Nicole Seitz

Having read most of Conroy’s books, I was glad to stumble upon this book of essays by an eclectic group, mainly of writers and mainly Southern, all of whom knew Conroy primarily because of his kindness toward them. Conroy was legendary for helping new writers by giving editing advice and even by writing glowing blurbs for their books. Sometimes criticized for giving authors blurbs for books he hadn’t read, Conroy unabashedly referred to himself as a “blurb slut.” I enjoyed hearing what others had to say about Pat Conroy, and it only reinforced my admiration of him as a writer and as a person.… (meer)

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “Our Prince of Scribes” “Writers Remember Pay Conroy” Edited by Nicole Seitz and Jonathan Haupt

After reading “Our Prince of Scribes” Edited by Nicole Seitz and Jonathan Haupt, I wished that I had the opportunity to meet Pat Conroy while he was alive. I can see from the contributions of all the authors, that Pat Conroy was a generous, kind, helpful and loyal friend to Authors and Writers. In addition, there were actresses and screen writers who paid tribute.

I especially enjoyed reading excerpts from the authors that I have read their books, and am familiar with them. Each one told their story of their connection to Pat Conroy and the literary world. In Kathy Murphy’s, “My Hero”, I appreciated how Pat Conroy was a special friend. I was so touched by Bren McClain’s “A Circle Lit in Holy Light”. Nicole Seitz, Barbara Streissand, Janis Ian, Patti Callahan Henry, Mary Alice Monroe, Sandra Brown, and so many wonderful contributors to list, individually all were so very fond of Pat Conroy. They all had the same things to say, Pat would call each one, and let them know it was his responsibility to keep up the friendship in his special way.

“The Prince of Scribes” was an educator, and had certain ideals that he fought for. Although Pat, grew up in an abusive household, especially from his father, he was able to redirect his anger to the written word. He would never be the man to raise his hand to a woman or child. After his books were made into movies, he didn’t consider himself, above anyone else. There was no jealousy, just the urge to help another writer.

One of the cute contributions that shows his sense of play and humor comes from his loving wife. On Page 266 from Cassandra King Conroy,”His usual response when someone asked about my writing was to say his wife wrote pornography while he wrote only Christian fiction. He once announced to a packed audience at the Miami Book Festival that I was (then unknown) of “Fifty Shades of Grey” Next to him on stage, I snorted, “You wish, “ I said. Oh, Pat.”

I would highly recommend this entertaining and wonderful book filled with memories, friendship and stories of “Our Prince of Scribes”-Pat Conroy.… (meer)

I only met Pat Conroy at book signings (three of them) but he was without question my favorite author and after reading this book, I learned that he wasn't JUST a wonderful author - more importantly, he was a wonderful person. He was a teacher, a mentor to many new authors, a friend to many and just an all around great guy. When Pat Conroy died in 2016, the world lost a man who had written several wonderful books and who had a control of the English language like no one else that I've ever read. The authors who contributed to this book all talk about the impact they had on their lives - whether they were new author friends or friends for 50 years.

The contributors to this book are a diverse group of people - Pulitzer Prize winners Rick Bragg and Kathleen Parker; Grammy winners Barbra Streisand and Janis Ian; Lillian Smith Award winners Anthony Grooms and Mary Hood; National Book Award winner Nikky Finney; James Beard Foundation Award winners Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart; a corps of New York Times best-selling authors, including Ron Rash, Sandra Brown, and Mary Alice Monroe; Conroy biographers Katherine Clark and Catherine Seltzer; longtime Conroy friends Bernie Schein, Cliff Graubart, John Warley, and Walter Edgar; Pat's students Sallie Ann Robinson and Valerie Sayers; members of the Conroy family; and many more. Nicole Seitz, the editor and a fantastic author did a fantastic job of setting up the essays in this book in a meaningful way.

This book will make a difference in the next book that you pick up -- if you haven't read Pat Conroy, you'll realize what you've missed and know that it's time to start reading his books. If you are a Pat Conroy fan, this book will make you want to take your copy of Prince of Tides or Beach Music off your shelf and travel to the low country and get reacquainted with those characters that you loved.… (meer)