Schedule:

Read Freely Fest, South Carolina’s new book festival, is free to attend and will take place March 28-30 at Richland Library’s Main location in downtown Columbia, SC. The festival features bestselling author talks, panels with emerging voices, performances, and interactive activities. Over the weekend, you’ll have the chance to meet your favorite authors, discover new reads, and connect with readers and writers offering enlightening perspectives

Friday, March 28,2025

8–9 PM
Wham! Kapow!
Gain a superpower, fight the villain, be the hero,
pick up the next issue and start it all over again.
Chuck Brown, Aqua-Man, Superman, Titans, Bitterroot
Chad Bowers, X-Men ‘92, Deadpool
Qiana Whitted, Desegregating Comics: Debating
Blackness in the Golden Age of American Comics

Saturday, March 29,2025

MAIN STAGE

10–11 AM
What’s Love Got to
Do With It
Check true love off your bucket
list, no matter if you find it at an
amusement park, an award-winning small town, an exclusive
resort or the Royal Academy
of Science.
Vanessa Riley,
A Wager at Midnight
Amy Ratcliffe,
Thrill Ride
Cassie Verano,
90 Days to Love
Synithia Williams,
Frenemies with Benefits

11:30–12:30 PM
Patti Callahan Henry
In conversation with
Carla Damron.
Patti Callahan Henry is a New
York Times, Globe and Mail,
and USA Today bestselling
author of eighteen novels,
including thirteen contemporaries
set mainly in the South Carolina’s
Lowcountry and, more recently,
six works of historical fiction:
The Story She Left Behind (March
2025), The Secret Book of Flora
Lea, Once Upon a Wardrobe,
Surviving Savannah, Wild Swan,
and Becoming Mrs. Lewis.

1–2 PM
It’s Emotionally
Complicated!
With all these twists and
 turns and a bit of betrayal,
will they find love and passion
in their future
Aries Skye,
Love on the Rebound
KC Mills,
You Could Do Damage
Kimberly Brown,
Courage to Love Again
B Love, The Loyal Wife

2:30–3:30 PM
Clues and Conspiracies
Mystery is everywhere, even in
small towns and island resorts.
Where will the clues take you,
and what dark secrets might
you uncover on the journey
C. Hope Clark,
Edisto Storm
Carla Damron,
The Orchid Tattoo
Allie Pleiter,
One Sharp Stitch

4–5 PM
Mike Curato
Mike Curato is an author and
illustrator of books for children,
teens, and adults. He is best
known for his Little Elliot picture
book series and his young adult
graphic novel, Flamer, which was
released to critical acclaim and
received several honors including
the 2020 Lambda Literary
Award for LGBTQ Young Adult,
the 2021 Massachusetts Book
Award for Young Adult, and was
listed as one of NPR’s Best
Books of 2020.

AUDITORIUM

10–11 AM
Injustice in Focus
Experience a firsthand account of
the fight for civil rights in South
Carolina through Williams’s life
behind the camera through his
photography.
Cecil Williams,
Injustice in Focus:
The Civil Rights Photography
of Cecil Williams
Claudia Smith Brinson,
Injustice in Focus:
The Civil Rights Photography
of Cecil Williams

11:30–12:30 PM
Ooh Scary!
Creepy and spooky with a
Southern drawl—think taxidermy,
off-kilter hospitality, and melancholy. It’ll give you the vapors.
Julia Elliot,
Hellions: Stories
Emily Carpenter,
Gothictown
Nathan Ballingrud,
Crypt of the
Moon Spider

1–2 PM
Echoes of the Past
Get a true sense of the past
by exploring the emotions and
motivations of imagined women
characters rooted in Southern
historical events.
Vanessa Miller,
The American Queen
Rhonda McKnight,
Bitter & Sweet
Diane C. McPhail,
Follow the Stars Home
Donna Everhart,
When the Jessamine Grows

2:30–3:30 PM
DéLana R.A. Dameron
DéLana R.A. Dameron is an
artist whose primary medium
is storytelling. Her first book
of fiction is Redwood Court
(Random House, February 2024),
a Reese Book Club pick. Her
debut poetry collection, How
God Ends Us, was selected by
Elizabeth Alexander for the SC
Poetry Book Prize, and her second collection, Weary Kingdom,
was chosen by Nikky Finney for
the Palmetto Poetry Series.

