and Grub, and she teaches English at USC.
Harlan Coben
A master of mysteries and thrillers, Coben is a winner of the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Allan Poe Award, the Anthony Award at the World Mystery Conference and the Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America. His latest novel is The Woods, and his forthcoming Hold Tight comes out in April.
Kwame Dawes
Born in Ghana, Dawes spent most of his childhood and early adulthood in Jamaica, an experience that has made itself felt deeply in his work, which he says involves a “spiritual, intellectual, and emotional engagement with reggae music.” His 13th collection of poetry, Gomer’s Song, was published last year.
Nathalie Dupree
Over the course of 15 years, Charleston-based Dupree has appeared on more than 300 television shows airing in such places as The Food Network, The Learning Channel and PBS. The author of 10 cook books that have sold more than 500,000 copies, Dupree is best known for her understanding of Southern cooking. Her latest book is Nathalie Dupree’s Shrimp and Grits Cookbook.
Lauren Groff
Born in Cooperstown, N.Y., Groff holds an MFA in fiction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her short stories have been published in The Atlantic, Ploughshares and the anthologies Best American Short Stories 2007 and Best New American Voices 2008. Her first novel, The Monsters of Templeton, has just been published by the Hyperion imprint Voice.
Janette Turner Hospital
A Carolina distinguished professor and writer-in-residence and the director of USC’s Caught in the Creative Act series, the latest book from Australian-native Hospital is Orpheus Lost, which landed on her home country’s bestseller list for seven weeks. Hospital’s 2003 novel Due Preparations for the Plague was called a “sophisticated psychological thriller” by Publishers Weekly.
Josephine Humphreys
Based in Charleston, Humphreys is the author of the 1987 novel Rich in Love, which became a major motion picture in 1993. She is also the winner of the 1985 Ernest Hemingway Award for Dreams of Sleep. Her latest novel is Nowhere Else on Earth.
Dinah Johnson
Born in Charleston, Johnson attended Spring Valley High School and received her Ph.D. from Yale. Now an English professor at USC, she has written numerous African-American-themed children’s books. Her latest is Hair Dance!
Cassandra King
King lives in the Lowcountry with her fellow-novelist husband Pat Conroy and is the author of four novels. Of her latest, Queen of Broken Hearts, Publishers Weekly wrote that “King delivers what her fans want — strong bonds, strong women characters and triumph over tragedy.”
John Lane
A poet, playwright and avid kayaker, Lane teaches environmental literature and creative writing at Wofford College. He is also a co-founder of the Hub City Writers Project in Spartanburg.
Jay Lake
The author of more than 200 short stories and three published novels, Lake is a science fiction writer whose books have received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist and whose blog ranks as one of the top 25 science fiction blogs.
Ray McManus
Born in Columbia and raised in Lexington, McManus received his Ph.D. in composition and rhetoric from USC in 2006. His poetry collection Driving Through the Country before You Are Born won the South Carolina Poetry Book Prize in 2006, and his poems have been published in numerous magazines and journals.
Jason Ockert
Ockert teaches English at Coastal Carolina University and is a winner of the Atlantic Monthly fiction contest. His debut short story collection is called Rabbit Punches.
Kevin O’Keefe
From his career in business management and marketing, O’Keefe was more familiar than most about the demographic characteristics that comprise an “average American.” His search to find such a person, chronicled in The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation’s Most Ordinary Citizen, has landed O’Keefe interviews on more than 150 radio and TV shows, including Good Morning America and NPR’s Talk of the Nation.
Marcus Sakey
Sakey’s crime thriller The Blade Itself was named one of Esquire magazine’s Five Best Reads of 2007. It was also featured on CBS Sunday Morning and Ben Affleck has purchased the film rights for Miramax. His latest novel is At the City’s Edge, released last month.
George Singleton
Born in California, Singleton grew up in Greenwood and has become renowned for his Southern-themed comic short stories. Also a novelist, his latest effort is Work Shirts for Madmen, which Newsweek called a “very wacky novel about one drunk’s efforts to go straight.”
Jeff VanderMeer
Science fiction writer VanderMeer is the winner of two World Fantasy Awards and the author of City of Saints and Madmen and Shriek: An Afterward. He has also taught writing masterclasses all throughout the world. His wife Ann, also presenting at the festival, edits the magazine Weird Tales.
Marjory Wentworth
Poet Laureate of South Carolina, Wentworth has been nominated three times for the Pushcart Prize and writes a poetry column for the Charleston Post & Courier.
Panels, Readings and Presentations
All panels are free and take place at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center unless otherwise noted.
Saturday, Feb. 23
10 - 10:50 a.m.
