Local page-turners 📚

Books written by authors with Columbia connections

Local authors section at Richland Library — The local authors section at Richland Library is located at the first floor entrance. | Photo by COLAtoday

What’s better than a good book? A good book written by your neighbor. Brew up a batch of your favorite cup of tea or Indah coffee and get ready to meet your next read, because we’re talking about locally written books in Columbia.

Fiction

The Lower Quarter by Elise Blackwell | Release date: Sept. 21, 2015 | Valuable art goes missing in this murder mystery set in post-Katrina New Orleans
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston | Release date: June 28, 2022 | A supernatural ghost romance novel set in the fictional town of Mairmont, SC

Part of a series

Amari and the Night Brothers by BB Alston | Release date: Jan. 4, 2022 | The first in a trilogy, this young adult novel tells the supernatural story and adventures of Amari Peters.
Summoning Up Love – Heart and Soul Book 1 by Synthia Williams | April 26, 2022 | The first in the new series of spicy Southern romance novels, this book tells the story of Vanessa Steele’s recovery from losing her job and her fiancé.

Personal stories

Swimming with the Blowfish: Hootie, Healing, and One Hell of a Ride by Jim Sonefield | Release date: June 28, 2022 | A memoir from Hootie and the Blowfish drummer Jim “Soni” Sonefield telling the inside story of the band’s humble beginnings, meteoric rise, sudden fall, and ultimate rebirth.
How to Be Human: An Autistic Man’s Guide to Life by Jory Fleming | Release date: April 20, 2021 | UofSC grad and Rhodes Scholar Jory Fleming examines what it means to be human through a series of conversations with writer Lyric Winik.

Need more recommendations? Stop by Richland County Library, Odd Bird Books, or Ed’s Editions to get expert advice from Cola’s librarians + booksellers. 📚

Click here to have your event featured.

Today

The Contemporaries present Beer and Brats on Boyd Plaza | $25 | Thurs., Sept. 29 | 5:30-8:30 p.m. | Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main St. | Enjoy a family-friendly event with German music, cuisine, art, and beer. 🍻
Nephron Career Fair | Thurs., Sept. 29 | 3-7 p.m. | Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation, 4500 12th St. Extension, West Columbia | Free | Discover the career that is right for you at the Nephron Pharmaceuticals Career Fair. 💼
Pasta & Wine Night at Molto Vino with Dorsia Pasta Co. | Thurs., Sept. 29 | 5 p.m. | Molto Vino, 4605 Forest Dr., Ste. 6 | $6-$13 | Join in on handmade pasta and a wine tasting with friends. 🍷

Friday

Lower Saluda Craft BeerFest | Fri., Sept. 30 | 6 p.m. | 5605 Bush River Rd. | $35 | Taste 25+ unique craft beers, enjoy live music, and take home a commemorative tasting glass. 🍺

Saturday

Jam Room Music Festival 2022 | Sat., Oct. 1 | 12 p.m.-10 p.m. | Downtown Columbia, 1400 Block | Free | The Jam Room Music Festival returns to Columbia’s Main Street for the first time since 2019 headlined by Sun Ra Arkestra, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and Titus Andronicus. 🎶
The Rocky Horror Show | Sat., Oct. 1 | 8-10 p.m. | Trustus Theatre, 520 Lady St. | $28-$75 | The Rocky Horror Show returns to the Thigpen Main Stage just in time for Halloween.
Dark History Tours | Every Saturday in October | 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. | South Carolina State Museum | Prices vary | Explore a variety of infamous and legendary tales throughout South Carolina’s history with this special, limited-time tour experience.*

Plan Ahead

Old McCaskill’s Fall Family Farm Day | Sat., Oct. 8 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Old McCaskill’s Farm, 377 Cantey Ln., Rembert | $5 (free for children under 2) | Bring the whole family and enjoy live music, farm fresh concessions, and farm fun including a hay ride, pumpkin patch, games, mills, and more.*

