Have a word of two with Charleston. Peek through designer drapes. Hit the road in the name of art.
Maura's Three for the Week in Charleston, 4/28/25 - 5/4/25
This week is literary catnip for thus-inclined Charlestonians, with many events folding in clever ways to elevate the craft of writing. Like your Shakespeare served up operatically? Get to Charleston Library Society where Charleston Opera Theater hits the back of the book-lined house. Jonesing for a female-focused literary journal? Revisionist launches at local books-and-bar hub Philosophers & Fools. Still parsing Bitcoin? Dig South’s Tech Summit serves up a techno-thriller of an author discussion with its inscrutable founder. Read them and reap.
Be there when opera stars belt the Bard
Charleston Library Society, Main Reading Room, 164 King St., downtown Charleston, Tues., April 29, 6 p.m.
When it comes to celebrating the work of William Shakespeare, Charleston Library Society is going the distance, from its Igoe Shakespeare Library to its Shakespeare on the Steps or its Shakespeare pop-up performances. Now, the organization partners with Charleston Opera Theater in Opera! by Shakespeare, an evening celebrating the life and works of William Shakespeare, timed a scant five days following the anniversary of the playwright’s birthday. Pulling from plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth and Hamlet, the evening gives big voice to the Bard’s stirring words.
For information and to purchase tickets, click here.
Raise a glass to the new Revisionist
Philosopher & Fools, 50 Bogard St., downtown Charleston, Wed., April 30, 6:30 - 8 p.m.
There’s nothing that warms my soul more than getting word of a new homegrown literary journal, particularly one boasting beloved local women literati joining forces. Such was my reaction to the news of the launch of Revisionist, an annual publication established by Kate Connor Boyette in partnership with graphic designer F. Scott Long and Garden & Gun veteran Philip Rhodes.
The festivities begin this week at Philosophers & Fools with a first event, In Her Own Words: A Night of Women’s Stories. Tickets are $35, which includes a copy of the debut issue of the magazine and a glass of house wine.
Tickets to the event can be purchased here. Copies of Revisionist can be purchased here and are available at select locations.
Revel in a well-orchestrated house tour
24 Chalmers St., downtown Charleston, Wednesdays - Saturdays, April 30 - May 3 and May 7 - 10, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; fundraising soiree is Tues., April 29, 5:30 - 8 p.m. (at Dock Street Theatre)
If you’re the kind of Charleston resident that I am, nothing offers quite the pleasure of peeking behind the gates and curtains of a freshly finessed Charleston home. Thankfully, each year the Charleston Symphony Orchestra League offers a chance to tour a renovated and beautifully curated home. This year, they land in the historic French Quarter for La Belle Maison, which features Jacob Laws Interior Design and a pop-up art gallery by Stevenson & Co.
In anticipation of the house tours, the CSOL will host a Celebration Soiree on Tues., April 29, from 5:30-8:00pm at The Dock Street Theater, 135 Church Street. Tours of 24 Chalmers house will be available during the soiree from 5:30 - 7 p.m.
For tickets and information, click here.
Bonus: Mine the mystery of Bitcoin’s cryptic crypto creator
College of Charleston Albert Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip St., downtown Charleston, Thurs., May 1, 7:30 p.m.
Here’s one for the literary mystery techies out there—and one I personally could benefit from parsing. Charleston Literary Festival teams up with Charleston’s Dig South Tech Summit to present A Cryptic Evening with Benjamin Wallace. The New York Times bestselling author of The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto will discuss his deep dive into Satoshi Nakamoto, the elusive creator of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency's origins. Blending investigative journalism with a mystery thriller narrative, Wallace hunts for crypto's creator across the globe, exploring the genius, secrecy and the unintended consequences of technological revolution. The author will be available after the event to meet the audience and sign and personalize books. Books are available for purchase with a ticket, and for sale on-site at the event by partner Philosophers & Fools.
To purchase your tickets click here.
One for a day trip: Get an artful immersion in Lake City
Throughout Lake City, S.C, through May 3 with spaces open at various times
This week is your chance to experience ArtFields, Lake City’s joyful annual arts effusion that since 2013 has galvanized locals and visitors alike around contemporary Southern art. The overarching goal is simple: to honor the artists of the Southeast with a week’s worth of celebration and competition in the heart of a traditional Southern small town.
Framed by a competition and exhibition offering over $100,000 in cash prizes, the week gathers 400 works of art, on display in locally-owned venues, from renovated 1920s warehouses and professional art spaces, including Jones-Carter Gallery and TRAX Visual Art Center, to the library, the history museum, the Ronald E. McNair Life History Center, restaurants, boutiques and other shops. Here’s my story from last year.
For more information, click here.