International Show & Tell

The Moveable Feast offers monthly luncheons in the Myrtle Beach area featuring presenters on a broad range of cultural topics (music, art, drama, history, and some literature, mostly by local and CLASS-published authors). Each is individually priced.

Friday, Oct. 7 ~ John Lane & Phil Wilkinson (Seven Days on the Santee Delta) at Inlet Affairs ($30)
A richly embroidered coastal South Carolina tapestry of three strands: Philip Wilkinson’s stunning photos of people, wildlife and weather; his homespun stories of the place and its conservation history; and a seven-part narrative by award-winning environmental writer and Wofford College professor John Lane who shares what he has learned firsthand in the field with Phil. With publication of this remarkable coffee-table book, the Lord Berkeley Conservation Trust, Evening Post Books and a generous group of conservation-minded sponsors brings Wilkinson’s legacy to a wider public and celebrates the beauty and value of a remarkably wild and vital place. Enjoy a narrated slide presentation of this remarkable
publication.

Tuesday, Oct. 11 ~ at Caffe Piccolo ($25)

South Carolina poet Libby Bernardin is the author of Stones Ripe for Sowing (Press 53, 2018) and two chapbooks, The Book of Myth (SC Poetry Initiative, 2009) and Layers of Song (Finishing Line Press, 2011). Journal publications include The Asheville Poetry Review, Southern Poetry Review, Kakalak. She has won poetry awards from the Poetry Society of South Carolina and the North Carolina Poetry Society, and has served as co-director of the highly respected Litchfield Tea & Poetry Series for the past 16 years. A retired English teacher from the University of South Carolina, she has conducted poetry workshops for Coastal Carolina University’s OLLI program, as well as for Georgetown County Library. Libby is a lifetime member of the Board of Governors of the SC Academy of Authors. Her new book, House in Need of Mooring
(Press 53, 2022) is yet another testament to the silver lining of the pandemic.

Tues., Oct. 18 ~ FOWL Annual Luncheon & Auction “Together Again …with Friends,” Pawleys Plantation
11 AM-1:30 PM, $38, tickets available at the Friends Center in Waccamaw Library or from Linda Ketron!

Tuesday, Oct. 25 ~ Robin Salmon (Brookgreen 101: A Curator’s Legacy) at Ocean One, Litchfield ($30)
For two of her nearly five decades at Brookgreen Gardens, Vice President of Historical and Art Collections and Curator of Sculpture Robin Salmon has delivered monthly lectures affectionately known as “Brookgreen 101.” Begun in 2006 as an offshoot of public lectures she had given through the years, the series was drawn from books and articles she’d written, as well as from her vast knowledge of the history of the property, collections, and the lives of the founders. Intended as an ongoing informational seminar to augment staff and volunteer training, the program was an informal hour of shared facts and insights that became a popular public series in 2018. This first collection of essays features favorite topics with
illustrations where available. It is our hope that future volumes will preserve and make accessible the deep treasure chest of knowledge that is Robin Salmon.

Tuesday, Nov. 1 ~ Laurie Loewenstein (Funeral Train) at Pawleys Plantation’s Sawgrass Room ($30)
In her gripping follow-up to the widely acclaimed Dust Bowl Mystery Death of a Rainmaker, Laurie Loewenstein brings 1930s Oklahoma evocatively to life. Already suffering the privations of the 1930s Dust Bowl, an Oklahoma town is further devastated when a passenger train derails—flooding its hospital with the dead and maimed. Among the seriously wounded is Etha, wife of Sheriff Temple Jennings. Overwhelmed by worry for her, the sheriff must regain his footing to investigate the derailment, which rapidly develops into a case of sabotage. The following night, a local recluse is murdered. Temple has a hunch that this death is connected to the train wreck. But as he dissects the victim’s life with help
from the recuperating and resourceful Etha, he discovers a tangle of records that make a number of townsfolk suspects in the murder. Temple’s investigations take place against the backdrop of the Great Depression—where bootlegging, petty extortion, courage, and bravado play out in equal measure. Death of a Rainmaker was named one of the Best Books of 2018 by both the Library Journal and NPR which characterized it as “a striking historical mystery…that is brooding and gritty and graced with authenticity.” It was a finalist for the 2019 Oklahoma Book Awards Laurie is on the fiction faculty of Wilkes University’s graduate level Creative Writing Program.

