Evening Post Books and Buxton Books present RILEY FORTY- Joe Riley and the City He Shaped: A Live Panel Conversation and Memoir Celebration
at Dock Street Theatre

Evening Post Books and Buxton Books present...

RILEY FORTY: Joe Riley and the City He Shaped 

A Live Panel Conversation + Memoir Celebration 
An Evening at Dock Street Theatre 

Tuesday, January 27 • 7:00 PM 
Theatre open at 6:30 PM 
Dock Street Theatre 

For forty years, Charleston was shaped by intention. 

On January 27, that story comes to the stage in a lively, one-night-only panel conversation exploring the leadership, decisions, and civic imagination that shaped modern Charleston — through the eyes of former mayor Joe Riley. 

Presented by Evening Post Books, Dock Street Theatre, and Buxton Books, this special evening celebrates the launch of Riley’s inaugural memoir, Windows on Washington Square, and brings together voices reflecting on a legacy that continues to define the city. 

This is not simply a book event. 

It is a major cultural moment for Charleston and the region. 

A love letter to the city — and a rare, first-person account 

For four decades, Mayor Joe Riley helped guide Charleston through extraordinary transformation — reviving its historic core, expanding public spaces, supporting the arts, strengthening preservation, and rebuilding after disaster. But behind every landmark vote and public achievement were the quieter moments rarely seen by the public: the debates, doubts, compromises, and flashes of clarity that shaped the city’s path forward. 

Windows on Washington Square is a rare, first-person account of how Charleston became the city we recognize today. 

Written in his own voice, Riley reflects on designing Waterfront Park, revitalizing King Street, expanding affordable housing, and advancing a preservation ethic that would become a national model — not as a checklist of accomplishments, but as lessons in collaboration, conflict, conviction, and care. 

He recounts leading Charleston through Hurricane Hugo and navigating the profound, collective grief following the Mother Emanuel AME Church massacre, offering insight into how a city steadies itself — and chooses its values — when the world is watching. 

Alongside these defining public moments are deeply personal ones: dinner table conversations, afternoon swims with his sons, and the steady presence of his wife, Charlotte, whose support anchored both the weight and the hope of his work. 

This is the story of how a city was built not only in its streets and parks, but in its choices, relationships, and shared belief in what it could become. 

Why this evening matters 

You cannot walk through the city for more than one minute without encountering Joe Riley’s vision. 

The Pineapple Fountain. 
Waterfront Park. 
Spoleto Festival USA. 

The pieces of slate we walk on Downtown.  

A commitment to public beauty, civic life, and human-scaled design that reshaped Charleston — and influenced cities across the country. 

The New York Times once described Riley as potentially the most loved politician in America. Through the Mayors’ Institute on City Design, his ideas helped redefine how cities think about livability, public space, and the responsibility of leadership. 

Given Mayor Riley’s extraordinary legacy and the substantial interest surrounding this memoir, Windows on Washington Square is already being recognized as a significant release and this evening is expected to be one of the defining cultural gatherings of the year in Charleston. 

The evening at Dock Street Theatre 

This program brings together the launch of a landmark memoir and a live, onstage conversation inspired by the ideas, values, and civic imagination that shaped Charleston’s modern identity. 

The evening will feature a thoughtful and lively panel discussion with some of the city’s most influential cultural and civic voices, centered on the themes of Windows on Washington Square and Mayor Riley’s enduring impact. Expect personal anecdotes from behind the mayor’s podium, and behind-the-scenes insight into what it took to help transform a city over four decades. 

Panel Participant details will be announced closer to the event.  

General Admission 
Includes general seating in the Dock Street Theatre. 

Books will be available for purchase on-site from Buxton Books. 

If you prefer to secure your copy in advance, books may be purchased online at eveningpostbooks.com or picked up in person at Buxton Books on King Street prior to the event. 

A limited first edition 

Windows on Washington Square released on January 6, 2026. 

The first printing includes: 

• 500 hardcover copies 

• 100 Collector’s Edition copies, signed and numbered by Joe Riley and ornamented with a custom bookplate 

Once this hardcover run is gone, there will not be another. Buxton Books will have copies available at the event while supplies last. 

Praise for Windows on Washington Square 

“This is the story of a mayor who changed not just his city, but the way cities are built in America...”  
— Trinity Simons Wagner, Executive Director, Mayors’ Institute on City Design  

“A beautiful memoir that transformed one of America’s oldest cities into one of its most beloved...”  
— Kendra Stewart, PhD, Director, Riley Center for Livable Communities, College of Charleston  

“Joe Riley was the Mayor’s Mayor — the gold standard...”  
— Stephen Benjamin, JD, Former Mayor of Columbia, SC  

“Few American cities so fully express the vision of one political leader as Charleston...”  
— Kerry Taylor, PhD, Associate Professor of History, The Citadel 

Dock Street Theatre seats just over 400 guests. Given the scale of Mayor Riley’s legacy and the level of interest in this memoir, this event is expected to sell out. 

This is an evening to bring your family, your neighbors, and anyone who loves this city and wants to better understand how it became what it is today. 

Tickets are limited. Reserve yours now.