Southern Fried Fiction and Poetry

You should kick yourself if you missed Ken Burger's talk about his book Swallow Savannah. Burger is a rarity; he is an accomplished journalist, an excellent writer, and as congenial as anyone that you would ever hope to meet. The setting for his novel is mid-century Groton, SC, (a thinly disguised Allendale, which was Burger's childhood home). His book is replete with elements of Southern Gothic fiction: sex, avarice, violence, substance abuse, and racism. Burger uses all of these instruments to create a tale of how outside forces change the residents of a small South Carolina town. Check it out today.

Next on the agenda is Marjory Wentworth, who will be at the Library Society on March 5 to discuss her book, Shackles, her poetry, and herself. She is poet laureate of South Carolina, a prolific writer, and a regular contributor to the Post and Courier. She also will sign copies of her books, so do not miss this event!

The city's work crews have once again descended on lower King Street to "beautify" it with bluestone sidewalks. We apologize for the daytime mess, but you can park behind the Library Society and avoid much of the noise. The construction crews depart by 5:00 pm, so parking for evening events is not a problem.

We hope that you join us for all of our entertaining and educational programs. We also hope to see you soon.

Read a Book!

Many moons have passed....

It has been quite some time since Clifford Jacobs or I have taken time to keep you informed of Library Society happenings. We hope that you had a chance to come to Danny Crooks' lecture on January 15 (the crowd was large and enthusiastic). Let's face it, if you can't draw a crowd in Charleston with a lecture and book signing dealing with Robert E. Lee, then you are just not trying.

I also hope that you had a chance to attend the Library Society's 260th Annual Meeting. For the first time in its long history, the Library Society has witnessed trustees rotating off the board as a result of term limits. The new trustees are excited to be part of the team, and we are excited to have them on board.

The Library Society received much appreciated publicity from the the front page Post and Courier article about the George Washington/Charles Cotesworth Pinckney correspondence. We also received an addition to the collections. After reading the article, two generous members donated to the Library Society Pinckney's appointment as Minister Plenipotentiary to France. They also donated a letter from Washington welcoming Pinckney home from France and offering to host him and his family at Mount Vernon as they returned to Charleston.

We have big plans for late Winter and early Spring. Ken Burger will be here on February 19 to discuss his debut novel Swallow Savannah. Many of you know him as the Post and Courier's new columnist and a former sports reporter.

We will blog more often in the future. After all, what would Shh! be without news?

Read a book!