Author talk with Pat Branning

Libraries for Kids, International will host author Pat Branning for a free talk on Monday, Sept. 15th, 2025, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Roasting Room, 1297 May River Road in Bluffton.

Branning is the best-selling author of seven Southern cookbooks and a longtime journalist. A graduate of the University of Georgia, she began her career at WSB Radio in Atlanta, where she became the station’s Women’s Editor and hosted daily radio programs. She later worked as an assistant to Ted Turner before his founding of CNN.

After moving to Beaufort, Branning became known for stories rooted in Lowcountry traditions and meals shared in antebellum dining rooms. She went on to contribute to publications including The Local Palate, Deep South Magazine and Charleston Style and Design. She also served as editor of Shrimp, Collards, and Grits, a regional magazine that was distributed across the South until it closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today, Branning connects with readers through her Substack newsletter, The Diary of Southern Lifestyle Author Pat Branning, which has more than 7,000 subscribers. Many of her stories are from her early days in Beaufort and the memorable meals she shared with friends who entertained along Beaufort’s waterfront and across the sea islands.

The author talk is part of an ongoing series hosted by Libraries for Kids, International, a Bluffton-based nonprofit that provides leisure and reference books to schools in rural Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The group focuses on communities with little or no access to electricity or the internet.

Upcoming events in the series include author Scott Gould on Oct. 20th, Lynn and Cele Seldon on Nov. 17th, and Annelore Harrell on Dec. 15th.
The event is open to the public, though a $5 donation is suggested. Space is limited and reservations are required. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early. Following the talk, guests may join Branning for an optional Dutch treat lunch to continue the conversation in a more casual setting.
For more information or to RSVP, contact board member Tamela Maxim at 843-683-4100 or tamela.maxim@libraries4kids.org.