MarshSong Cottage, sitting creekside on a tidal marsh, is host to the spring and fall Pat Conroy Literary Center Writer’s Residencies. Mary Ellen Thompson welcomes writers to her guest cottage, located on Saint Helena Island in South Carolina, mid-way between downtown Beaufort and Hunting Island State Park.
MarshSong, so named for the melody the marsh mud plays at low tide, is situated on an historic property, once the first school in the nation for freed Black slaves. But the history goes deeper than that with ancient shell middens hinting at stories of other cultures.
The Cottage is a perfect writer’s sanctuary with views of water and woods; wildlife creatures and birds abound.
Pat Conroy Literary Center’s
Fall 2026 Writer’s Residency
Coinciding with the annual Literary Festival, the Pat Conroy Literary Center will offer our Writer’s Residency, open to writers of all prose genres. The residency provides an inspirational, creative space in the heart of Pat Conroy’s beloved Lowcountry. The residency location is Marshsong Cottage on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, which is 15 minutes from downtown Beaufort and the beach at Hunting Island State Park.
The residency dates are October 20 to 27, 2026, overlapping with the 11th annual Pat Conroy Literary Festival on October 23, 24, 25, 2026, which the writer will be invited to attend.
TO APPLY FOR THE WRITER’S RESIDENCY
Please be sure to answer the following questions and adhere to the guidelines, as failure to do so may relegate applications to the back of the lunch line.
Consider the following quote by Pat Conroy from My Reading Life
“I selected all my books for the possibility of some flare of candles along the road toward illumination or enchantment.”
1.Tell us a story: fiction, non-fiction or personal essay about how you've selected your books and/or what flares your candles and/or what was your road toward illumination or enchantment? (300 words)
2. What are you seeking? Tell us how being in the Lowcountry for a residency will benefit your writing, and how your presence will benefit the people you meet here. If you live in the Lowcountry you must help us understand why we should choose you over someone who has never been here. (150 words)
3. Who are you? Send us a short bio, along with your contact information in first person please. If you copy and paste from your website in third person, you will not be eating lunch with us. (100 words)
4. Do you have a favorite Pat Conroy book? Tell us which one, or about a book by another author who is closest to your heart, and why. (Remember you are applying for a Pat Conroy Writer’s Residency, if you don’t know who he is, find out quickly or prepare to go hungry.) (50 words)
5. How did you learn about this residency?
6. Let’s have a look. Attach a writing sample of your prose work, 3-5 double- spaced pages in 12 Times New Roman or similar font.
Include items #1 - 5 in the body of the email and the writing sample #6 as an attachment.
Please submit the following by August 23, 2024 to
writersresidency@patconroyliterarycenter.org
With the subject line: Conroy Center Writer’s Residency October 2026
Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of Conroy Center advisors. Again, completing all sections of the application as directed is essential to be considered for the residency.
The residency is open to both published and unpublished writers. If you have applied before but not been selected, we encourage you to apply again. Pat Conroy was a mentor to writers in all stages of their careers and we wish to honor his legacy.
The selected writer will be notified by September 8, 2026.