Nathalie Dupree: a Retrospective of Her Work
Introduction by Helen Fellers. Lexington Meeting Room A.
Lola Haskins
Not Feathers Yet: A Beginner’s Guide to the Poetic Life. Introduction by Ed Madden. Carolina Meeting Room.
Bartenders, Cops, & Priests, Oh My!
Julia Spencer Fleming, Con Lehane and James O. Born. Moderator: Paula Benson. Richland Meeting Room A&B.
Young Adult Literature
Something Rotten (Alan Gratz) & My Life as a Rhombus (Varian Johnson). Moderator: Samantha Hastings. Lexington Meeting Room B.
Faith in Fiction
Beth Webb Hart, Ann H. Gabhart and Nicole Seitz. Moderator: Marjory Wentworth. Richland Meeting Room C.
Environmental Writing
John Lane and Joni Tevis. Moderator: Betsy Teter, Hub City Writers Project. Congaree Meeting Room A.
Novice Turkey Hunting
John Lee, John C. Lee III, Rafe Ellisor and Howard S. Waddell. Moderator: Pat Robertson. Congaree Meeting Room B.
11 - 11:50 a.m.
Game, Set, Match!
Hilton Columbia
The Story of South Carolina Tennis Hero Althea Gibson. Sue Stauffacher.
11:20 a.m. -12:10 p.m.
Work Shirts for Madmen
George Singleton. Lexington Meeting Room A.
2007 SC Poetry Initiative’s Chapbook Winners
Karen M. Peluso, Philip Belcher, Gilbert Allen, Joshua Watson, Brian Slusher, Therese Gleason, Angela Kelly, Charlene Spearen. Carolina Meeting Room.
Women Writing Southern Fiction
Pamela Duncan, Virginia Boyd and Lynn York. Moderator: Janna McMahan. Richland Meeting Room C.
Extraordinary Nonfiction
Kevin O’Keefe, Peter Zheutlin and Logan Ward. Moderator: Debra Bloom. Richland Meeting Room A&B.
Mystery Mayhem
Paco Ahlgren, Cara Black and A.J. Hartley. Moderator: Paula Benson. Congaree Meeting Room.
SHE Did It: S.C. Women of Mystery
Cathy Pickens and Gwen Hunter. Moderator: Carla Damron. Lexington Meeting Room B.
Noon – 12:50 p.m.
Chaplain Talk
Hilton Columbia
John W. Brinsfield Jr., The Spirit Divided: Memoirs of Civil War Chaplains.
12:40 -1:30 p.m.
Josephine Humphreys
Charleston-based author of Nowhere Else on Earth and Rich in Love. Lexington Meeting Room.
Wordsmiths: Premier Poets
Sean Thomas Doughtery, Lynnell Edwards, Tom Kimmel and Marjory Wentworth. Moderator: Ray McManus. Carolina Meeting Room.
Masters of Science Fiction
Ann VanderMeer, Jay Lake and Jeff VanderMeer. Moderator: James O. Born. Richland Meeting Room A&B.
Debuts: Notable First Novels
Will Allison, Mirian Herin, Lauren Groff and Man Martin. Moderator: Jackie K. Cooper. Richland Meeting Room C.
S.C. History
USC Press authors Robert K. Ackerman, John Hammond Moore, Suzanne Cameron Linder Hurley and Joy W. Barnes. Moderator: Allen Stokes. Congaree Meeting Room.
1 - 1:30 p.m.
Medieval Manuscripts
Hilton Columbia
Dr. Scott Gwara, curator of medieval manuscripts exhibition at USC.
2 - 2:50 p.m.
Kwame Dawes
Introduced by Ray McManus. Carolina Meeting Room.
Mary Alice Monroe
Introduced by Samantha Hastings. Lexington Meeting Room.
Readings
Marcus Sakey, A. J. Hartley, Janna McMahan, Tito Perdue, Linda Annas Ferguson and Phebe Davidson. Richland Meeting Room C.
Page Turners: Mysteries & Thrillers
Tasha Alexander, James Sheehan and Gwen Hunter. Moderator: Carrie McCullough. Richland Meeting Room A&B.
Readings
Sonny Brewer, John Wesley Brinsfield Jr., Jackie K. Cooper, Varian Johnson, Alan Gratz and Elise Blackwell. Congaree Meeting Room A&B.
”O, Freedom Ova Me!”
Hilton Columbia
Ronald Daise, Gullah Branches, West African Roots.
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3:20 – 4:10 p.m.
Tina McElroy Ansa
Taking After Mudear. Richland Meeting Room A&B.
Jeff VanderMeer
Shriek: An Afterward. Lexington Meeting Room A.
