Great writers. Great conversations. Free and open to all.
Since 2000, the Fall Literary Festival has brought unique and inspiring literary voices to the University of South Carolina each year for readings, dialog and book signings. Supported by the generous legacy of lifelong book lover Dorothy D. Smith, the festival is a partnership between University Libraries and the Department of English.
All Fall Literary Festival events are free of charge and open to both the USC community and the community at large.
Join us for the Fall Literary Festival 2026
This year’s Fall Literary Festival features acclaimed authors Kevin Sack and Patricia Lockwood.
Appearing on September 16, Sack will read from and discuss his book Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church, which was named one of the New York Times’ Ten Best Books of 2025.
At her appearance on October 1, Lockwood will share the distinctive vision that has made her one of America’s most celebrated experimental writers and earned accolades for her work across multiple genres, including her memoir 2017 Priestdaddy and her novels No One is Talking About This and Will There Ever Be Another You.
Both author appearances are free of charge, but we ask that those who plan to attend please register below.
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 – Kevin Sack
6 p.m., Campus Room
Capstone Building, 902 Barnwell St.
Reading/discussion, Q&A, book signing
Kevin Sack is a veteran journalist and the author of Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness in One Charleston Church, which was named one of The New York Times’ 10 Best Books of 2025 and was a finalist for the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction. A three-time shared recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for reporting, Sack spent 30 years writing for The New York Times and has also worked for the Los Angeles Times and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. At The New York Times, he was known for producing long-form narrative and investigative projects on topics as varied as kidney transplantation, police militarization, refugee assimilation, and climate change. He also served as bureau chief in Atlanta and Albany, covered health care for the national desk, and reported extensively on race and domestic and presidential politics.
Thursday, October 1 – Patricia Lockwood
6 p.m., Hollings Library Program Room
Reading/discussion, Q&A, book signing
Patricia Lockwood is a poet, novelist and essayist who has been dubbed “goddess of the avant-guard” by Garden & Gun. Her opus includes the novels No One is Talking About This, a finalist for the Booker Prize, and Will There Ever Be Another You; the memoir Priestdaddy, which was named one of the ten best books of the year by the New York Times Book Review; and the poetry collection Balloon Pop Outlaw Black. Lockwood’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, The New Republic, and the London Review of Books, where she is a contributing editor.