Saturday, Nov. 26 ~ Six Children’s Authors at Pawleys Tap & Pour ($30)

On Shop Small Saturday, The Moveable Feast and My Sister’s Books partner for a fabulous presentation by six area authors of works for “small readers,” followed by a delightful lunch at a fast-rising favorite among Pawleys eateries. Join us to hear Millie Doud (beloved author/illustrator of Caretta’s Great Adventure and of many Brookgreen Gardens’ books for children), Christine Thomas Doran (author of the Flash & Fancy books about playful otters on the Waccamaw River), Cindy Hedrick (champion of rescued animals recounted in her Tails from SC-Cares and Love at First Sight), Maura & Alyson Kenny (mother-/daughter-in-law team behind Mindful Santa), and … two more to be announced! The
Moveable Feast is a “grown-ups” event (for parents, aunts and uncles, grands and even great-grands), then after the feast, the authors will migrate next door to the book store for sales and signing (kids are welcome there!!). Shop Small for Small Readers is a great opportunity to start a child’s library of autographed books.

All Moveable Feast reservations are to be made through CLASS (www.ClassAtPawleys.com, or 843.235.9600, or linda@classatpawleys.com). 

July 1 ~ Jamie Brenner (Gilt) at The Village House ($60 w/bk)

A luxurious and richly compelling new novel from the acclaimed author of Blush, about a famous family jewelry dynasty and the hidden past that could topple it all. One perfect diamond is all it takes to divide a family. Could one summer be enough to fix it? The Pavlin family built an empire on love. As the first jewelers to sell diamond rings exclusively for proposals, they started a tradition that has defined engagements ever since. But when an ill-fated publicity stunt pits the three Pavlin sisters against one another for a famous family jewel, their bond is broken. No ordinary diamond ring, the Electric Rose splinters the sisters, leaving one unlucky in love, one escaping to the shores of Cape Cod, and the other, ultimately, dead. Now, over a decade later, Gemma Maybrook is still reconciling the reality of her mother’s death. Left orphaned and cast out by her family after the tragic accident, Gemma is ready to reclaim what should have been hers: the Electric Rose. And, as a budding jewelry designer in her own right, Gemma isn’t just planning on recovering her mother’s lost memento, she’s coming back for everything. From Manhattan’s tony Fifth Avenue to the vibrant sands of Provincetown, Gilt follows the Pavlin women as they are forced to confront the mistakes of the past if they have any hope of finding love and happiness of their own.

July 8 ~ Nancy Naigle (What Remains True) at Litchfield Country Club ($35)

An uplifting novel about three months that may change three lives—and lead to love—from USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle. Working at a little shop on Main Street in a small town is exactly the break that executive Merry Anna Foster needs following her divorce. She’s made a bet with her ex-husband that she can live on the amount of money she’s giving him in alimony. If she can do it, then Kevin will have to stop complaining and leave her alone. But after three months of this new life, will she even want to leave Antler Creek? Adam Lockwood, bull rider and owner of the local feedstore, is having the best year of his rodeo career. He’s also a bit distracted by the pretty new neighbor living in his old bunkhouse. But Adam has no time for matters of the heart. He’s got his future all mapped out, and that future doesn’t involve a woman just yet. It doesn’t involve parenting a little girl either. However, Carly Fowler still suddenly leaves five-year-old Zan—the daughter Adam didn’t know he had—in his care. Is it possible that the future holds a life even better than what Merry Anna and Adam had each dreamed of? One that includes both tenderness and even love—not just for each other but for Zan, too.