S.C. History Forty Years Later
Jack Bass (The Orangeburg Massacre) and Cleveland Sellers. Moderator: Rhett Jackson. Carolina Meeting Room.
Key Ingredients
Kim Sunee, Sallie Ann Robinson and Nathalie Dupree. Introduction by Theresa J. Wallace. Richland Meeting Room C.
Short Fiction
Jason Ockert, Will Allison and Lauren Groff. Moderator: George Singleton. Congaree Meeting Room A&B.
4 – 4:50 p.m.
Big Screen, Blogs, and Books: Publishing Industry Trends
Hilton Columbia
Tasha Alexander, Cara Black, Sonny Brewer, J. T. Ellison and Marcus Sakey.
4:30 – 5:20 p.m.
Music in Poetry
Kwame Dawes and Lola Haskins. Moderator: Marjory Wentworth. Carolina Meeting Room.
The Necessity of Literary Journals in an Online Age
Caroline Lord, Matthew Bruccoli, Carol Ann Davis and Sheri Josephs. Moderator: Caroline Lord. Congaree Meeting Room.
Readings
Paco Ahlgren, Man Martin, Jay Lake, Sheila Morris, Lisa Starr and Peter Zheutlin. Richland Meeting Room A&B.
Readings
Pam Duncan, Lynnell Edwards, Lynn York, Ray McManus, Virginia Boyd and Orville Vernon Burton. Lexington Meeting Room.
Up Close & Personal: Authors/Local Bookstores Working Together
Buzzy Porter and Mary Alice Monroe. Richland Meeting Room C.
Sunday, Feb. 24
12:45 – 1:35 p.m.
Queen of Broken Hearts
Cassandra King. Ballroom.
From the Foothills to the Coast: S.C. Poets
Ray McManus, Carol Ann Davis, Phebe Davidson and Linda Annas Ferguson. Moderator: Susan Meyers. Carolina Meeting Room.
Memoirs
Ronald Daise, Kate Salley Palmer, Jackie Cooper and Sheila Morris. Lexington Meeting Room.
Literary Fiction
Elise Blackwell, Tito Perdue and Sheri Joseph. Moderator: Caroline Lord. Richland Meeting Room A&B.
Up Close & Personal: Author/Publicist Relationship
Buzzy Porter and Tasha Alexander. Richland Meeting Room C.
Children’s Literature: Not for Children Only
Lynn Floyd Wright, Dinah Johnson and Sue Stauffacher. Congaree Meeting Room.
2 - 2:50 p.m.
Cormac: The Tale of a Dog Gone Missing
Sonny Brewer. Richland Meeting Room C.
Orpheus Lost
Janette Turner Hospital. Ballroom.
First Women of Poetry
State Poet Laureates from Across the Nation. Marjory Wentworth, Lisa Starr, Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda and Joyce Brinkman. Moderator: Susan Meyers. Carolina Meeting Room.
Killer Thrillers
James O. Born, Marcus Sakey, J. T. Ellison and J. D. Rhoades. Lexington Meeting Room.
Civil War
Orville Vernon Burton, John Wesley Brinsfield Jr. and Andrew Billingsley. Richland Meeting Room A&B.
Readings
Tom Kimmel, Miriam Herin, Jason Ockert, Con Lehane, Logan Ward and Sean Thomas Dougherty. Congaree Meeting Room.
3 - 3:50 p.m.
Harlan Coben
Author of The Woods and the forthcoming Hold Tight. Ballroom.
Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest
Midlands Regional Competition. Carolina Meeting Room.
Bob Fulton
The voice of the Gamecocks. Richland Meeting Room C.
Southern Writers: Exploring and Revealing Their Passions
L. D. Russell, Marti Healy and John Lee. Lexington Meeting Room.
Authenticity: Writing Real Life
Elise Blackwell, Logan Ward and James Sheehan. Richland Meeting Room A&B.
At Home & Abroad: The Importance of Place Across Genres
Kim Sunee, Janna McMahan, Ann H. Gabhart and Cara Black. Congaree Meeting Room.
3:30 – 4:20 p.m.
Tribute to Earl Middleton
Hilton Columbia
Joy W. Barnes, co-author of Middleton’s memoir, Knowing Who I Am: A Black Entrepreneur’s Struggle and Success in the American South.
4:10 – 5 p.m.
Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest
Midlands Regional Competition. Carolina Meeting Room.
Tom Kimmel
The Sweetest and the Meanest. Richland Meeting Room A&B.
Pure Poetry
Cassie Premo Steele, Michael Lythgoe, Dennis Stiles, Kay Day, Karen Peluso and Sheila Tombe. Lexington Meeting Room.
