NEWBERRY — The Friends of the Newberry County Library annual Literary Luncheon made its return to Newberry last Tuesday for the first time since 2019.
As this was the first luncheon since COVID-19, the group wanted to bring in a top-notch guest. They coordinated a visit from esteemed New York Times bestselling author, Cassandra King, the writer of such hits as “The Sunday Wife” and “The Same Sweet Girls.”
The luncheon began with a welcome from Debbie Zybrick who introduced Rev. Joe Long Jr., pastor of the event’s venue space (Central United Methodist Church). The reverend led the attendees in prayer before food was served and recognitions were made.
Audrey Henry then took the stage to prime the room for King with some introductory words.
“This day has been a long time coming, like three years,” Henry said, “When our lives got back to normal and the Friends of the Library began meeting again, we decided that we wanted to revive our tradition of having a luncheon this year and we wanted to get a very special speaker for this 2023 luncheon. We were so thrilled when Cassandra King accepted our invitation to come and speak with us about her newest book, which is “Tell me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy.”
Henry then went through the body of work and accolades of King before yielding the stage to the venerable writer.
“It’s a great pleasure to be with all of you today. Newberry has such a special place in my heart because it did for Pat,” King said.
King’s late husband was popular Southern author Pat Conroy, who wrote such beloved classics as “The Lords of Discipline,” a novel inspired by Conroy’s time at The Citadel, and “The Great Santini,” a novel based on his own upbringing, both of which are set in South Carolina.
King went on to speak about her newest book, “Tell me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy,” and her own time with Conroy. She told the audience the story of how they met, the complicated relationships that Conroy had with his family, and the close personal connection they both felt with Newberry.
When asked what inspires her in her day to day as an author, King said, “I’ve always been an avid reader and I especially love libraries because I grew up in lower Alabama on a farm. So, I was raised up in the sticks and the highlight of every week was when my mother would take me to the library. So, I’ve very much an advocate for libraries, books and reading.”
Though King had come down with a case of laryngitis that made speaking troublesome for her, she was able to laugh it off, make her speech, and answer questions from the engaged group of fans that came to see her. After the event, she signed copies of her books and conversed with the fans that came to see her at the luncheon.
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