Piccolo Spoleto Festival Literary Highlights!

Piccolo Spoleto Festival  Literary Highlights! May 30 at 3pm    Literary Festival: Jonas "Jay" Pate Venue: Charleston Library Society  Address: 164 King St. Admission: $20     "A Charlestonian in Hollywood." Jonas Pate is a writer, director and producer for movies and television. A graduate of Princeton, Pate started in independent film, writing and directing films shown at festivals like Sundance and Venice. He then moved to television, where he has created, directed and produced shows including Believe, Friday Night Lights, Battlestar Galactica, Prime Suspect, Deception, Caprica, Chuck, Good Vs. Evil and Surface, among others. Pate will discuss modern television and how it's displacing film as the most culturally significant creative force in entertainment. Pate will summarize how technology has opened the door to this shift, how it's reorganized the power structure of Hollywood, and where it's likely to go from here.            May 31 at 11am  Literary Festival: Aida Rogers and a panel of Lowcountry literary luminaries    Venue: Charleston Library Society Address: 164 King St.  Admission: $20    "State of the Heart: South Carolina Writers on the Places They Love."  Nationally and regionally known writers  contributed to this anthology of essays on the places that make South Carolina unique - from backyards and front porches to historic ruins and sports arenas. Many of the contributors and locations are Charleston-based. A panel of authors including Billy Baldwin, Nathalie Dupree, Ken Burger, and Steve Hoffius will join Aïda Rogers to discuss the Palmetto State places close to their hearts.         May 31 at 3pm  Literary Festival: David Gilbert Venue: Charleston Library Society Address: 164 King St.  Admission: $20          "Readings and Commentary:  & Sons."  David Gilbert is the author of the story collection Remote Feed and the novel The Normals. His stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, GQ, and Bomb. His latest novel, & Sons, was described by The New Yorker as a "big, intelligent, richly textured novel about fathers, sons, friendship, and legacies." & Sons is a national bestseller, and was acclaimed as a New York Times 'Editor's Choice.' John Irving wrote of  & Sons:  "...Yes, the writing is gorgeous-not only the prose but the power of David Gilbert's observations. 'All things have a second birth,' Gilbert writes, and later, 'We all have something to steal.' And have I mentioned, without giving it away, that this is a terrific story?"          May 31 from 5-7pm Piccolo Fiction Open      Venue: Blue Bicycle Books Address: 420 King St.  Admission: FREE      The festival's longest-running event exclusively devoted to the craft of fiction, Piccolo Fiction invites three prominent writers to present 5 minute "short short" stories. The reading will be held in the lush courtyard of Blue Bicycle Books, and each story will begin with the words "I ducked into the alley..."   Since 2000, Piccolo Fiction has featured dozens of S.C. writers, with stories broadcast by S.C. Public Radio's 'Your Day', and published in the Charleston City Paper.  May 31 from 5pm to 7pm.  Admission: FREE.  Blue Bicycle Books, 420 King St.   The 2014 writers are: George Singleton has written six collections of short stories, two novels and a book on craft. He grew up in Greenwood, and was a longtime teacher at the S.C. Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities. He now teaches at Wofford College. Between Wrecks, his most recent collection, was published in May. Sandy Lang is a contributing editor to Charleston Magazine and Maine magazine, and a producer with Peter Frank Edwards Photographs. After studying journalism at the University of South Carolina, Sandy began her career at newspapers and philanthropic foundations in the Carolinas. She posts about new work, travel, and personal projects at tinysuitcase.com. Jonathan Bohr Heinen's writing has appeared in the Florida Review, Arroyo, and Cimarron Review. He holds a MFA in Creative Writing from the University of New Mexico and a Ph.D in English from Texas Tech University. He teaches writing and publishing courses at the College of Charleston, where he is the managing editor of Crazyhorse.   May 26-June 6 at 6:30pm   SUNDOWN POETRY SERIES     Venue: Dock Street Theatre Courtyard  Address: 133 Church St. Admission: FREE         May 28 at 6:30pm  Literary Festival: Jim Hawkins      Venue: Cathedral of St. John the Baptist  Address: 120 Broad St. Admission: FREE, offerings accepted    Traditional Irish Stories and Songs: the stories and songs are related to a variety of themes in Irish history, culture and tradition. Jim accompanies himself on the Bodhran (pronounced Bow Ron), the Irish goat or sheepskin drum and he encourages his audience to share their own Irish roots and connections. So, come for an evening of Irish story, song, laughter and interesting conversation.     WEBSITE

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