


SSI Writers Group – Spring Sendoff
We'll be celebrating a year of writing and programming as well as hosting a kind of "open house" for people who may be interested in joining a critique group. You'll hear from critique group leaders and others in the community, and we'll have the opportunity to generate ideas for additional programs you'd like to see at SSIW.
A few appetizers will be provided; however, drinks and meals are at your own expense.
Please let us know if you are attending - Google Form




Film – Perfect Days
Japan/Germany, 2023, directed by Wim Wenders. Hirayama works as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. He seems content with his simple life. He follows a structured everyday life and dedicates his free time to his passion for music and books. Hirayama also has a fondness for trees and photographs them. More of his past is gradually revealed through a series of unexpected encounters.
In Japanese with English subtitles
124 minutes; Not Rated
No reservation needed
$3 donation suggested
Watch the trailer – Perfect Days

Author Talk – Rebecca Brenner Graham
Rebecca is a postdoctoral research associate at Brown University. Previously, she taught at Madeira School and American University. She holds a PhD in history, an MA in Public History from American University, and a BA in History and Philosophy from Mount Holyoke College. In 2023, she was awarded a Cokie Roberts Fellowship from the National Archives Foundation and a Rubenstein Center Research Fellowship from the White House Historical Association. Her writing has been published in the Washington Post, Time, Slate, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and elsewhere. Rebecca visits to talk about her book – “Dear Miss Perkins: A Story of Frances Perkins’s Efforts to Aid Refugees from Nazi Germany.”
Free for members; $10 for non-members.
Registration is required via Eventbrite
St. Simons Casino Room 108
Author website –Rebecca Brenner Graham
Thanks to G.J. Ford Bookshop for offering books for sale




Author Talk – Kimberly Brock
Kimberly is the award-winning author of “The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare” and “The River Witch.” She founded the Tinderbox Writers Workshop and has been a guest lecturer for numerous regional and national writing workshops, including the Pat Conroy Literary Center.
Kimberly visits to discuss her book, The Fabled Earth, in which Southern mythology and personal reckoning collide in a sweeping story inspired by the little-known history of Cumberland Island, as a once-in-a-century storm threatens the natural landscape.
Free for members and $10 for non-members.
Registration is required via Eventbrite
St. Simons Casino Room 108
Author website –Kimberly Brock
Thanks to G.J. Ford. Bookshop for offering books for sale.


Author Talk – Suzanne Hurley and Josh Dukes
Suzanne Hurley and Joshua Dukes are coauthors of Brunswick (Past and Present), which features photos of historic people and places alongside modern-day images. Whether you're a longtime resident or just curious about coastal Georgia's history, this is a talk you won't want to miss.
Free for members; $10 for non-members.
Seating is limited; registration is suggested via Eventbrite
St. Simons Casino Theater
Thanks to G.J. Ford Bookshop for offering books for sale.


Film – Conclave
A 2024 political thriller film directed by Edward Berger and written by Peter Straughan, based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris. The film stars Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Sergio Castellitto, and Isabella Rossellini. In the film, Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (Fiennes) organizes a conclave to elect the next pope and finds himself investigating secrets and scandals about the major candidates.
120 minutes; Rated R.
$3 suggested donation
Watch the trailer – Conclave








Author Talk – Tommy Tomlinson
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.
Free for members; $10 for non-members.
Seating is limited; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite
St. Simons Casino Theater
Author website ––Tommy Tomlinson
Thanks to G.J. Ford Bookshop for providing books for sale.


Film – White Bird
From the world of Wonder, which sparked a movement to "choose kind," comes the inspirational next chapter: WHITE BIRD. Struggling to fit in at his new school after being expelled for his treatment of Auggie Pullman, Julian (Bryce Gheisar) is visited by his grandmother (Helen Mirren) and is transformed by the compassionate and heroic story of her attempts to escape Nazi-occupied France during WWII.
120 minutes; Rated PG-13
$3 suggested donation
Watch the trailer – White Bird












































Author Talk – Andrew Lawler
Andrew is the author of the national bestseller The Secret Token, about the lost colony of Roanoke, and the award-winning Under Jerusalem.” His latest book is “A Perfect Frenzy” — a perspective about Lord Dunmore and the beginnings of the American Revolutionary War. While the New England powder keg was sparked by opposition to laws such as the Stamp Acts, Andrew makes it clear that much of Virginia's initial involvement in the Revolution boils down to slavery and racism. Dunmore armed and emancipated up to thousands of Black people in the months leading up to the conflict, enraging the wealthy white planter class of enslavers who would ultimately support the patriot 'cause' and incinerate Norfolk, Virginia (while blaming Dunmore for the city's destruction). The consequences have reverberated through the centuries.
Author website – Andrew Lawler
Free for members and $10 for non-members.
Seating is limited; registration is suggested via Eventbrite
St. Simons Casino Theater
Thanks to G.J. Ford Bookshop for offering books for sale.

Film – Big Miracle
Directed by Ken Kwapis, this rescue adventure stars Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski. It is the true story of a family of whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle.
107 minutes; Rated PG.
$3 suggested donation
Watch the trailer – Big Miracle


Author Talk – Marie Bostwick
A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nineteen uplifting works of historical and contemporary fiction, Marie’s books are beloved by readers across the globe.
She visits to talk about her latest book, The Book Club for Troublesome Women, about a group of women who meet to discuss a controversial book. The women share secrets and cocktails and discover that the American dream they've been sold isn't all it seems.
Free for members; $10 for non-members.
Seating is limited; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite
St. Simons Casino Theater
Author website ––Marie Bostwick
Thanks to Righton Books for offering books for sale.

