Pat Conroy Literary Center finds a home in downtown Beaufort

Remembering Pat Conroy — 1945-2016

Beaufort's prince, Pat Conroy, goes home ☙ Conroy's wife organizes memorial event at Waterfront Park ☙ Pat Conroy’s last days ☙ State of Surprise: Pat Conroy’s love letter to South Carolina ☙ Pat Conroy literary festival dates set ☙ Pat Conroy in his high school years in Beaufort: A tribute from principal Bill Dufford ☙ In his honor,Conroy’s ‘losing season’ teammates revisit the moment at The Citadel ☙ Cartoonist Robert Ariail's tribute to Conroy ☙ Pat Conroy mourned by dignitaries, cadets and friends with ‘personal grief’ ☙ Ervena Faulkner: A meal to mourn Pat Conroy ☙ SC lawmakers honor Conroy following funeral ☙ Kathleen Parker: Conroy’s writing made him the sexiest man alive ☙ Lauderdale: I could hear an ‘amen’ at Pat Conroy’s funeral ☙ Why graduates of The Citadel, class of 2001, united to attend Conroy funeral ☙ Hundreds pay respects to Pat Conroy, family in Beaufort ☙ How 10 minutes with Pat Conroy changed my life ☙ Lauderdale: Pat Conroy expects all the shrimp in Beaufort to be pickled for his funeral (+recipe!) ☙ Op-ed: 'Let something legendary' come from PatConroy ☙ Keyserling: Pat Conroy bonded with other 'orphans' who landed in Beaufort ☙ Real people inspired characters in Conroy's books ☙ Lowcountry remembers Pat Conroy ☙ How Pat Conroy made Beaufort a destination ☙ Pat Conroy on the silver screen ☙ Model for 'Prince of Tides' tiger lived in Columbia ☙ Photos: PatConroy and Beaufort ☙ Books written by Pat Conroy ☙ Quotes from Pat Conroy's works

Stories from Conroy's friends and admirers: Conroy's closest friends: Grateful now for last year's celebration of author's life ☙ Close encounters with Pat Conroy ☙ Lowcountry remembers Pat Conroy ☙ Sallie Ann Robinson recalls press tour with Pat Conroy ☙ Great Santini tells principal 'my son (Pat Conroy) will not be a secretary' ☙ Retired book seller: Decades after Daufuskie, Pat Conroy 'knew every (student's) name' ☙ Conroy book buffs: When you read his books, 'you are there'

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A nonprofit venture honoring late author Pat Conroy has a home in downtown Beaufort.

The Pat Conroy Literary Center will be based at 308 Charles St. A soft opening is planned Oct. 21 to coincide with the inaugural Pat Conroy Literary Festival.

The first programs will start early next year. The center will offer writing classes, lectures and school programs.

Conroy died March 4 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His widow, author Cassandra King, is the chairwoman of the center’s board of directors.

Among the center’s missions will be to work with teachers and provide resources for those who have always wanted to write poetry or think they have a worthwhile story to share, she said. King and her husband heard regularly from readers wanting an outlet to tell their own stories, she said.

In planning a way to remember Conroy, statues and plaques were discussed. But King said the center provides something unique to serve as a living legacy.

“We just said, ‘Wouldn’t it be so much better to carry on what he was interested in doing, which was helping other writers and promoting the love of writing and reading?’ ” King said Thursday.

Fundraising for the center is the immediate goal. There is no target in mind, but King and others have looked at other similar centers for an idea of an operating budget.

The center has applied for nonprofit status, which will allow the organization to compete for grants.

Volunteers will fuel the center’s programs, but there will be some paid staff. The center will initially occupy the bottom floor of the Charles Street building.

The building is owned by Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling and his brother, Paul. The arrangement to accommodate the center is still being worked out, said Billy Keyserling, who is on the center’s board of directors.

Among the activities planned for the new center are, from its website:

▪  Readings by regional and national authors

▪  Writing classes at the center and in places such as schools, senior centers and military bases.

▪  Placing writers in K-12 classrooms to work with students

▪  Lectures, master classes and special events

▪  Space for book groups and writing groups

▪  Mentorships for middle and high school writing students

▪  Ongoing professional development for English teachers

▪  Fundraising to renovate the building

▪  Collaboration with libraries and other organizations

▪  Presentation of an English Teacher of the Year award

The center’s soft opening will feature some exhibits and is part of a busy season for remembering Conroy.

The literary festival will be held Oct. 20-23. The event follows a similar event celebrating the author’s 70th birthday last year.

Conroy’s publisher will print a collection of the bestselling author’s nonfiction writing this fall.

“A Lowcountry Heart: Reflections on a Writing Life” will be published by Nan. A. Talese/Doubleday on Oct. 25, the day before what would have been the “Prince of Tides” author’s 71st birthday.

The book will include letters, interviews and magazine articles. There will be tributes from Conroy’s friends and an introduction by King.

King said the months since her husband’s death have been rough but that working to develop the center has helped.

“There is a real need I think people will respond to,” she said.

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This story was originally published July 21, 2016 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Pat Conroy Literary Center finds a home in downtown Beaufort."