Georgia public libraries will host the Flannery O’Connor Book Club and Exhibit, as part of a partnership between Georgia Public Library Service and Andalusia: Home of Flannery O’Connor.
The exhibit is a timeline display celebrating the life and works of renowned Georgia-born author Flannery O’Connor and her home, Andalusia. The Flannery O’Connor Book Club and Exhibit kit provides libraries with copies of one of O’Connor’s works, discussion guides, and reading lists.
“Flannery O’Connor is such a unique figure in American literature. Her work has a very specific voice that she used to make commentary on the state of the world, going on to define the Southern Gothic genre,” said Cassandra Munnell, curator at Andalusia. “We are so excited to partner with the Georgia Public Library Service to allow more people to learn about Flannery’s work and more about the life of the woman behind the page.”
The Book Club and Exhibit is available for public libraries in Georgia to check out from Georgia Public Library Service and utilize the kit as an opportunity to explore O’Connor’s work and those of her contemporaries and friends, as well as learn more about Andalusia and its rich history. Libraries are encouraged to develop and incorporate their own programming and events.
Georgia public libraries will announce when they will host the exhibit and O’Connor-centric programming in their respective communities. Reach out to your local public library to find out when the exhibit will be in your area or to request that they check out the kit.
The Flannery O’Connor Book Club and Exhibits are made possible through a partnership between the Georgia Public Library Service and Andalusia: The Home of Flannery O’Connor, Department of Historic Museums, School of Continuing and Professional Studies, Georgia College & State University.
ABOUT FLANNERY O’CONNOR
O’Connor was born in 1925 in Savannah, Georgia, but spent most of her life on her family’s property, Andalusia, located in Milledgeville. O’Connor is a nationally lauded author who wrote in the Southern Gothic style. She is widely known for her short stories, especially A Good Man is Hard to Find and The Displaced Person, and through published collections. She also wrote two novels: Wise Blood and The Violent Bear It Away. Her stories are set in the American South and feature marginalized individuals, outsiders, and social misfits. Her works explored the complexities and diversity of human nature. O’Connor was diagnosed with lupus in 1952, which she died from at Andalusia in 1964. Her works continue to be included in high school and college curriculums, and literature groups bearing her name are in communities across the United States.
ABOUT ANDALUSIA
Andalusia is maintained and under the stewardship of the Department of Historic Museums, School of Continuing and Professional Studies at Georgia College and State University. It is a Distinctive Destination through the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a designated National Historic Landmark through the National Park Service.