Readings
J. T. Ellison, J. D. Rhoades, Lauren Groff, Sue Stauffacher, Suzanne Cameron and Linder Hurley. Richland Meeting Room C.
Readings
Carolyn Kreiter-Foronda, Joyce Brinkman, Marjory Wentworth and Lisa Starr. Congaree Meeting Room.
Master Classes
All classes will be held at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. Cost ranges from $15 to $30 per class; most classes are $25. Space is limited; to register in advance, visit www.scbookfestival.org.
Friday, Feb. 22
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
How to Get Published
Instructors: Kelly Harms (Jane Rotrosen Agency) and Sarah Rainone, (Doubleday Broadway,a division of Random House)
Get a “behind the scenes” view of the publishing industry through the eyes of two seasoned professionals who will provide in-depth information about how to get an agent, how to work with an editor, and how to effectively promote your book. Carolina Meeting Room, $30.
Reconsidering the Five “W’s”
Instructor: Cecile Holmes
In nonfiction writing, the five “w’s” — who, what, where, when and why — can convert to a system of writing based in observation and attention to detail. Reshaped this way, who is a character, what is an action, where is the place or setting, when is the timeline of events (or chronology) and why (or how) becomes the process. Congaree Meeting Room A, $25.
Beginner’s Book Collecting
Instructors: Members of the Antiquarian Book Dealers Association of South Carolina
Learn how to begin building a great collection, including advice on nonfiction, out-of prints, rare antiquarian books and contemporary. Congaree Meeting Room B, $15.
1:30 – 3 p.m.
How to Write a Nonfiction Book Proposal
Instructor: Mark Hoffmann (Regal Literary Agency)
Do you have an idea for a memoir, biography, travel guide or some other type of nonfiction book? If so, here is your opportunity to learn how to write a proposal that will attract the attention of agents and editors. Carolina Meeting Room, $25.
General Concepts of Writing Fiction
Instructor: James O. Born
Thriller writer James O. Born will teach general concepts of writing fiction, offering a simple guide to structuring a novel, developing characters and creating suspense. Congaree Meeting Room A, $25.
What to Look for When You Edit a Poem
Instructor: Lola Haskins
Participants are encouraged to bring copies of two of their own poems to work on and to share with the class. The instructor will read and comment on students’ work, explaining the principle behind each comment. Congaree Meeting Room B, $25.
Ticketed Events
Visit www.scbookfestival.org or call 771-2477 for more information.
Friday, Feb. 22
7 p.m.
Opening Night Keynote Address and Reception
USC’s Thomas Cooper Library
Kevin O’Keefe, author of The Average American: The Extraordinary Search for the Nation’s Most Ordinary Citizen. Visit www.theaverageamerican.com to learn more.
Saturday, Feb. 23
8:30 - 9:45 a.m.
Book Club Morning Toast
Hilton Columbia
Book club members meet and mingle with S.C. Book Festival authors. Coffee, danish and a cash bar serving mimosas and Bloody Marys. Cost is $25 for a group of five book club members and $5 for each additional member.
Sunday, Feb. 24
9:30 - 11 a.m.
Brunching with Authors
This event will be held at the Columbia Museum of Art and authors have been pre-selected by committee and confirmed. Participating authors have received materials from the festival staff separate about this special event.
Humanities at the Hilton
Many of the Humanties at the Hilton events are listed above. For additional information on the series, visit www.scbookfestival.org.
Children’s Programming
Friday, Feb. 22
Children’s Field Trip Day
Pre-selected third grade students from H. B. Rhame Elementary, Forest Heights Elementary and Pleasant Hill Elementary Schools will enjoy a morning with South Carolina children’s authors Mary Alice Monroe, Lynn Floyd Wright and Dinah Johnson. USC mascot Cocky and his student volunteers will greet the third graders and present them with a small remembrance of their visit with the authors.
Cute as a Bug!: Storytime and Scarabs
The Columbia Museum of Art will host an arts and crafts program for preschoolers (ages 2-5) and their adult companions from 2 to 3 p.m. Participants will explore objects through the introduction of elementary art terms such as color, line, shape and texture. This program includes a storytime and a creative studio activity related to the art exploration theme. Space is limited and pre-registration is required.
Sat-Sun, Feb. 23-24
The Exhibit Hall will feature arts and crafts booths sponsored by EdVenture and the Richland County Public Library. Listen to a story by local storyteller Darion McCloud and attend panel discussions and readings featuring authors Alan Gratz (Something Rotten), Dinah Johnson (Hair Dance!), Varian Johnson (My Life as a Rhombus), Mary Alice Monroe, (Turtle Summer: A Journal for My Daughter), Sue Stauffacher, (Nothing But Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson) and Lynn Floyd Wright (Flick on Trial). | |
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