The Flannery O’Connor Institute for the Humanities will host Sept. 12-15, Flannery O’Connor’s Second Century: Looking Forward, Looking Back, a comprehensive conference at Georgia College & State University (GCSU) in Milledgeville. Registration is free, due to financial support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Looking Forward, Looking Back will include readings, presentations, and resources for anyone interested in O’Connor studies, literary studies, and Southern studies. Georgia Writers Museum board member and curator Dr. Chip Bell will be among the presenters during the conference, speaking on “Reawakening the Magic of Georgia Writers Museum.”
Four keynote sessions feature Karen M. Gravel, Dr. Lisa Hinrichsen, Mab Segrest, and Mark Jarman. All attendees are invited to attend the opening reception at Andalusia Interpretive Center (gcsu. edu/andalusia) following Gravel’s keynote address.
“Georgia College has a unique responsibility to support those doing serious work on our most famous graduate,” conference organizer and Institute Fellow Dr. Bruce Gentry stated. “I’m proud to have this conference supporting serious scholarship and I hope that the conference helps spark increased interest in O’Connor on campus.”
Two book release celebrations also appear on the event’s calendar schedule, as well as a special self-guided walking tour to see native plants at Andalusia Farm. All conference registration, schedule, and accommodation information, as well as a presenter list, are linked online at gcsu.edu/oconnorinstitute. Georgia Writers Museum (georgiawritersmuseum. org) also hosts regularly scheduled Flannery O’Connor Book Club meetings.
- Contributed