Patricia Moore-Pastides is the first lady of the University of South Carolina and an adjunct faculty member in the university’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management, where she teaches the course “Healthy Mediterranean Cooking.” Moore-Pastides holds a master of public health degree from Yale University and has served as a director and planner for several health-care organizations. She promotes health and wellness throughout the various USC campuses and the region.

Kristy Woodson Harvey on sharing stories, loving old houses, and standing in Pat Conroy’s library.

Standing in Pat Conroy’s private library is not something I had ever imagined I would do. But then, suddenly, the night before a speaking engagement at USC-Beaufort, I found myself there, in Cassandra King’s lovely home that she shared with her late husband, with an amazing group of women who had gathered to welcome me to town, as Southern women do.

A few months ago, I closed a book and immediately posted the following on my Facebook page: “I just finished reading a novel for Story River Books, and I am reeling from its power. I’m not sure of the pub date, but don’t miss your chance to read The Vain Conversation by Anthony Grooms. I’m awestruck. If humanity is ever to evolve, if we are ever to rise to our potential – and that seems like a big “if” sometimes – I believe it won’t be through political squabbling and jousting for power, but through the great, brutal, compassionate vision of artists like this one. Thank God for good books.”