*July 15 ~ Viola Shipman (The Edge of Summer) at DeBordieu Colony Clubhouse ($40)

Reminiscent of the complex, uplifting family stories by Nancy Thayer, Sunny Hostin and Mary Alice Monroe, Viola Shipman’s poignant new novel explores the relationship between a curious woman and her secretive mother, taking readers from their hardscrabble life in the Ozarks to her search for answers along the sparkling shores of Lake Michigan. Devastated by the sudden death of her mother—a quiet, loving and intensely private Southern seamstress called Miss Mabel, who overflowed with pearls of Ozarks wisdom but never spoke of her own family—Sutton Douglas makes the impulsive decision to pack up and head north to the Michigan resort town where she believes she’ll find answers to the lifelong questions she’s had about not only her mother’s past but also her own place in the world. Recalling Miss Mabel’s sewing notions that were her childhood toys, Sutton buys a collection of buttons at an estate sale from Bonnie Lyons, the imposing matriarch of the lakeside community. Propelled by a handful of trinkets left behind by her mother and glimpses into the history of the magical lakeshore town, Sutton becomes tantalized by the possibility that Bonnie is the grandmother she never knew. But is she? As Sutton cautiously befriends Bonnie and is taken into her confidence, she begins to uncover the secrets about her family that Miss Mabel so carefully hid, and about the role that Sutton herself unwittingly played in it all.

July 22 ~ Colleen Coble (Edge of Dusk) at Inlet Affairs ($35)

In this new series, bestselling romantic-suspense author Colleen Coble returns to one of her most beloved towns, where familiar faces—and unsolved cases—await. Even though secrets lie off the coast of Rock Harbor, the truth will set Annie Pederson free—if it doesn’t kill her first. Nine-year-old Annie Pederson’s life changed the night her sister was kidnapped. The two had been outside playing on a dock, and Annie never forgave herself for her role in her sister’s disappearance. Twenty-four years later and now a law enforcement ranger, Annie is still searching for answers as she grieves a new loss: the death of her husband and parents in a boating accident. But Annie and her eight-year-old daughter, Kylie, aren’t the only people in the town of Rock Harbor whose lives have been marred by tragedy. While managing the property around the Tremolo Resort and Marina she inherited, Annie discovers a dead body floating in the cold Superior surf and begins to work with the sheriff’s office to tie the death to a series of other mysterious reports in the area. At the same time, her first love, Jon Dustan, returns after nine years away, reigniting the town’s memory of a cold case he’d been suspiciously linked to before he left to pursue his orthopedic residency. For the sake of her investigation and her heart, Annie tries to stay away. But avoiding Jon becomes impossible once Annie realizes she is being targeted by someone desperate to keep secrets from the past hidden. 

July 29 ~ Jennifer Chiaverini (Switchboard Soldiers) at The Village House ($35)

From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini, a bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I—the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military, smashed the workplace glass ceiling, and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory. In June 1917, General John Pershing arrived in France to establish American forces in Europe. He immediately found himself unable to communicate with troops in the field. Pershing needed operators who could swiftly and accurately connect multiple calls, speak fluent French and English, remain steady under fire, and be utterly discreet, since the calls often conveyed classified information. At the time, nearly all well-trained American telephone operators were women—but women were not permitted to enlist, or even to vote in most states. Nevertheless, the U.S. Army Signal Corps promptly began recruiting them. More than 7,600 women responded, including Grace Banker of New Jersey, a switchboard instructor with AT&T and an alumna of Barnard College; Marie Miossec, a Frenchwoman and aspiring opera singer; and Valerie DeSmedt, a twenty-year-old Pacific Telephone operator from Los Angeles, determined to strike a blow for her native Belgium. They were among the first women sworn into the U.S. Army under the Articles of War. The male soldiers they had replaced had needed one minute to connect each call. The switchboard soldiers could do it in ten seconds. The risk of death was real—the women worked as bombs fell around them—as was the threat of a deadly new disease: the Spanish Flu. Not all of the telephone operators would survive. The women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps served with honor and played an essential role in achieving the Allied victory. Their story has never been the focus of a novel…until now. 

All Moveable Feast reservations are to be made through CLASS (www.ClassAtPawleys.com, or 843.235.9600, or linda@classatpawleys.com). 

