In the era of Black Lives Matter and the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans are taking some hard second looks at treasured literary & cultural icons like Flannery O'Connor. The most important question when conducting such examinations might be whether or not they are looking deeply enough.
A little over a decade ago, the book Greeting Flannery O’Connor at the Back Door of My Mind began forming as a strange conversation I imagined having with the great author after attending a lecture about her. That conversation over the next few years evolved into enough pages to form the nucleus of a book and that book finally neared completion in 2019. None of the those with whom I shared early excerpts were any more astonished by the final contents of the volume––which spotlights experiences with authors James Alan McPherson and John Berendt as well as O’Connor––than this author. It was also interesting to note how the title prefigured renewed controversies over O’Connor’s depictions of race.
As it turned out, the book stands as one crucial central component of an entire Greeting Flannery O’Connor (GFO) project which came to incorporate it and: a growing collection of visual artwork (some of which may be viewed online at Fine Art America); a poster-poem titled “History and Prophets’ Prerogatives” donated to the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home in Savannah, Georgia; and, an extensive lecture on “Reconciling Flannery O’Connor’s Literary Legacy with Contemporary Times.”
The planned lecture was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic’s total disrespect for human intentions. Virtual presentations of it have been delayed by other personal matters. With all of the above being the case, the following is presented a directory of links to pages featuring writings, artwork, and criticism related to Greeting Flannery O’Connor at the Back Door of Mind (please click here to view the title on AuthorsDen):
More than anything else, this project is dedicated to encouraging the development of cultural literacy and harmonious coexistence at a time when America and the world clearly need the advantages they provide. Because it is an ongoing one, subsequent editions of the book are likely, which makes the current first volume with its original cover art and antique photograph section highly collectible.
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