Charleston Literary Festival

About the Event

Schedule:

12:00 p.m
Dock Street Theatre - $30
Jayne Anne Phillips
Discusses Her Pulitzer Prize Winning Novel Night Watch With Her Editor, Ann Close
Night Watch
Join Jayne Anne Phillips in conversation with her long-time editor at Knopf, Ann Close, on her haunting novel about a mother and daughter seeking refuge in the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War, whose perilous circumstances lead them to a lunatic asylum in West Virginia. With meticulous research, Phillips has conjured a mesmerizing portrait of family suffering and endurance against the odds. Jayne Anne Phillips is the author of two short story collections and six highly regarded novels. Dubbed "epic, enthralling, and meticulously crafted" by the Pulitzer panel, Night Watch won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for fiction.

2:00 p.m
Dock Street Theatre - $30
Jean Hanff Korelitz With Anne Blessing
The Sequel
Jean Hanff Korelitz discusses her latest novel, The Sequel, a gripping follow-up to The Plot (currently in development for a limited TV series). In what Stephen King describes as “insanely readable," Korelitz continues the story of Anna Williams-Bonner, the widow of a successful writer who committed suicide and then goes on to become a bestseller, attracting nasty rumours about her past. Experience the psychological suspense and literary intrigue at the heart of this page-turning book that explores the nature of storytelling. She discusses her twisty new thriller with Anne Blessing, Charleston Literary Festival Board member.

4:00 p.m
Dock Street Theatre - $30
Rachel Kushner With Autumn Phillips
Creation Lake
Shortlisted For The Booker Prize 2024.
Join Rachel Kushner as she discusses her wickedly funny and unnerving book, Creation Lake. A reimagination of the spy novel, it explores environmental destruction and the complexities of survival in a rapidly changing world. The novel revolves around an unlikely female spy tasked with infiltrating a group of eco-activists in rural France, where she follows a trail from Neanderthals to modernity. “A novel this brilliant and profound shouldn’t be so much fun," - Hernan Diaz. She discusses her novel of espionage and ideas with Autumn Philipps, Post and Courier Editor at Large.

6:30 p.m
Dock Street Theatre - $45
All The Beauty In The World
World Premiere Theater Performance
Starring Patrick Bringley
Directed by Dominic Dromgoole
The world premiere of the monologue play All The Beauty In The World by Patrick Bringley is happening right here at the 2024 Charleston Literary Festival. Directed by Dominic Dromgoole, Former Artistic Director of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, and produced by Charleston Literary Festival, with the help of Spoleto Festival USA, the play is a story of grief, healing, and the power of art. Prepare to be moved, enthralled, entertained, and enlightened. Say you saw it at the Charleston Literary Festival first, as we hope it will tour the world, like Dominic Dromgoole’s production of Hamlet.

We want to hear from you if you have an event to share or updates to this event.