Its annual convention, Girlfriend Weekend, is held each January. Pat Conroy, author of "Prince of Tides" and "South of Broad", was a keynote speaker at the 2010 conference. Conroy returned in 2011 and was joined by 40 other authors, including "New York Times" bestsellers Fannie Flagg, author of "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe", Jamie Ford, who penned "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet", and Jeannette Walls, whose first book, "The Glass Castle", stayed on the "New York Times" bestseller list for 100 weeks. As a result, the 2011 event sold out.