Join us for a morning with journalist and author Tommy Tomlinson as he shares stories from his latest book, Dogland: Passion, Glory, and Lots of Slobber at the Westminster Dog Show. Spending three years immersed in competitive dog shows, Tomlinson brings readers behind the scenes at over a hundred events, where he’s been licked, sniffed, and slobbered on by dogs of every shape and size. Striker is at the heart of the book, a champion Samoyed, and the team of breeders and handlers who chase glory with him all the way to Westminster.

A Brunswick native, Tomlinson is also the author of the acclaimed memoir The Elephant in the Room and spent 23 years at the Charlotte Observer, where he was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

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St. Simons Casino — Room 108

Author website ––Tommy Tomlinson

Based on Pat Conroy's memoir, The Water is Wide, about his difficult, if uplifting, days as a teacher on a remote island off the coast of South Carolina. Filmed on St. Simons Island and the city of Brunswick. Key filming locations include Taylor's Fish Camp, Cannon's Point on St. Simons Island, and the Old City Hall in Brunswick. Many of the child actors were local students. 1974. Starring Jon Voight.

145 minutes

Rated PG

Watch the trailer – Conrack

$5 suggested donation

Closed-Captioning will be turned on

The author’s debut novel, Our Hands Are Pale as Milk, reimagines the life of Claire Clairmont—the brilliant, restless stepsister of Mary Shelley, mother of Lord Byron’s daughter, and intimate witness to one of literature’s most combustible circles. Living in the charged orbit of Percy Bysshe Shelley and Mary Shelley, Claire becomes muse, lover, and outsider all at once, present as Frankenstein takes shape.

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Seating is limited; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino Theater

Author website –Sara Kay Rupnick

Gary Olsen, film historian, will give a three-part presentation on Alfred Hitchcock.

Part One

English-born Alfred Hitchcock, the 'Master of Suspense,' directed over 50 films during his six decades in cinema. Hitchcock's influence has been cited as pivotal, shaping modern cinema with his stunning visuals and tightly edited sequences. In our introductory presentation, we'll look at Hitchcock's English upbringing and his first movies, which brought him to the attention of Hollywood studios. Among the films we'll examine are Britain's first talkie, 1929's Blackmail, his classic 1935's The 39 Steps, and 1936's Sabotage, among many others.

Free for members; $10 for non-members. (Annual Membership is $15)

Registration is required via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino Theater

Gary Olsen, film historian, will give a three-part presentation on Alfred Hitchcock.

Part Two

The presentation on the 'Master of Suspense' continues as we follow director Hitchcock's early Hollywood movies, first under producer David O. Selznick, then in his independently produced films. Many critics cite these WW2 and post-war era movies as among his most memorable and engaging. We'll examine his only Best Picture Oscar winner, 1940 Rebecca, as well as his personal favorites, 1943's Shadow of a Doubt, Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman's 1946 Notorious, and 1951's Stranger on a Train.

Free for members; $10 for non-members. (Annual Membership is $15)

Registration is required via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino Theater

Gary Olsen, film historian, will give a three-part presentation on Alfred Hitchcock.

Part Three

Hitchcock's years of defining suspense and thriller movies culminated in his final stage of filmmaking, from the mid-1950s until his death in 1980. Each release of his films during this time was a national event, so excellent was his reputation. These mostly Technicolor achievements marked a peak in his ability to scare moviegoers out of their seats. Leading off with 1954's Rear Window, we'll examine his most popular years, including 1958's Vertigo, 1959's North by Northwest, 1960's Psycho, and 1961's The Birds. We'll also show every cameo appearance by Hitchcock, some of which are seen in the most unlikely of places. 

Free for members; $10 for non-members. (Annual Membership is $15)

Registration is required via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino Theater

Jennifer is a USA TODAY bestselling author of five novels, including The Vanishing of Josephine Reynolds, The Magic All Around, and the Mystic Water series. She has also written a collection of folklore retellings and Strawberry Shortcake children’s books.

Her latest novel, The Charmed Library—publishing January 6, 2026—is a heartfelt love letter to libraries, beloved childhood stories, and readers who never stopped falling for fictional heroes.

Free for members; $10 for non-members.

Seating is limited; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino Theater

Author website –Jennifer Moorman

Keith Rushing is a former newspaper reporter who worked in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and California before becoming a communications strategist for an environmental nonprofit. His writing has also appeared in outlets such as The Huffington Post and Ebony.com. A native of Queens, New York, he now lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two children.

In his powerful debut, Descended, Rushing traces his family’s history beginning with a single remembered name—Sancho. His search leads to the Gullah-Geechee communities of the South Carolina and Georgia Sea Islands, where he uncovers the story of an ancestor born into slavery on Hilton Head Island who later fought for his own freedom and became a landowner. Part personal journey, part history, Descended is both a family chronicle and a vivid portrait of Hilton Head’s transformation, exploring themes of memory, identity, and belonging.

Books will be available for sale at the event, with a signing session to follow.

Free for members; $10 for non-members.

Seating is limited; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino Theater

Bennett Parten, assistant professor of history at Georgia Southern University and a Distinguished Lecturer of the Organization of American Historians, is a Civil War scholar whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Civil War Monitor. A Georgia native with a PhD from Yale, he now lives in Savannah.

His book, Somewhere Toward Freedom, has been hailed as one of the most innovative studies of American emancipation. Reframing Sherman’s March to the Sea through the eyes of the enslaved, Parten reveals how tens of thousands of people transformed the campaign into the largest liberation event in American history. Blending military, social, and cultural history, he illuminates not only the march itself but also the fragile beginnings of Reconstruction that followed.

Books will be available for sale at the event, with a signing session to follow.

Free for members; $10 for non-members.

Seating is limited; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino Theater

Mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.

129 minutes

Rated R

Watch the trailer – A Real Pain

$5 suggested donation

Closed-Captioning will be turned on

Beth is a widely recognized artist and photographer whose evocative depictions of historic homes and Southern landmarks appear on Substack, Southern Voice. She travels the backroads of the South, documenting remarkable architecture and the stories behind the places we love.

She joins us to discuss her newest book, The Grassroots Guide to Saving What Matters—a practical, accessible roadmap for anyone interested in preserving historic buildings. Beth offers clear guidance, insider insights, and actionable tips for advocates, community members, and anyone who wants to make a difference in protecting the places that matter most.

Free for members; $10 for non-members. (Annual Membership is $15)

Registration is required via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino – Room 108