Join the Friends of the Richland County Public Library, the University of South Carolina Institute for Southern Studies with support from USC’s Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing, for a book discussion and signing by Jason Ryan, the second event in the 2012 Southern Writers Series that features several of the South’s best authors, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 28 at the Main Library, 1431 Assembly St.

Jason Ryan is the author of Jackpot: High Times, High Seas, and the Sting That Launched the War on Drugs. Through interviews with kingpins, smugglers, investigators, prosecutors and defense attorneys, as well as research of trials and legal proceedings, news archives and government records, Ryan has created a narrative that details the rise and fall of the gentlemen smugglers in the lowcountry of South Carolina in the 1970s.

The event will also feature a panel discussion featuring: Bob Jendron, Assistant U.S. Attorney and leading prosecutor in the case; Bart Daniel, former U.S. Attorney and a lead prosecutor in the case; Jack Swerling, a defense attorney in the case; and Robert Stewart, former Chief of the State Law Enforcement Division, who also worked the case.

Ryan is a former staff reporter for The State and now lives in Charleston.

The Friends of RCPL is a nonprofit organization that works to raise support for and awareness of the library. Friends’ memberships begin at only $25. Visit www.myRCPL.com/friends or call (803) 988-0885 for more details on membership or this special event.

The Institute for Southern Studies, which promotes the varied resources available at USC and in the community, is led by Dr. Walter Edgar. For more information on the Institute, call (803) 777-2340.

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The mission of the Richland County Public Library is to provide experiences that Inspire, Inform and Entertain.