NEW AUTHOR LUNCH SERIES ON DAUFUSKIE ISLAND
CONROY CENTER LAUNCHES NEW AUTHOR LUNCH SERIES ON DAUFUSKIE ISLAND
In Partnership with Haig Point – Featuring Jim Alberto and Bernie Schein
The nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center is partnering with Haig Point to offer a new author lunch series at the Calibogue Club on Daufuskie Island. The series will be open to Haig Point members, guests, and the general public. The spring series will feature two retired educators turned memoirists: on April 14, Jim Alberto, author of Daufuskie Daze: Living, Learning, and Teaching on a South Carolina Sea Island, and on May 21, Bernie Schein, author of Pat Conroy: Our Lifelong Friendship.
Both events begin at 12:30 p.m. and conclude at 3:00 p.m. Limited to 55 people, registration is $25 per person and includes a plated lunch at the Calibogue Club. Roundtrip ferry service is available for an additional charge. Books will be available for sale and signing following the presentation; proceeds help support the year-round educational mission of the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center. Contact Lauren Hunt at Haig Point (lhunt@haigpoint.com) to register for either or both author lunches in the spring series.
APRIL 14, JIM ALBERTO, AUTHOR OF DAUFUSKIE DAZE
Starting in 1974, Jim Alberto and his wife Carol taught at the Mary Field Elementary School for nine years. Little did they know that Jim’s meeting with Pat Conroy in 1973 would play such an important role in their careers. Jim and Carol experienced Daufuskie Island life firsthand when they moved to the barrier island to teach the local children. From navigating weekly boat rides to the mainland for groceries to learning to avoid dangerously close encounters with local wildlife, these young teachers had no idea how much they would learn from the island and the people who call it home. Daufuskie Daze tells their story with heart and humor.
“This fascinating book tells a rare, unvarnished, important story of a committed teacher. Jim Alberto’s pivotal experiences while teaching at the two-room school on Daufuskie Island with wife Carol. It is an extraordinary example of courage, caring, and perseverance. From his depiction of the Island’s distinct smell in the first chapter to his deep exhale to contentment in the last chapter, Jim’s detailed account will enthrall readers on every page.”—Emory S. Campbell, Gullah cultural historian
In 1973, Jim Alberto graduated from the University of South Carolina and his long love affair with the Lowcountry and his wife Carol commenced. After his nine-year stint teaching on secluded Daufuskie Island, he finished his teaching career on the mainland, sharing his passion for history with his many students and with anyone else who was willing to listen. Jim and Carol now reside on Hilton Head Island.
MAY 21, BERNIE SCHEIN, AUTHOR OF PAT CONROY
Pat Conroy, the bestselling author of The Prince of Tides and The Great Santini, was beloved by millions of readers. Bernie Schein was his best friend from the time they met in a high-school pickup basketball game in Beaufort until Conroy’s death in 2016. Both were popular athletes but also outsiders as a Jew and a Catholic military brat in the small-town Bible-Belt South, and they bonded. As young teachers in the Beaufort area and later in Atlanta, they were activists in the civil rights struggle and against institutional racism and bigotry. A love letter and homage, and a way to share the Pat Bernie knew, this book collects Bernie’s cherished memories about the gregarious, welcoming, larger-than-life man who remained his lifelong friend. The memoir offers a trove of insights and anecdotes that will be treasured by Conroy’s many devoted fans.
“Honest in its portrayal of both Conroy and Schein’s own conflicted feelings toward the novelist, the lucid narrative deftly explores the complexities of a lifelong friendship. A thoughtful, poignant, and candid memoir perfect for Conroy fans.”—Kirkus Reviews
Bernie Schein was born, bred, and Bar Mitzvahed in Beaufort. He was an educator for forty-five years, many of them in Atlanta. He is the author of three books, including the novel Famous All over Town. He has been published and featured in numerous newspapers and magazines, including Newsweek, the Jewish Advocate, Atlanta magazine, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and interviewed on NPR and radio stations across the country. He is now an educational consultant as well as a humorist and raconteur. He and his wife Martha live in Beaufort.
ABOUT THE PAT CONROY LITERARY CENTER
TripAdvisor’s top-ranked destination in Beaufort, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center is located at 905 Port Republic Street in historic downtown and open to the public from noon to 4:00 p.m. on Thursdays through Sundays. Winner of the 2019 Civitas Award for Tourism Leadership presented by the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Conroy Center is South Carolina’s first affiliate of the American Writers Museum and second American Library Association Literary Landmark. Through its interpretive center, year-round educational programs, and annual literary festival, the Conroy Center preserves and continues the literary legacy of Pat Conroy (1945-2016) as a teacher, mentor, advocate, and friend to readers and writers alike. www.patconroyliterarycenter.org
