Staff reports
The Pat Conroy Literary Center’s annual Lowcountry Children’s Book Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, July 27, at the Port Royal Sound Foundation Weezie Educational Pavilion at 310 Okatie Hwy, Okatie. The Maritime Center will also be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and admission is free.
Presented in partnership between the nonprofit Conroy Center, the Port Royal Sound Foundation, the Storybook Shoppe children’s bookstore, and DAYLO: Diversity Awareness Youth Literacy Organization, this special event is free and open to the public. This year’s book fair is made possible by the generous support of Oyster Cay Collection of Beaufort.
Student volunteers from DAYLO will be hosting picture book read-alouds and bookmark art projects throughout the day. Featured middle-grade mysteries author Susan Diamond Riley will read from her newest Delta & Jax Mystery, “The Sea Devil’s Demise,” at 11 a.m. National Park Service Ranger Katherine Freeman will also host a special Read with a Ranger program at noon, featuring a reading of “With Books and Bricks: How Booker T. Washington Built a School,” with a special corresponding art project. Featured bestselling children’s picture book author Antwan Eady will read from his newest book, “The Last Stand,” at 1 p.m.
Other participating authors and artists include Patricia Bee, author of “Try’umsee’s Wings;” Rebecca Chamberlain, author and artist of “Maralee & the Turtles of the Sea;” Mary T. Jacobs, author of the “Big Daddy Series;” Kellie Langan author of the “Tinkie and Bobo” series; Emma McClure, author/artist of “Beautiful Beaufort: A Coloring Book;” Susan Montanari, author of “My Dog’s a Chicken;” Katherine Robinson, author of “The Crabs on Calhoun;” and Laurie Suber, author of “Hunting Island Adventures: A South Carolina State Park Adventure” with Levi and Skylin.
The Storybook Shoppe will have additional local books available for sale. All participating authors will be available to sign copies of their books. And a food truck will be available for lunch purchases.
About the featured authors
— Author of the Delta & Jax Mysteries, award-winning writer and editor Susan Diamond Riley has worked in the fields of publishing, journalism, and education for more than 30 years and has taught and tutored writing at the middle school, high school, and college levels. She holds a master of arts degree in children’s literature and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, the South Carolina Writers Association, and the Island Writers Network. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island.
— Antwan Eady is the author of the award-winning picture book “Nigel and the Moon” (illustrated by Gracey Zhang) and the recently released “The Last Stand” (illustrated by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey). Down the dirt roads of South Carolina’s lowcountry is where Eady’s understanding of — and appreciation for — family, community, and land unfolded. Now he shares those stories with the world. When he isn’t writing, he’s visiting schools, libraries, and colleges throughout the country. A graduate of Clemson University, Eady lives in Savannah.
To learn more about the Pat Conroy Literary Center, please visit www.patconroyliterarycenter.org. To learn more about the Port Royal Sound Foundation, please visit www.portroyalsoundfoundation.org.
