After three years as president of the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home, I was kind of thrilled to give up the leadership reins to Helen Borrello earlier this summer.
But I’m still on the board and will likely stay involve on some level for many years.
I’m especially excited about our recently announced fall lecture series. Take a look:
The lectures, which are free and open to the public, take place in the parlor at the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home. Please note the NEW 4 p.m. start time for the lecture series, which is one hour later than in the past. Come early to get a good seat, as space is limited.
Sunday, October 9
CHAD HAS HAD TO POSTPONE THIS APPEARANCE; WE HOPE TO HAVE A NEW DATE SOON
Chad Fairies
“The Idea of Homeâ€
Chad Faries, the author of the critically-acclaimed memoir, Drive Me Out of My Mind: 24 Houses in 10 Years, will explore the concept of home from a variety of perspectives. He will address the importance of the idea of home for Flannery O’Connor and for writers in general.
Sunday, October 16
Paul M. Pressly
“Flannery O’Connor’s Savannah and the Gullah-Geechee Heritage”
Paul Pressly, director of the Ossabaw Island Education Alliance and former Savannah Country Day School headmaster, will speak about the influence of Gullah-Geechee heritage on Savannah in the era of Flannery O’Connor in the 1920s and 1930s. He is the editor of African American Life in the Georgia Lowcountry: the Atlantic World and the Gullah-Geechee and the author of an upcoming book exploring the connection between colonial Georgia and the Caribbean.
Sunday, October 23
Rosemary Daniell
“’The One Who Breaks My Heart’: The (Intimate) Art of the Personal Essayâ€
The author of Secrets of the Zona Rosa: How Writing (And Sisterhood) Change Women’s Lives, The Woman Who Spilled Words All Over Herself, Fatal Flowers and Sleeping With Soldiers, Rosemary Daniell will explore the art of the personal essay and discuss her latest book, Sugar in My Bowl: Real Women Write About Real Sex. Daniell is the founder and leader of Zona Rosa, a series of writing and living workshops in Savannah, Atlanta and cities throughout the country.
Sunday, November 6
Sallie Ann Robinson
“Gullah Holiday Food Traditionsâ€
Culinary master Sallie Ann Robinson, the author of Home Cooking the Daufuskie Way and Cooking the Gullah Way, will share secrets of Gullah holiday food traditions, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, providing creative ideas to enrich any holiday celebration.
Sunday, December 11
Bob Strozier
Reading of Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memoryâ€
Bob Strozier, one of the founding members of the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home and a retired professor of English at Armstrong Atlantic State University, returns for his annual reading of “A Christmas Memory.†Don’t miss this much-loved holiday tradition!