Roger Pinckney XI
Motivational Man
Story and Photography by Jacie Elizabeth Millen
Roger Pinckney, XI was raised to be an ideal Southerner. He has the wit, the manners, and the stature of a true gentleman, but there is more to Mr. Pinckney than meets the eye. Roger is the author of multiple books, including Reefer Moon, Blue Roots, and Crying in the Wilderness. He is also a full-time resident on Daufuskie Island, SC, and gives tours of the island, but he is more than that, too: He is an icon
With a personally rolled cigarette on his lip, Roger and I got to talking.
Roger was born and raised in Beaufort, where he found his love of writing in high school. He got a full ride to the University of Iowa, considered at the time THE writing school. He continued his education and ultimately earned his PhD in Alaska. He moved to Minnesota, where he started a family. Calling himself a “serial husband,” Roger laughed and said, “I love being a father. I am a better father to my seven children than a husband.”