In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Gillian Grable, MSW, from The Center for Human Development and Disability at the Ratston Institute, UGA, will discuss her book, Until We Meet Again: The Life of Jennie Raffield Williams, a historical fiction based on the true story of a woman who lived at the Central State Hospital in Milledgeville for over 50 years. Troubling and moving, it exposes the decades-long failure of the state, the public, and mental health professionals to provide appropriate care to Jennie and other patients with mental and intellectual disabilities.

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

Seating is limited; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino — Room 108

Virginia McGee Richards discusses The Inner Passage: An Untold Story of Black Resistance Along a Southern Waterway, to be published on April 7, 2026. A photojournalist, attorney, and environmental advocate, Richards documents the remnants of a 300-year-old coastal waterway built and maintained by enslaved people in South Carolina and Georgia. Her work traces both the physical landscape and the hidden history of resistance embedded within it. A 2021 Photojournalism Fellow at Anderson Ranch and a Thomas J. Watson Fellow, Richards’ Inner Passage project was featured in Smithsonian Magazine in 2022.

Please note the 3:00 PM start time

Author website – Virginia McGee Richard

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

Seating is limitedd; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino Theater

Based on the 2020 novel by Maggie O'Farrell. William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, celebrate the birth of their son, Hamnet. However, when tragedy strikes, and Hamnet dies young, it inspires Shakespeare to write his timeless masterpiece "Hamlet." Starring Academy Award winner Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal.

2 hours; 5 minutes

Rated PG-13

Watch the trailer – Hamnet

$5 pay at the door

Closed-Captioning will be enabled

Dr. Daniel Rood will discuss his latest release, In the Shadow of the Great House: A History of the Plantation in America. This highly praised book examines the plantation as a central institution in American history, showing that it did not disappear with emancipation but reemerged under new regimes of labor and extraction. Tracing this continuity across four centuries, Rood makes clear why the plantation remains essential to understanding inequality, labor, and capitalism in the United States today.

Dr. Rood is an associate professor of history at the University of Georgia, specializing in the history of Atlantic slavery.

Buy the book – Righton Books

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

Seating is limited; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino Theater

Step into a story filled with intrigue, conflict, and colorful characters in Palms, Priests, Pirates: The Epic History of Amelia Island, Florida (available on May 15, 2026).

From early Native American settlements to Spanish rule, pirate raids, Civil War turmoil, and yellow fever epidemics, this sweeping history uncovers the dramatic and often surprising past of this storied barrier island. Paired with stunning photography, the book offers a vivid, layered look at a place that played a remarkable role in shaping Florida—and the young United States.

If you enjoy history that reads like a page-turner, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Author website – Stephen Doster

Photographer website – Ben Galland

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

Seating is limited; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino Theater

Fresh out of prison, a Scottish woman juggles her job and two children while pursuing her dream of becoming a country music star. She soon gets her chance when she travels to Nashville, Tenn., on a life-changing journey to discover her true voice.

Starring Jesse Buckley

1 hours; 41 minutes

Rated R

Watch the trailer – Wild Rose

$5 pay at the door

Closed-Captioning will be enabled

Matt Cashion is the author of the new collection of short stories — How We Do Things Here and several award-winning works of fiction. He grew up on St. Simons Island and in Brunswick, Georgia—places that continue to shape his writing.

Cashion is also the author of Last Words of the Holy Ghost, which he discussed during a visit to the Literary Guild in June 2016. Currently, Matt is a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, and lives in western Wisconsin with his partner, Heather, and a lively mix of animals.

Free for members; $10 for non-members.

Seating is limited; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino Theater

Author website – Matt Cashion

Sheryl McCollum is a crime scene investigator with the Metro Atlanta police department and the founder of the Cold Case Investigative Research Institute, which partners with colleges and universities nationwide. She has worked thousands of cold cases, including high-profile investigations such as the Boston Strangler, Natalee Holloway, Tupac Shakur, and the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynching. Her work earned an Emmy for CSI: Atlanta. Sheryl also hosts the investigative podcast Zone 7. In her book, Swans Don’t Swim in a Sewer (release date May 12, 2026), she explores a chilling question: what happens when a serial killer is used as bait to catch another killer?

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

Seating is limited; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino Theater

Mary Kay Andrews is the New York Times bestselling author of 30 novels. The Queen of the Summer Read is back with her first novel in two years! Road Trip will be released on June 2, 2026.

"A cozy romp that touches lightly on multiple genres to spin an intriguing tale: murder mystery, IRA art heist, coming-to-America immigrant story, justice for elder financial abuse, dual rom-com narratives, and an earnest story of two sisters learning to appreciate each other again. A delightful tale with vivid characters." —Kirkus

Author website —Mary Kay Andrews

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

Seating is limited; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite

St. Simons Casino Theater