Join us for this month's author talk and book signing: Eyewitnesses to General William T. Sherman's Atrocities in the Civil War by Patricia G. McNeely. McNeely will discuss newly-emerged documents that provide insights into Sherman's life, and convincingly end the 150-year-old controversy about who burned Columbia. Speaker @ the Center is FREE and open to the public. No registration is required. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Katie and Pamela sit down to interview T.D. Johnston of Short Story America on October 26, 2016 at Speaker @ the Center.

Over 2,000 students from across South Carolina will march to the State House grounds during the 2017 SC Read-In, celebrating the magic of books alongside politicians, literacy advocates and marching bands on April 4.

The event, now in its 26th year, is meant to encourage a love of reading in children of all ages. Students, teachers and adult chaperones from 80 different schools and 100 daycare facilities are expected to travel to Columbia for the event.

The South Carolina Digital State Documents Depository provides access to publications produced by state agencies and state-supported academic institutions. These publications provide citizens with crucial information about state government, including statistics, annual accountability reports, and data on a wide variety of topics related to the state.

The Annual Literacy Leaders (ALL) Awards Nominations Committee is seeking nominations for the 2017 awards program.
The ALL awards are presented by the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) at the University of South Carolina in the fall of each year to individuals and/or groups that have had a statewide impact on literacy in South Carolina. Their contributions can include the following kinds of activities:

Over 600 South Carolina students sent in original work for the SC State Library's "Young Minds Dreaming" Poetry Contest, but only nine made the cut to win.

The poetry contest was organized as part of this year's May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture events. South Carolina students in grades 3-12 were invited to submit poems relating stories of a person, place, or an experience that made a mark on student's lives to a panel of nine judges.

Pamela Hoppock and guest hosts Sean Gruber and Andersen Cook chat with Dr. John Nelson, curator of USC's A.C. Moore Herbarium. The interview touches on the herbarium's history, Dr. Nelson's winter botany talk, his discovery of a new species of hedge nettle, and, of course, the smelling of sticks.

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USC Union will be the host to the seventh annual Upcountry Literary Festival this year on Friday, March 24 from 1-5 p.m. and Saturday, March 25 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Main Building Auditorium.

The two day event will showcase a number of nationally and regionally renowned authors, poets, and musical artists as part of the free public event.

The USC Union Campus Shop and Bookstore will be open during regular hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) and a special time on Saturday during the Festival (9 a.m.-1 p.m.) to purchase books that will be presented at the festival.

Listen with purpose. NiA! (25:54)

Pamela and Katie chat with local artist and advocate Darion McCloud about his current and upcoming projects (and reminisce about some old ones, too). They discuss the NiA Company's production of Together We Are Making a Poem in Honor of Life, showing this weekend, and reminisce over Pamela and Darion's days together in the Richland County Library children's room. Be prepared: After this podcast episode, you'll be itching to go to the theatre.