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Department of English Language and Literature

  • The Gambrell building at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.

Writers' Series

L to R: Tiya Miles, Evie Shockley, Dianne Johnson-Feelings, April W. Harrison

The Fall Literary Festival takes place in October (authors from the upcoming, 2022 event pictured above). In the spring, we host the Open Book.

Open Book

A literary series, a public course, and a community reading experience all in one. Hosted each spring by Elise Blackwell and sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences. Recent authors include Teju Cole, Ian McEwan, Jennifer Egan, David Mitchell, Chang-Rae Lee, and Marilynne Robinson.

Fall Literary Festival

Readings by three or four major authors on successive Wednesdays in October and November. Sponsored by the English department and the U of SC Libraries, with generous funding from an anonymous donor. Recent authors include Claudia Rankine, Galway Kinnell, Michael Ondaatje, Etgar Keret, and Louise Glück.

Shark’s Parlor

Visiting writers, MFA students, alumni, and faculty read from their work on the first Friday of each month, September through December and February through April. Recent authors include Virginia Konchan, Ari Banias, and Gabrielle Fuentes.

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.

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