7th Annual March Forth Weekend

The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center's seventh annual March Forth will be held on Saturday, March 4, and Sunday, March 5, with a special preview event the evening of Friday, March 3. March Forth commemorates the anniversary of acclaimed southern author Pat Conroy's passing on March 4, 2016, with programs on major themes of his writing and teaching life, including social justice, inclusivity, conservation, education, and storytelling. Learn more and register in advance at https://marchforth2023.eventbrite.com.

The 2023 March Forth will include appearances by MacArthur Fellowship honoree, environmentalist, memoirist, and poet J. Drew Lanham; South Carolina Academy of Authors honoree, environmentalist, memoirist, poet, and novelist John Lane; New York Times bestselling novelists De'Shawn Charles Winslow and Megan Miranda; and former Charleston City Poet Laureate Marcus Amaker.

March Forth is presented in collaboration between the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center and Penn Center, NeverMore Books, the Storybook Shoppe, the Port Royal Farmers Market, Catering by Debbi Covington, and the DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization) chapters of Beaufort High School and Beaufort Academy, and sponsored in part by a grant from South Carolina Humanities, a nonprofit organization inspiring, engaging and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture and heritage.

Free Preview Event

NeverMore Books, Fri., March 3

5:00-6:00pm – New York Times bestselling novelist De'Shawn Charles Winslow, author of newly released Decent People, in conversation with Jonathan Haupt. Free and open to the public, this book discussion and signing. Seating is limited; please call 843-812-9460 to reserve in advance.

FREE TEDDY BEAR PICNIC READ-ALOUD

Port Royal Farmers Market, Sat., March 4

9:00-Noon – High school students from the DAYLO (Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Org.) and National Honor Society chapters of Beaufort High and Beaufort Academy will be reading children's picture books to young readers and their families, light snacks provided, in partnership with the Bluffton-based children's bookstore, the Storybook Shoppe. This free event will be near the gazebo at the Port Royal Farmers Market (1615 Ribaut Rd, Port Royal). No registration needed.

YORK W. BAILEY MUSEUM

Penn Center, Sat., March 4

10:00am to 4:00pm Museum admission: $7.00/adult, $5.00/child. Learn more at www. penncenter.com

DARRAH HALL

(a part of the Reconstruction Era National Historic Park)

Penn Center, Sat., March 4

9:00am to 5:00pm – Free admission. Learn submit two letters of recommendation from teachers or mentors not related to the applicant, and (4) complete the required application form and two essays. Priority will be given to need-based applicants.

When to Apply: The 2023 scholarship application period is now open and will conclude on March 20, 2023. Eligible applications will be reviewed by a selection committee, and finalists will be contacted for brief interviews. The scholarship recipient and all other applicants will be notified of their status by April 10, 2023.

How to Apply: Apply online at https:// forms.gle/Su5QxtyZMVihtFdJ8 or via the Conroy Center’s website at www.patconroy literarycenter.org. Please contact the Conroy Center with any questions at patconroy literarycenter@gmail.com more at https://www.nps.gov/reer/planyour visit/penn-center.htm

TICKETED MARCH FORTH EVENTS

Penn Center, Sat., March 4 (Register in advance by February 24.)

11:00 – 11:30am, Attendee check-in.

11:30 – Noon, Lunch by Debbi Covington.

Noon – 1pm, A conversation with South Carolina Academy of Authors honoree, environmentalist, memoirist, poet, and novelist John Lane, author of Still Upright and Headed Downstream and Coming into Animal Presence, with interviewer Margaret Evans.

1:00 – 1:20pm, Book signing break with NeverMore Books.

1:20 – 2:20pm, A conversation with New York Times bestselling nature-themed mystery novelist Megan Miranda, author of The Last to Vanish and (forthcoming) The Only Survivors.

2:20 – 2:40pm, Book signing break with NeverMore Books.

2:40 – 3:40pm, A poetry reading and discussion with former Charleston City Poet Laureate Marcus Amaker, editor of Colors Wash Over Me: Poems by Lowcountry Students and author of The Birth of All Things and (forthcoming) Hold What Makes You Whole. (Amaker will be assisted by student readers.)

3:40 – 4:00pm, Book signing break with NeverMore Books.

TICKETED MARCH FORTH EVENTS

Penn Center, Sun., March 5 (Register in advance by February 24.)

10:30 – 11:00am, Attendee check-in.

11:00am – 12:30pm, Nature walk of Penn Center led by environmentalist J. Drew Lanham (a MacArthur Fellowship "genius grant" honoree and author of Sparrow Envy) and John Lane (a SC Academy of Authors honoree and author of Still Upright and Headed Downstream)

12:30 – 1:00pm, Book signing.

To learn more about the Pat Conroy Literary Center, visit online at www.patconroy literarycenter.org or in person at 601 Bladen Street, Beaufort, Thursday through Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m.