MGA Plans Events To Mark 100th Birthday Of Flannery O’Connor

Author: Myr’lice’ Dickens-Morse
Posted: Wednesday, February 26, 2025 12:00 AM
Categories: Events- Students | Pressroom | Faculty/Staff | School of Arts and Letters | Students

Macon, GA

Middle Georgia State University (MGA) is highlighting Flannery O’Connor’s impact on the region with a celebration of what would have been the author’s 100th birthday.

Dr. Monica Miller, associate professor of English, is the lead organizer of the March 24-26 festival, which includes a number of events hosted by the Department of English, the student English Studies Organization, MGA Library, and the Writing Center.

The celebration will mark the centennial anniversary of O’Connor’s birth. A novelist and short story writer, O’Connor was a Georgia native who lived much of her adult life in Milledgeville on her family’s farm, Andalusia. Her life and settings often inspired her works and characters.

“She is one of the best-known authors from the Middle Georgia, and I know a lot of our students and faculty enjoy her work,” said Miller, who edited the book, 'Dear Regina: Flannery O’Connor’s Letters from Iowa,' a collection of O’Connor’s letters to her mother.

When asked about the inspiration to celebrate Flannery O’Connor, Miller said the writer didn’t often shy away from heavy and difficult subjects. O’Connor’s works often help to mirror internalized biases and prejudices. In fact, Miller expects one of the scheduled events, a discussion of O’Connor’s book, “The Displaced Person,” to be a profound experience to those who attend, “whether people are familiar with her work or not.”

At MGA, O'Connor's birthday celebration will work to embrace the love that the community has for the author.

The three-day event will have activities on the Macon, Cochran, and Dublin campuses. For this, Miller has collaborated with other MGA departments and organizations, which will host different discussions about O’Connor, her life, fashion, and literature. The Tuesday, March 25, events scheduled to be held at the Macon Campus library are open to the public, in addition to the MGA community. (See the flyer for a complete list of events.) 

The celebration and all of the activities that it entails are a great way to get to know this Middle Georgia gem and all that she contributed to the region.

“I think her work is very funny in places. Even if it’s uncomfortably funny,” Miller said. “Every time I read her stories, I see something different.”

MGA student Myr’lice’ Dickens-Morse is an intern in the University’s Office of Marketing & Communications.