Events Calendar

Pope Francis referred to human trafficking as an “open wound on the body of contemporary society.” It is a serious affront to human dignity, preying upon the most vulnerable and further dehumanizing them through exploitation. Join Bon Secours St. Francis Health System for a half-day of presentations by internationally recognized experts on human trafficking to learn what role you can play in our community’s response to this humanitarian crisis.

This seminar is a multidisciplinary event open to all who seek to make our community and world a better place for God’s people. It is intended to educate and increase awareness of human trafficking, highlight the necessity of community collaboration, and give hope to those being victimized and exploited.

The event is free to attend, but registration is required.

Free CME/CEU/CLE credit available

Get Off The Grid Fest Charrette
Free micro-festival
Musical Acts: The Get Down Junkies, Natti Love Joys, and BEMI Music.
Stilt-walking Gulf fritillary butterfly, attend a solar tour or
homesteading workshop, visit local vendors, and unwind in the health &
wellness zone. All ages are welcome.
Meet the team and learn how to get involved for our Solar Festival in
August at the local Music Camp.

Free micro-festival
Musical Acts: The Get Down Junkies, Natti Love Joys, and BEMI Music.
Stilt-walking Gulf fritillary butterfly, attend a solar tour or
homesteading workshop, visit local vendors, and unwind in the health &
wellness zone. All ages are welcome.
Meet the team and learn how to get involved for our Solar Festival in
August at the local Music Camp.

You want to get into horror but you don’t know where to start. This is your sign. This is an intensive, boot campy, crash course 4 week program that will throw you head first into reading, writing, talking, screaming, digesting, sweating, and bleeding horror content. It’s going to be a blast!

We will meet on the following Thursdays: May 4, 11, 18, 25 from 7-9PM EST. Over those 4 weeks, participants will read a number of stories from various subgenres with the intent to identify tools and techniques used by the author. Implementing lessons and notes from class, students will workshop one story they’re passionate about over the duration of the course. At the end you’re going to have a story you’re proud of, but also you will have had a little tapas of what horror can be. Welcome to the fold!!

Week One: Building the Scary Premise and Your Scared Characters

After introductions we’ll talk about what brought us to this class and what stories (if any) are something we want to pursue. Through a series of generative exercises we’ll make your protagonist and the scary thing for them to encounter.

Reading: TBD

Writing: The first draft of your story!

Week Two: Setting, Secondary Characters, and the Talking about the Monster

We’ll workshop our pieces. Then we’ll go over the role of setting, the importance of characters for your protagonist to interact with, and how information can build suspense about the monster.

Readings after Class: “The Willows” by Algernon Blackwood, “Bulldozer” by Laird Barron

Write: The second draft of your story!

Week Three: The Villain’s Perspective and Your Character’s Agency

We’ll workshop your pieces again. We’ll discuss the importance of the villain’s perspective and how nailing it down can make the conflict clearer. We’ll also go over agency and what it means for your character being agentic vs. passive.

Readings: “The Cabbit” by Maria Dong, “No Matter Which Way They Turned” by Brian Evenson, and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates.

Write: The third draft of your story!

Week Four: One More Workshop

This is the last class! What a doozy! We’ll workshop everyone’s pieces and talk about what techniques and tools we enjoyed, utilized, didn’t quite mesh with.

Should You Have the Time…

Read: “The Jaunt” by Stephen King, “The Boogeyman” by Stephen King, “Rainy Season” by Stephen King, “Hairy Legs and All” by Stephen Graham Jones, “The Moths” by Elina Hawkinsons, “The Coward II” by M. Gira, with more to come.

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Alex Gonzalez is a WGA screenwriter, author, and instructor. He teaches fiction writing at various platforms and teaches MFA level screenwriting at Long Island University. He is one of the creators of PoC satire site Flexx Magazine, horror-zine youarenotalone, and has been published in various magazines and anthologies, with his novel Land Shark debuting in 2020. He has been a consultant on novels, treatments, and screenplays. His feature script Negative Space is currently in development with Extra A Productions (The Giant, Little Woods) and his second novel is on submission through FinePrint Lit.

All the best resources for homeschooling in the Upstate in one place,
on one night! And, this year we have more space, and more time!

Gather resources for your homeschool. Get answers. Find your tribe!

Co-ops, associations, sports, community groups, field trips, arts, & more all in one fun place for the whole family.

NEW THIS YEAR: Learn about homeschooling in breakout sessions, & experience educational, & fun, mini-field trips as a family.

COST
$6.75 per adult.
Children are free.

Expo admission includes breakout sessions, & one tote bag per family.

Dinner, drinks, & snacks, are available for purchase in the cafe downstairs,
& snow cones will be just outside.