Pat Conroy Literary Center Names First Executive Director
Jonathan Haupt, former director of the University of South Carolina Press, has been named the inaugural executive director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center in Beaufort, S.C. The move was announced on October 22 at the closing ceremony of the first Pat Conroy Literary Festival, which took place in the auditorium of the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Center for the Arts. the center was formed last April to commemorate author Pat Conroy, who died of pancreatic cancer on March 4.
Haupt created and co-chaired the Pat Conroy at 70 Festival in October 2015, a literary event that was equal parts birthday celebration, book festival, writers conference, film festival, civic pride ceremony, community outreach program, and family reunion. Following Conroy’s death, Haupt remade the festival as the Pat Conroy Literary Festival, which will be the Center’s signature annual event in Conroy’s adopted hometown of Beaufort.
