Local Favorite Nicole Seitz to Speak at Berkeley County Library System Event
WHAT: Friends of the Library Annual Meeting
WHEN: Thursday, October 26th, 7 pm
WHERE: Moncks Corner Library
It’s fall 2017 – time for the Berkeley County Library Friends of the Library (FOL) to host their annual board meeting. During this celebration of the past year, members will elect new officers and guests will be treated to light refreshments and a talk from guest speaker Nicole Seitz. Join the Friends of the Library on Thursday, October 26th, at 7 pm at the Moncks Corner Library for an enjoyable evening. You can RSVP by calling Sue Kelley, the current FOL president, at 843-351-4674. Please RSVP by October 21. Lite refreshments will be served.
Kelley says that “this has been a great year for the FOL.” This year, the non-profit participated in multiple events, including the Celebrate the Season Holiday Festival at Old Santee Canal Park, the Tri-County Literary Celebration, and the Library Night with the Charleston Battery. The FOL also volunteer for the popular outdoor Movies Under the Stars events in the Moncks Corner and St. Stephen area. Ever wonder where the amazing summer reading prizes come from? Many of them are donated by the Friends!
Looking ahead, FOL has three goals. In the future, Kelley hopes to develop an e-newsletter to send to the community and host membership drives to strengthen FOL’s numbers. Lastly, Kelley hopes to explore grants for bringing in new and exciting library programs or services. Through the annual meeting, attendees can find out more about the organization and ways they may get more involved.
Award Winning Charleston Writer, Nicole Seitz. *Photo provided*
Meet the Author Nicole Seitz
A wonderful highlight of the annual meeting is a special visit by author Nicole Seitz. Seitz grew up on Hilton Head Island, a small town off the coast of South Carolina, where she was surrounded by palmetto trees, marsh grass, sandy beaches and unique Southern characters. As an author, artist, and speaker, Nicole’s work is deeply influenced by her faith and the mystique and charm of the South. She lives in the Charleston, South Carolina, area with her husband, Brian, and their two children.
She was named “Best Local Author Who Also Paints” in Charleston City Paper’s Best of Charleston 2009, and in 2007, she was named one of Charleston Regional Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” for her professional successes and community involvement.
Nicole enjoys meeting her readers and book clubs and often speaks to groups on writing, art, and faith. In 2009, she spoke as part of the Southern Literary Festival during Piccolo Spoleto. In 2008, she gave the Baccalaureate address for the College of Charleston. An artist at heart, Nicole enjoys painting pictures with words and bringing her characters to life through detail and dialect.
Seitz’s newest novel, “The Cage-Maker”
On August 15, 2017, the University of South Carolina Press published The Cage-Maker: A Novel by Nicole Seitz as part of its South Carolina-based original-fiction imprint Story River Books, created with the support of the late founding editor Pat Conroy. A foreword is provided by Casandra King Conroy, wife of the late Pat Conroy and best-selling author of five novels including her most recent, Moonrise. This Southern novel, set in New Orleans, is a suspenseful story revolving around the family history of Trish, a twenty-first-century blogger.
As Seen in… An exclusive interview with Nicole and Jonathan Haupt, executive director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center in the Fall 2017 edition of Shrimp, Collards, & Grits Magazine.
Other novels by Seitz include Beyond Molasses Creek, The Inheritance of Beauty, A Hundred Years of Happiness, Saving Cicadas, Trouble the Water, and The Spirit of Sweetgrass.
Meet Our Nominees
Sue Kelley, President Nominee
Sue Kelley has served as the President of the Friends of the Berkeley County Library System for 2 years and is up for re-election at the October 21st meeting. During Sue’s tenure of president she has helped coordinate and host more book sales and fundraisers for the Friends including bringing back the HUGE Community Book Sale, selling concessions at the Movies Under the Stars events, hosting a night at Photos with Santa at Celebrate the Season, and participating in the County’s employee benefits fair and craft bazaar.
Sue Kelly grew up in the Smoky Mountains of Western NC and East TN with 2 brothers and 2 sisters. She graduated from East Tennessee State College with an English major and has been an avid reader, and encourages others to read as well. She worked several years in retail management; was a rural carrier, as well as a rural delivery and driver trainer for the United States Postal Service. She loves Lowcountry history and her hobbies include reading, sewing, gardening, and canning.
If re-elected, Sue plans to increase the membership of the Friends of the Library, update and offer more member benefits, and implement a fundraising committee to assist the library with special needs.
Sharon Kemfort, Vice President Nominee
Sharon Kemfort joined the Friends last year as the appointed Vice President finishing up the second year of the previous representative. She is now nominated to serve as the VP for a full 2-year term. Sharon, a long-time resident of Moncks Corner, worked at Navy Exchanges and for the Moncks Corner Post Office. Now retired, she enjoys time with family and also helping the Friends of the Library (FOL). Currently, she upkeeps the FOL bookshelves at Moncks Corner Library.
Secretary – Open Position
Martha Neff-Smith, Board Nominee
