Schedule:

MAIN STAGE

11 AM – Noon
Abbott Kahler
Abbott Kahler (formerly Karen Abbott)
is the author of four New York Times
bestselling works of narrative nonfiction. USA Today once named her “a
pioneer of sizzle history.” Her books
include Sin in the Second City, American
Rose, Liar Temptress Soldier Spy, The
Ghosts of Eden Park, and Eden Undone:
A True Story of Sex, Murder, and Utopia
at the Dawn of World War II

12:30 – 1:30 PM
Not a Hoax: Book Banning
and Intellectual Freedom
Exercise your rights to ideas and
expression with this panel of experts
exploring current events, impacts on
young readers, and the outlook ahead.
Valerie Byrd Fort,
Instructor, University of South Carolina
School of Information Science
Jordan Henry,
School Librarian
Cassie Owens Moore,
Intellectual Freedom Chair, SCASL
Ashley Snelgrove, Librarian
Josh Malkin, ACLU
McKenzie Lemhouse,
Academic Librarian

2 – 3 PM
Brendan Slocumb
In conversation with Jonathan Haupt.
Brendan Slocumb was raised in
Fayetteville, North Carolina and for
the past two decades has been a public
and private school music educator from
kindergarten through twelfth grade.
In 2022, he published his first novel,
The Violin Conspiracy which was selected as a Good Morning American Book
Club Pick. His second novel, Symphony
of Secrets was published in 2023 and
his forthcoming novel The Dark Maestro
will be released in 2025.

AUDITORIUM

11 AM – Noon
Love and Belonging
Find a friend or a lover, or maybe just
your place in this world whether it be
on the soccer team or in a new city.
Jonny Garza Villa,
Futbolista
Mike Curato,
Flamer

12:30 – 1:30 PM
Thrills and Chills
Does something feel “off” to you?
Is there something menacing around
that next turn? Is your perfect life
maybe not as perfect as you thought?
Yasmin Angoe,
Not What She Seems
Terri Parlato,
Watch Your Back
Emily Carpenter,
Gothictown

2 – 3 PM
Rights and Freedom
What does it take to get and keep your
civil rights, and how do the stories of
the past still resonate today?
Millicent Brown,
Another Sojourner Looking for Truth:
My Journey from Civil Rights to
Black Power and Beyond
Carolyn Click, The Cost of the Vote:
George Elmore and the Battle for
the Ballot

THEATER

11 AM – Noon
Coming of Age
Explore the journey of life, facing its
challenges to discover unexpected
resilience and determination.
Rachel Hanson,
The End of Tennessee
Jeffrey Dale Lofton,
Red Clay Suzie

12:30 – 1:30 PM
Kugels and Collards
Food can take us back to a place and
bring us together around the table.
Enjoy a lively collection of South
Carolina Jewish stories and special
family recipes.
Rachel Gordin Barnett,
Kugels and Collards: Stories of Food,
Family, and Tradition in Jewish South
Carolina

2 – 3 PM
You’ll Do
Description: Don’t wed yourself to
the idea that marriage is just for love.
From the American Colonial era
to the present day, the institution
hasn’t always been used for good.
Marcia Zug,
You’ll Do: A History of Marrying for
Reasons Other than Love
Emily Suski,
Moderator