From Carolina Morning News, 20 March 1998
'Aloud' and proud
Literary series starting Saturday to salute Women's History Month.
By Terri Jo Ryan
''Aloud in the Lowcountry,'' a new literary series presented by the Arts Council of Beaufort County and Beaufort Writers, will bring the voices of acclaimed poets and writers to town beginning this weekend.
The ''Aloud'' series is the newest addition to the Lowcountry's growing literary scene, said Eric Holowacz of the Arts Council. Launching Saturday, it will include four readings by women writers in celebration of Women's History Month.
Susan Ludvigson, poet-in-residence at Winthrop University, will open the series and read from her new book, ''Trinity.'' A Rock Hill resident, Ludvigson is a past recipient of Fulibright, Guggenheim, and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships. She is the author of six other volumes of poetry.
On Monday, Dorothy Perry Thompson will read from her 1995 book of poems, ''Fly with the Puffin.'' A Columbia native, she is also a professor of English at Winthrop University, where she teaches African-American Studies, poetry writing, black literature and other courses.
On Wednesday, Charleston-based writer Marjory Wentworth will present poems from her first volume, ''Nightjars.'' A resident of Sullivan's Island, she has collaborated extensively with batik artist Mary Edna Fraser and coastal ecologist Orin Pilkey on interdisciplinary projects relating to the barrier islands.
To close the "Aloud" series, nationally-known writer Blanche McCrary Boyd will visit Beaufort on March 27 and read from her collection of essays, ''The Redneck Way to Knowledge,'' and her most recent novel, ''Terminal Velocity.'' A native of Charleston, she currently teaches writing at Connecticut College. Her articles, essays and short stories have appeared in The Village Voice, Esquire, Playboy and Rolling Stone. She's also published three other novels.
All readings will begin at 8 p.m. and will be held at the Port Royal Playhouse, 11th Street at Paris Avenue. Tickets are available at the door for $3.
The series is directed and hosted by Quitman Marshall, a poet, teacher, and editor from Columbia. He will introduce the visiting writer and direct a question and answer period following each reading.
After establishing a literary career in New York City, Marshall returned to South Carolina and became the director and host of the Sundown Poetry Series in Charleston. As part of the Piccolo Spoleto programming, these free weekday readings brought hundreds of regional writers and thousands of listeners to the courtyard of the Dock Street Theatre.
In 1994, Marshall began working with Spoleto Festival U.S.A., where he developed and hosted the first regular literary series for Charleston's acclaimed international arts festival. Marshall currently serves as president ofthe South Carolina Academy of Authors. He lives and works in Columbia with his wife, the artist Lindsey O'Neil.
''The Lowcountry has such rich literary traditions and is home to a remarkable number of writers,'' said Holowacz. ''These events, we hope, will build on that tradition and provide a different type of arts event, literature read aloud by the author.''
Marshall said he's hoping to encourage ''the act of listening to a writer read, of being a spectator of original words.''
For more information about the Aloud events, call 521-4145.
Literary series starting Saturday to salute Women's History Month.
By Terri Jo Ryan
''Aloud in the Lowcountry,'' a new literary series presented by the Arts Council of Beaufort County and Beaufort Writers, will bring the voices of acclaimed poets and writers to town beginning this weekend.
The ''Aloud'' series is the newest addition to the Lowcountry's growing literary scene, said Eric Holowacz of the Arts Council. Launching Saturday, it will include four readings by women writers in celebration of Women's History Month.
Susan Ludvigson, poet-in-residence at Winthrop University, will open the series and read from her new book, ''Trinity.'' A Rock Hill resident, Ludvigson is a past recipient of Fulibright, Guggenheim, and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships. She is the author of six other volumes of poetry.
On Monday, Dorothy Perry Thompson will read from her 1995 book of poems, ''Fly with the Puffin.'' A Columbia native, she is also a professor of English at Winthrop University, where she teaches African-American Studies, poetry writing, black literature and other courses.
On Wednesday, Charleston-based writer Marjory Wentworth will present poems from her first volume, ''Nightjars.'' A resident of Sullivan's Island, she has collaborated extensively with batik artist Mary Edna Fraser and coastal ecologist Orin Pilkey on interdisciplinary projects relating to the barrier islands.
To close the "Aloud" series, nationally-known writer Blanche McCrary Boyd will visit Beaufort on March 27 and read from her collection of essays, ''The Redneck Way to Knowledge,'' and her most recent novel, ''Terminal Velocity.'' A native of Charleston, she currently teaches writing at Connecticut College. Her articles, essays and short stories have appeared in The Village Voice, Esquire, Playboy and Rolling Stone. She's also published three other novels.
All readings will begin at 8 p.m. and will be held at the Port Royal Playhouse, 11th Street at Paris Avenue. Tickets are available at the door for $3.
The series is directed and hosted by Quitman Marshall, a poet, teacher, and editor from Columbia. He will introduce the visiting writer and direct a question and answer period following each reading.
After establishing a literary career in New York City, Marshall returned to South Carolina and became the director and host of the Sundown Poetry Series in Charleston. As part of the Piccolo Spoleto programming, these free weekday readings brought hundreds of regional writers and thousands of listeners to the courtyard of the Dock Street Theatre.
In 1994, Marshall began working with Spoleto Festival U.S.A., where he developed and hosted the first regular literary series for Charleston's acclaimed international arts festival. Marshall currently serves as president ofthe South Carolina Academy of Authors. He lives and works in Columbia with his wife, the artist Lindsey O'Neil.
''The Lowcountry has such rich literary traditions and is home to a remarkable number of writers,'' said Holowacz. ''These events, we hope, will build on that tradition and provide a different type of arts event, literature read aloud by the author.''
Marshall said he's hoping to encourage ''the act of listening to a writer read, of being a spectator of original words.''
For more information about the Aloud events, call 521-4145.