The Pat Conroy Literary Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Robert Gwaltney as its new Executive Director. A nonprofit executive and critically acclaimed author, Gwaltney brings more than 25 years of mission-driven leadership and community service, along with a deep personal connection to the work and legacy of Pat Conroy. A lifelong resident […]
“Sing Down the Moon” by Robert Gwaltney
March 17, 2026 by Leave a Comment
Robert Gwaltney undoubtedly has one of the most stunning imaginations of any author now writing. In his award-winning debut, The Cicada Tree—which, among other honors, won the Georgia Writer of the Year Award for a First Novel—he proved he excels in lyrical prose, richly drawn characters, and confident storytelling. Now, with his second novel, Sing […]
“Lick the Sherbet Sky: Reflections of a Writer’s Residency” by Robert Gwaltney
April 18, 2023 by 11 Comments
“You are overweight,” Tonya, the Delta Airlines desk attendant tells me. “It’ll be an additional two hundred dollars.” Judgement seeps from Tonya’s guinea hen eyes, slips from the corners of her mouth in spittle. How dare you, I think to myself, looking down at Miss Audrey Hepburn, my suitcase. (I call my suitcase Miss Audrey […]
Dawn Major interviews Robert Gwaltney
April 18, 2023 by 1 Comment
Dawn Major has followed author Robert Gwaltney’s writing career and has been delighted to watch it grow in leaps and bounds after a very successful reception of his debut novel, The Cicada Tree. Since running into him at a fellow author reading at FoxTale Book Shop a couple of years ago, she counts him as […]
Robert Gwaltney
April 18, 2023 by Leave a Comment
A graduate of Florida State University, Robert Gwaltney resides in Atlanta, Georgia. By day, he serves as Vice President of Easter Seals North Georgia, Inc., a non-profit organization that strengthens children and their families during the most critical times in their development. Through his non-profit work, he is a champion for early childhood literacy. Robert […]
Dawn Major interviews Mary Ellen Thompson
April 18, 2023 by 2 Comments
Introduction: When Associate Editor, Dawn Major, heard that Robert Gwaltney, author of The Cicada Tree, had been selected as the Pat Conroy Literary Center’s writer in residency, she asked him to write about his experience. Gwaltney wrote a sublime piece called “Lick the Sherbet Sky,” where he kept alluding to an individual by the name […]