The South Carolina Academy of Authors (SCAA) will hold its biennial induction weekend in Aiken, South Carolina March 20-22, 2026.
Tickets for the Induction Dinner are available through Eventbrite.
The SCAA selects new inductees whose works have been judged culturally important. Each inductee, whether living or deceased, has added to South Carolina’s literary legacy by illuminating some aspect of South Carolina culture and gaining a reputation that transcends the borders of our state. Including this year’s induction, the SCAA, founded in 1986, will have officially inducted more than 100 authors into its literary hall of fame. This year’s honorees are J. Drew Lanham, Augustus Jenkins Farmer, Dr. Dianne Johnson-Feelings, and Claudia Smith Brinson.
In addition to hosting this literary hall of fame, the SCAA also sponsors annual fellowships and student prizes in poetry and prose through support from the Penelope Coker Hall/Eliza Wilson Ingle Fund of Central Carolina Community Foundation. The SCAA is also grateful to the South Carolina Arts Commission for their sponsorship and support.
The 2026 SCAA induction weekend is funded in part by a grant from South Carolina Humanities, a not-for-profit organization inspiring, engaging, and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture, and heritage.
ABOUT THE HONOREES
J. Drew Lanham is a poet, memoirist, naturalist, playwright, professor, and a recipient of a 2022 MacArthur Fellowship "genius" grant. Lanham is the Poet Laureate of Edgefield County and a Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Master Teacher at Clemson University.
With degrees in plant science and museum sciences, Augustus Jenkins Farmer (Jenks Farmer), has trained and mentored more than 100 interns and budding horticulturists while writing, building gardens, and inspiring plant lovers. Jenks has authored five books and is a highly rated presenter for organizations ranging from the Smithsonian to the North Carolina State Museum.
Under her penname Dinah Johnson, Dr. Dianne Johnson-Feelings has written ten books for children, all celebrating African American culture and community. As a professor at the University of South Carolina, Dr. Dianne Johnson-Feelings studies, teaches, and writes about Black children's literature and its history.
Claudia Smith Brinson worked as a journalist for more than 30 years in Florida, Greece, and South Carolina. Her reporting in The State won more than three dozen state and regional awards. Brinson is also the author of two major civil rights volumes.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
A READING BY ALL FOUR 2026 INDUCTEES
Free and open to the public, Friday, March 20 at 7:30 pm. at the Etherredge Center for the Performing Arts, USC Aiken.
2026 INDUCTION DINNER CEREMONY
Paid reservations required, Saturday, March 21 at 7:00 p.m. at the Etherredge Center for the Performing Arts, USC Aiken.
Tickets for the Induction Dinner are available through Eventbrite.
The SCAA selects new inductees whose works have been judged culturally important. Each inductee, whether living or deceased, has added to South Carolina’s literary legacy by illuminating some aspect of South Carolina culture and gaining a reputation that transcends the borders of our state. Including this year’s induction, the SCAA, founded in 1986, will have officially inducted more than 100 authors into its literary hall of fame. This year’s honorees are J. Drew Lanham, Augustus Jenkins Farmer, Dr. Dianne Johnson-Feelings, and Claudia Smith Brinson.
In addition to hosting this literary hall of fame, the SCAA also sponsors annual fellowships and student prizes in poetry and prose through support from the Penelope Coker Hall/Eliza Wilson Ingle Fund of Central Carolina Community Foundation. The SCAA is also grateful to the South Carolina Arts Commission for their sponsorship and support.
The 2026 SCAA induction weekend is funded in part by a grant from South Carolina Humanities, a not-for-profit organization inspiring, engaging, and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture, and heritage.
ABOUT THE HONOREES
J. Drew Lanham is a poet, memoirist, naturalist, playwright, professor, and a recipient of a 2022 MacArthur Fellowship "genius" grant. Lanham is the Poet Laureate of Edgefield County and a Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Master Teacher at Clemson University.
With degrees in plant science and museum sciences, Augustus Jenkins Farmer (Jenks Farmer), has trained and mentored more than 100 interns and budding horticulturists while writing, building gardens, and inspiring plant lovers. Jenks has authored five books and is a highly rated presenter for organizations ranging from the Smithsonian to the North Carolina State Museum.
Under her penname Dinah Johnson, Dr. Dianne Johnson-Feelings has written ten books for children, all celebrating African American culture and community. As a professor at the University of South Carolina, Dr. Dianne Johnson-Feelings studies, teaches, and writes about Black children's literature and its history.
Claudia Smith Brinson worked as a journalist for more than 30 years in Florida, Greece, and South Carolina. Her reporting in The State won more than three dozen state and regional awards. Brinson is also the author of two major civil rights volumes.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
A READING BY ALL FOUR 2026 INDUCTEES
Free and open to the public, Friday, March 20 at 7:30 pm. at the Etherredge Center for the Performing Arts, USC Aiken.
2026 INDUCTION DINNER CEREMONY
Paid reservations required, Saturday, March 21 at 7:00 p.m. at the Etherredge Center for the Performing Arts, USC Aiken.