In November 2020, the nonprofit Pat Conroy Literary Center will offer our second Conroy Center Writer's Residency, available to writers of Southern fiction seeking an inspirational, creative space in the heart of Pat Conroy’s beloved lowcountry for a stay of 8 days to march forth in their writing. The residency location is a guest cottage on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, approximately 15 minutes from downtown Beaufort and 15 minutes from the beach at Hunting Island State Park.
The residency will begin on Wednesday, November 4, and includes complimentary admission to up to four of the online writers workshops being held as part of the fifth annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival, November 5 to 8. (Workshop instructors include award-winning writers Connie May Fowler, Pam Durban, Valerie Sayers, Andrew Geyer, Len Lawson, and Dorothy St. James. Learn more about their festival workshops at https://patconroyliterarycenter.eventbrite.com.)
TO APPLY FOR THE WRITER'S RESIDENCY
1. Tell us a story. What is your Southern fiction work in progress? Let us know in 200 words (no more) in the body of the email.
2. Let’s talk time and place. How will being in the lowcountry for a residency benefit your writing? Be specific and tell us in 200 words (no more) in the body of the email.
3. Who are you? Send us a short bio of no more than 100 words, along with your contact information, also in the body of the email.
4. Do you have a favorite Pat Conroy book? If so, tell us which one, and why, in approximately 50 words in the body of the email. Don't have a favorite Conroy book? Then tell us which book by another author is closest to your heart and why.
5. Let’s have a look. Include a writing sample of your work, 3 - 5 pages, double-spaced, attached as a PDF.
Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of Conroy Center advisors. The selected writer will be notified by October 16, 2020. The residency will start on Wednesday, November 4, for 8 days, until Thursday, November 12.
The residency is open to both published and unpublished writers. Pat Conroy was a mentor to writers in all stages of their careers and we wish to honor that legacy. But if you have not been published, here’s your chance. At the end of the residency, the writer will submit a piece of 800 to 1,000 words for editing and subsequent publication in the Lowcountry Weekly.
ABOUT THE COTTAGE
Please visit this airbnb link to MarshSong Cottage for photos and details: www.airbnb.com/rooms/19360110.
The selected writer must provide her or his own transportation. Residency is for the writer only; no guests or pets. A $200 breakage/damage deposit is required a week prior to arrival and will be returned if there is no damage to the property.
WRITERS, WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR SUBMISSIONS!