4–5 PM
Picturing the Past
Photographs and portraits connect us to the past, demonstrate
what’s important to us, and channel our affections. Explore the
power of photography and the
work of photographer Richard
Samuel Roberts.
Dianne Johnson Feelings,
H is for Harlem
Vennie Deas Moore,
Palmetto Portraits
Dr. Bobby Donaldson,
Moderator

THEATER

10–11 AM
Hub City 30th Anniversary
Celebrate and reflect on the first
30 years of Hub City and share
the joys, challenges, and goals
for the next chapter.
Betsy Teter,
North of Main: Spartanburg’s
Historic Black Neighborhoods of
North Dean Street, Gas Bottom,
and Back of the College
Meg Reid,
Executive Director
Ray McManus,
The Last Saturday in America

11:30–12:30 PM
The Cheese Biscuit
Queen Tells All
Queen Mary Martha exclaims,
“kiss my aspic!,” telling stories
that some might wish were kept
within the family. She’ll share
recipes just as juicy and delicious
as the best gossip.
Mary Martha Greene,
The Cheese Biscuit Queen
Kiss My Aspic!
Jeffrey Dale Lofton,
Moderator

1–2 PM
Public Poetry and Politics
Current and former poets laureate will share their stories, poetry,
and experiences promoting
poetry in their home places
from around South Carolina
Marjory Wentworth,
One River, One Boat
Jennifer Bartell Boykin,
Traveling Mercy
Angelo Geter,
More God than Dead
Marcus Amaker,
Hold What Makes You Whole
Ed Madden,
A Pooka in Arkansas

2:30–3:30 PM
Beavers and People
Beavers are a vital species that
can shape landscapes and build
important water sources. But
how can humans and beavers
better co-exist
Cassie Premo Steele,
Beaver Girl

4–5 PM
Over the Top, Just South
Southern man better keep your
head and deal with the long
shadow of your past that’s cast
over modern masculinity.
Ray McManus,
The Last Saturday in America
David Joy,
Those We Thought We Knew
Chris Koslowski,
Kayfabe

Sunday, March 30,2025

MAIN STAGE

11 AM–Noon
Abbott Kahler
Abbott Kahler (formerly Karen Abbott)
is the author of four New York Times
bestselling works of narrative nonfiction. USA Today once named her “a
pioneer of sizzle history.” Her books
include Sin in the Second City, American
Rose, Liar Temptress Soldier Spy, The
Ghosts of Eden Park, and Eden Undone:
A True Story of Sex, Murder, and Utopia
at the Dawn of World War II

12:30–1:30 PM
Not a Hoax: Book Banning
and Intellectual Freedom
Exercise your rights to ideas and
expression with this panel of experts
exploring current events, impacts on
young readers, and the outlook ahead.
Valerie Byrd Fort,
Instructor, University of South Carolina
School of Information Science
Jordan Henry,
School Librarian
Cassie Owens Moore,
Intellectual Freedom Chair, SCASL
Ashley Snelgrove, Librarian
Josh Malkin, ACLU
McKenzie Lemhouse,
Academic Librarian

2–3 PM
Brendan Slocumb
In conversation with Jonathan Haupt.
Brendan Slocumb was raised in
Fayetteville, North Carolina and for
the past two decades has been a public
and private school music educator from
kindergarten through twelfth grade.
In 2022, he published his first novel,
The Violin Conspiracy which was selected as a Good Morning American Book
Club Pick. His second novel, Symphony
of Secrets was published in 2023 and
his forthcoming novel The Dark Maestro
will be released in 2025.

AUDITORIUM

11 AM–Noon
Love and Belonging
Find a friend or a lover, or maybe just
your place in this world whether it be
on the soccer team or in a new city.
Jonny Garza Villa,
Futbolista
Mike Curato,
Flamer

12:30–1:30 PM
Thrills and Chills
Does something feel “off” to you
Is there something menacing around
that next turn Is your perfect life
maybe not as perfect as you thought
Yasmin Angoe,
Not What She Seems
Terri Parlato,
Watch Your Back
Emily Carpenter,
Gothictown

2–3 PM
Rights and Freedom
What does it take to get and keep your
civil rights, and how do the stories of
the past still resonate today
Millicent Brown,
Another Sojourner Looking for Truth:
My Journey from Civil Rights to
Black Power and Beyond
Carolyn Click, The Cost of the Vote:
George Elmore and the Battle for
the Ballot

THEATER

11 AM–Noon
Coming of Age
Explore the journey of life, facing its
challenges to discover unexpected
resilience and determination.
Rachel Hanson,
The End of Tennessee
Jeffrey Dale Lofton,
Red Clay Suzie

12:30–1:30 PM
Kugels and Collards
Food can take us back to a place and
bring us together around the table.
Enjoy a lively collection of South
Carolina Jewish stories and special
family recipes.
Rachel Gordin Barnett,
Kugels and Collards: Stories of Food,
Family, and Tradition in Jewish South
Carolina

2–3 PM
You’ll Do
Description: Don’t wed yourself to
the idea that marriage is just for love.
From the American Colonial era
to the present day, the institution
hasn’t always been used for good.
Marcia Zug,
You’ll Do: A History of Marrying for
Reasons Other than Love
Emily Suski,
Moderatorlic Library   

Date: March 28-30,2025

Location: Richland County Public Library - 1431 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC 29201

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