Memoir Writing – How to Save Your History & Write Your Life Story
A St. Simons Writer’s Group Event
HOW TO SAVE YOUR HISTORY & WRITE YOUR LIFE STORY
Everyone has a story to tell. Too often, these stories and personal histories are lost unless they’ve written a biography or memoir. But it’s not easy, and new writers may wonder how and where to start, what to include, and what to leave out. Award-winning writer Vic DiGenti works as a ghostwriter, biographer, and publisher. He’s written 11 biographies and family histories for clients and will share practical information based on his past and most current books on leaving a lasting legacy.
About the Speaker:
Vic DiGenti is the award-winning author of six novels, a collection of short stories, and eight works of nonfiction. His books include the Windrusher trilogy of adventure fantasies and the Quint Mitchell Mystery series, published under the pen name Parker Francis. Vic also works as a ghostwriter, biographer, and publisher using his imprint, Windrusher Hall Press. He’s a longtime member of the Florida Writers Association, serving as Regional Director for NE Florida and on the Board of the Beaches Museum.
Free; registration is required ➜ https://forms.gle/phCeYyNPYGHcnZdk6


Author Talk – Maggie Redmon
Maggie is a four-time finalist for the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Nonfiction Prize. Her essays have appeared in Reed magazine, the Briar Cliff Review, Athen’s magazine, and the Sycamore Review, where she was a double finalist for the Wabash Prize for Nonfiction.
She visits to discuss her book, Trials of a Dead Lawyer’s Wife: A True Story —a journey through her dead lawyer husband’s drug abuse, possible murder, and her desire for justice.
Free for members and $10 for non-members.
Seating is limited; registration is suggested via Eventbrite
St. Simons Casino – Room 108
Author website – Maggie Redmon
Thanks to G.J. Ford Bookshop for offering books for sale.



CANCELLED – Film – The Promised Land
Directed by Nikolaj Arcel. Mads Mikkelsen stars in this story of Danish soldier and explorer Ludvig Kahlen, who explored and cultivated Denmark's wild Jutland, which now comprises the vast majority of the country, in the mid-18th century.
In Danish with English subtitles
127 minutes; Rated R.
$3 suggested donation
Watch the trailer – The Promised Land







Author Talk – Laura Morelli
Laura is an art historian and the USA Today bestselling author of travel guides and historical fiction. She visits to talk about her latest book, The Keeper of Lost Art (publication date: April 22), set in World War II when a young girl makes an unbreakable connection with a boy sheltering in her family’s Tuscan villa, where the treasures of the Uffizi Galleries are hidden. It’s a moving coming-of-age story about the power of art in wartime, based on actual events.
Free for members; $10 for non-members.
Seating is limited; registration is encouraged via Eventbrite
St. Simons Casino Theater
Author website –– Laura Morelli
Thanks to G..J. Ford Bookshop for offering books for sale.


Film – Nowhere Special
UK, 2024, directed by Uberto Pasolini. James Norton (“Grantchester”) stars as John, a thirty-four-year-old window cleaner, who is given only a few months to live. He attempts to find a new, perfect family for his three-year-old son, determined to shield him from the terrible reality of the situation.
96 minutes
Not Rated.
No reservations necessary
$3 suggested donation
Watch the trailer – Nowhere Special


Author Talk – Emily Carpenter
Emily is the critically acclaimed Amazon bestselling author of suspense novels, “Burying the Honeysuckle Girls,” “The Weight of Lies,” “Every Single Secret, Until the Day I Die,” and “Reviving the Hawthorn.” After graduating from Auburn with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication, she moved to New York City. She’s worked as an actor, producer, screenwriter, and behind-the-scenes soap opera assistant for the CBS shows As the World Turns and Guiding Light.
She visits to talk about her latest book, Gothictown (publication date: March 25), about a restauranteur lured by pandemic-era incentives who moves her family to a seemingly idyllic small town in Georgia, only to discover darkness lurking beneath the sun-dappled streets and Southern hospitality.
Free for members; $10 for non-members.
Seating is limited; registration is suggested via Eventbrite
St. Simons Casino Theater
Author website – Emily Carpenter
Thanks to G.J. Ford Bookshop for offering books for sale.


Armchair Travel: A Photographer’s View of Yemen, Ecuador & Guatemala
Join Chris Slack, President of the Coastal Photographers Guild, for an “Armchair Travel” experience showcasing captivating corners of the world rarely seen by tourists. Embark on a journey through Yemen, exploring its rich history, the cultural significance of Khat, stunning Old City architecture, and the charm of its rural countryside. From the arid deserts, travel to Ecuador’s vibrant rainforest, viewed from both above and within, and learn about the construction of an environmentally friendly pipeline deep in the jungle. Conclude with a visit to Guatemala’s historic former capital, Antigua, during the colorful Easter celebrations. This is a visual and cultural adventure you won’t want to miss!
Free for members; $10 for non-members.
Registration is required via Eventbrite
St. Simons Casino Room 108



Author Talk – Sharon Burton
Sharon Burton has actively worked as a visual artist, art curator, poet, podcaster, teaching artist, and creativity coach for 20 years in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia areas.
Sharon visits to discuss Creative Sparks: 21 Affirmations & Inspiration for Creativity at Midlife, a guide to rekindling creative and artistic passions, such as painting, writing, music, and crafts.
Free for members; $10 for non-members.
Registration is required via Eventbrite
St. Simons Casino Theater
Author website – Spark Your Creative