9th Annual Lowcountry Book Club Convention

The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will host our 9th annual Lowcountry Book Club Convention on Friday, September 26, at the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce in Beaufort, and Saturday, September 27, at the Culinary Institute of the South at the Technical College of the Lowcountry in Bluffton. Ideal for book club members, those interested in joining a book club, or anyone who simply loves the joy of reading, the Lowcountry Book Club Convention is presented in partnership with NeverMore Books and the student book club DAYLO.

The Lowcountry Book Club Convention will begin on Friday evening with a panel discussion among local authors: biographer Nancy Thode (Ahead of Her Time: The Trailblazing Life and Literary Legacy of Ann Head), novelist Karin Gillespie (The Pitch Queen), and travel writers Lynn and Cele Seldon (100 Things to Do in the South Carolina Lowcountry Before You Die). This opening session will be followed by a book signing, with refreshments. This is a ticketed event, held at the Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce (711 Bladen St., Beaufort).

The Convention continues Saturday at the Culinary Institute of the South (1 Venture Dr., Bluffton), with three author keynote conversations and gourmet box lunches catered by Debbi Covington. The program will feature a morning discussion with USA Today bestselling novelist Renée Rosen, author of Let’s Call Her Barbie, an afternoon discussion with New York Times bestselling novelist Marie Bostwick, author of The Book Club for Troublesome Women, and a midday conversation between New York Times bestselling cookbook writer and Food Network star Kardea Brown, author of The Way Home, and local favorite Mary Martha Greene, author of The Cheese Biscuit Queen: Kiss My Aspic! Each author conversation will be followed by a book signing. This is a ticketed event.

Advance registration is required by September 20 for this year’s Lowcountry Book Club Convention.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, September 26

Beaufort County Black Chamber of Commerce (711 Boundary St., Beaufort)

5:00-6:00 p.m. Local author panel discussion with Nancy Thode (Ahead of Her Time: The Trailblazing Life and Literary Legacy of Ann Head), Karin Gillespie (The Pitch Queen), and Lynn and Cele Seldon (100 Things to Do in the South Carolina Lowcountry Before You Die).

6:00-7:00 p.m. Book signing with refreshments

Saturday, September 28

Culinary Institute of the South (1 Venture Dr., Bluffton)

9:30-10:00 a.m. Check-in begins

10:00-11:00 a.m. Keynote conversation with USA Today bestselling novelist Renée Rosen, author of Let’s Call Her Barbie

11:00-11:30 a.m. Book signing break

11:30-12:30 p.m. Keynote conversation between New York Times bestselling cookbook writer and Food Network star Kardea Brown, author of The Way Home, and local favorite Mary Martha Greene, author of The Cheese Biscuit Queen: Kiss My Aspic!

12:30-1:30 p.m. Book signing break and lunch: gourmet box lunches, catering by Debbi Covington. (Register by September 22 for lunch)

1:30-2:30 p.m. Keynote conversation with New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Marie Bostwick, author of The Book Club for Troublesome Women

2:30-3:00 p.m. Final book signing break

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Featured Local Authors

Karin Gillespie is the author of nine novels, most recently The Pitch Queen. She’s a former book columnist for the Augusta Chronicle, a former humor columnist for Augusta Magazine, and a recipient of a 2016 Georgia Author of the Year Award. Her non-fiction work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and Writer Magazine, and she also has a popular Substack called “Pitch Your Novel.” Gillespie earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Converse College; she now lives and writes in Savannah.

Lynn and Cele Seldon are veteran travel journalists and published authors of many travel guidebooks, including 100 Things to Do in Charleston Before You Die, 100 Things to Do in Savannah Before You Die, and the forthcoming 100 Things to Do in the South Carolina Lowcountry Before You Die. The duo has spent more than 35 years covering all aspects of travel, with their work appearing in Southern Living, Garden & Gun, The Local Palate, South Carolina Living, USA Today, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, FoodNetwork.com, USA Today, and many others. The Seldons are based in Beaufort.

A native of Beaufort, Nancy Head Thode is a graduate of Ashley Hall School, Towson State University, and the University of Maryland School of Social Work. An early advocate for family mediation, she was a founding board member of the Academy of Family Mediators and continues her work today as a practicing family psychotherapist. Ahead of Her Time, the biography of her mother Ann Head, is her first book.

Keynote Authors

Marie Bostwick is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than twenty works of uplifting contemporary and historical fiction—most recently The Book Club for Troublesome Women, USA Today and Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance bestseller. It was a monthly pick for large national book clubs including the AARP Girlfriends Book Club, Gloss Book Club, and Brenda Novak’s Book Club, and has been includes on numerous “most anticipated” lists, including BookBub’s Best Historical Fiction of 2025. Translated into a dozen languages, Marie’s novels are beloved by readers across the globe. Her 2009 book, A Thread of Truth, was an Indie Next Notable pick. Three of her books were published as Reader's Digest Select Editions. In addition to books, Marie writes a popular lifestyle blog, Fiercely Marie, that encourages readers to “live every minute and love every moment”. Marie lives in Washington state with her husband and a beautiful but moderately spoiled Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Kardea Brown is a contemporary Southern Chef, author of the New York Times bestseller The Way Home and the forthcoming Make Do with What You Have (November 2025). She and the creator of the New Gullah Supper Club pop-up, where her menu pays homage to dishes her grandmother and mother passed down to her. She is the host of the hit show Delicious Miss Brown and Kids Baking Championship. She is also a resident judge on Spring Baking Championship and co-hosted seasonal specials, including Kids Baking Championship Thanksgiving in 2023. Kardea lives in Charleston with her husband Bryon and their fur baby Rhubarb.

Mary Martha Greene is a South Carolina native and government relations consultant who perfected her entertaining skills for making friends and engaging clients during her forty-year career. The author of The Cheese Biscuit Queen Tells All: Southern Recipes, Sweet Remembrances, and a Little Rambunctious Behavior, and its sequel, The Cheese Biscuit Queen: Kiss My Aspic, Greene divides her time between Beaufort and Columbia.

Renée Rosen is a USA Today bestselling author. Her novels include Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl, The Social Graces, Park Avenue Summer, Windy City Blues, White Collar Girl, What the Lady Wants and Dollface as well as the young adult novel, Every Crooked Pot. Her newest novel, Let’s Call Her Barbie, about the origin story of the popular doll, is a USA Today bestseller featured in the New York Post, RuPaul's Book Club, Book Riot, the Nerd Daily, and the Chicago Review of Books. She is a native of Akron, Ohio, and a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C. Rosen now lives and writes in Chicago.

Learn more about the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center at www.patconroyliterarycenter.org.

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