Trouble the Water, the debut novel from Rebecca Dwight Bruff, is inspired by the larger-than-life true story of Robert Smalls, the first African American hero of the Civil War. On May 13, 1862, the enslaved Smalls commandeered the Confederate vessel The Planter in Charleston harbor, which he sailed to the Union blockade, securing freedom for his own family and the enslaved crew with him. Smalls served with distinction as Union captain of the Planterduring the duration of the war and was later a U.S. Congressman representing his native lowcountry. 

The Harriet Tubman Monument Fund will host award-winning historian Dr. Elizabeth Cobbs for a book talk and signing at the 156-year-old historic Tabernacle Baptist Church in Beaufort, SC on Saturday, May 18th at 3:00pm.

Hear these Beaufort poets and five other diverse South Carolina poets read at the launch of Archive: South Carolina Poetry Since 2005 on Saturday, April 27, from 5 pm at the Pat Conroy Literary Center. Published by Ninety-Six Press, Archive features 46 contributors, documenting the poetic life of the Palmetto State over the past 13 years.  This event is free and open to the public; copies of Archive will be available for sale and signing after the reading.