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

Weather

60º | Cloudy | 1% chance of rain
Hurricane Ian will bring heavy rainfall + strong winds to the Midlands overnight Thursday and into Friday. Rainfall totals of 3-6 inches are expected with winds that may reach 40 mph. (WLTX)

Opening

Boutique bowling alley + restaurant The Grand (1621 Main St.) is reopening on Thurs., Oct. 13 after being temporarily shut down due to a fire. Grab your tickets here for the Bulleit Bourbon four-course dinner happening on Thurs., Oct 20. 🎳

Eat

Big T Bar-B-Q in Gadsen + Hite’s Bar-B-Que in West Columbia made Southern Living’s 2022 list of the South’s top barbecue joints. The top spot on the list went to Scott’s BBQ, located just 90 miles away in Hemingway. Weekend road trip, anyone? 🐖

Number

$3.4 million. That’s the amount the Center for Civil Rights History and Research at UofSC will receive from its five-year agreement with the National Park Service (NPS). The funding will go to existing work in civil rights education and research, including support for exhibits + programming at NPS sites in SC.

Coming Soon

The Studio Square, a rental photography studio for local creatives, will open in early October next door to Piecewise Coffee in Cayce. Sign up here for more information about the grand opening and a free upcoming headshot event. 📷

Transit

UofSC is looking to add two gravel parking lots south of campus near Williams-Brice Stadium. The lots will be used for intramural sports players + remote parking with a shuttle service to the main campus. These lots are unrelated to the Campus Village project. 🚌 (The Post and Courier)

Concert

Columbia International University will kick off its 100-year celebration with a concert from GRAMMY award-winning artist and CIU grad Laura Story. The concert will take place in Shortess Chapel on Fri., Nov. 4 from 7-8:30 p.m. Laura is best known for her Christian music top-charting song “Indescribable.”

Sports

We want to make sure that you’re catching all the sports coverage you need to join the conversation. As the fall season gets going, tell us what kind of sports content you want to see in COLAtoday. By completing the survey, you’ll be entered in a drawing for a chance to win team-branded swag up to $100 in value.

Community

Exclusive birthday deals, shoutouts on our member wall, insider information from our team, discounts from our online shop — that’s just a few of the perks you get when you join the COLAtoday Membership Program. Learn more + sign up for this new way to support local journalism. 💻

Travel

Stay in a piece of history and enjoy a night on Broadway in the same weekend? Sign us up for a quick fall getaway to the Nashville area in this gorgeous cabin built in the 1800s complete with a fire pit and rocking chairs on the front porch (average price of $145/night).*

Health

Have you heard? Immunotherapy is a game changer in cancer treatment. Immunotherapy helps the immune system attack the cancer cells that otherwise evades recognition. The result? More treatment options + significant improvements in survival and quality of life for cancer patients. Learn more.*

Learn

Inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders + professionals, the recent GE Next Engineer camp gave middle school students the opportunity to try SCBIO’s Rad Lab. The mobile game is meant to garner interest among youth in SC’s life sciences industry.*

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

25K all around 💰

First of its kind NIL Deal

The pregame atmosphere at Colonial Life Arena. | Photo via Gamecocks Athletics

Thanks to the efforts of Columbia attorney Bakari Sellers and UofSC alumni, each member of the reigning national championship women’s basketball team has been offered the chance to earn $25,000 or more in name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals during the 2022-2023 school year.

These first-of-their-kind NIL deals were orchestrated by Garnet Trust + marketing company NOCAP Sports. The deal involves community appearances, social media engagement, sponsored interviews, and other marketing endeavors.

Looking to be more connected with the champs? Join the FAM and receive a monthly newsletter, stickers, and more.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by David.

Editor’s pick: As a local music lover, my favorite book with local ties so far this year is “Only Wanna Be with You: The Inside Story of Hootie & the Blowfish” by Tim Sommer. It’s always fun to hear about Five Points in the early 1990s and their days spent jamming in the honeycomb dorms.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Read about how hurricane Ian could affect the Midlands, here.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Samantha Robertson, David Stringer, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Kaylee Holland, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea| Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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