June 3 ~ Brooke Lea Foster (On Gin Lane) at Litchfield Country Club ($35)

An award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post Magazine, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, and HuffPost, among others, Foster is an alumna of The Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. She is the author of three nonfiction books and the novels

Summer Darlings and On Gin Lane. In the latter, Everleigh “Lee” Farrows thinks she finally has life all figured out: a handsome fiancé named Roland, a trust in her name, and a house in Bronxville waiting for her to fill it with three adorable children. That is, until Roland brings her out to the Hamptons for a summer that will change everything. From the regal inns to the farmland, the well-heeled New Yorkers to the Bohemian artists, the East End of Long Island is a hodge-podge of the changing American landscape in the late 1950s—and the perfect place for Lee to discover who she really is.

*THURSDAY, JUNE 9 ~ JAMES PATTERSON AT PAWLEYS PLANTATION ($70 w/bk) 

(James Patterson by James Patterson: The Stories of My Life) 

Payment due upon reservation; if later you find you cannot attend, CLASS will refund your luncheon fee ($35) and your pre-paid autographed book will be available to pick up at the bookstore on June 10.

James Patterson by James Patterson is the most anticipated memoir of 2022. How did a kid whose dad lived in the poorhouse become the most successful storyteller in the world? On the morning he was born, he nearly died. 
Growing up, he didn’t love to read. (That changed.) He worked at a mental hospital in Massachusetts, where he met the singer James Taylor and the poet Robert Lowell. While he toiled in advertising hell, James wrote the ad jingle line “I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid.” He once watched James Baldwin and Norman Mailer square off to trade punches at a party. He’s only been in love twice. Both times are amazing. Dolly Parton once sang “Happy Birthday” to James over the phone. She calls him J.J., for Jimmy James. Three American presidents have invited him to golf with them. So, how did a boy from small-town New York become the world’s most successful writer? How does he do it? He has always wanted to write the kind of novel that would be read and reread so many times that the binding breaks and the book literally falls apart. As he says, “I’m still working on that one.” 

*June 17 ~ Mary Alice Monroe & Angela May (Search for Treasure) at Kimbel’s ($60 w/bk)

This is the sequel to New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe’s The Islanders, a beautiful story of friendship, loss, and the healing power of nature. Jake Potter is back on Dewees Island for another summer with his grandmother, Honey, and his friends Macon and Lovie. Jake is excited that his dad will also be on the island as he continues to recover from his war injuries. Father and son must get used to a new normal, which isn’t easy. As a boy, his dad discovered treasure coins and stored them in an old tree fort on the island. Jake knows if he can find the tree fort, maybe his dad will be happy again – and he knows Macon and Lovie are the perfect fellow treasure hunters. The search for treasure is on! Meanwhile, Macon is adjusting to being a big brother, while Lovie is navigating a new relationship with the two visiting boys on the island. The treasure search leads them to battle some unwelcome guests on the island – both the two- and four-legged kind! On the Islanders’ biggest quest yet, the three friends realize that the treasures they really want in life were with them all along.

June 24 ~ Ali Brady (The Beach Trap) at Pawleys Plantation ($35)

When twelve-year-olds Kat Steiner and Blake O’Neill meet at Camp Chickawah, they have an instant connection. But everything falls apart when they learn they’re not just best friends—they’re also half-sisters. Confused and betrayed, the girls break off all contact. Fifteen years later, when their father dies suddenly, Kat and Blake discover he’s left them a joint inheritance: the family beach house in Destin, Florida. The two sisters are immediately at odds. Blake, who has recently been demoted from regular nanny to dog nanny, wants to sell the house, while social media influencer Kat is desperate to hold on to the place where she lived so many happy memories. Kat and Blake reluctantly join forces to renovate the dilapidated house, with the understanding that Kat will try to buy Blake out at the end of the summer. The women clash as Blake’s renovation plans conflict with Kat’s creative vision; meanwhile, each sister finds herself drawn into a summer romance. As the weeks pass, the two women realize the most difficult project they face this summer will be coming to grips with their shared past—and learning how to become sisters. “Ali Brady” is the pen name of writing BFFs Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey. The Beach Trap is their first book together.

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