O'Connor Institute

This talk will focus on the process of using the archives to write fiction. James Simmons will discuss how he used primary and secondary sources to write his recently-published speculative historical fiction novel - A Ghost Among Magnolias (Lanternfish Press, 2026). Together we will look at the newspaper articles, family lore, personal history and historical texts which inspired this story about his ancestors, some of whom were from Milledgeville. We will also investigate the question:...

We are launching our first meeting this fall with a discussion of Flannery O'Connor's story "Greenleaf" on Aug. 27, hosted by Professor Emeritus Bruce Gentry. Our 2 p.m. meeting, live and in person, will be held at the Georgia Writers Museum on the square in downtown Eatonton, Georgia. Come early to purchase coffee and a pastry before the coffee shop closes. Our 7 p.m. meeting will be conducted online. Email oconnorinstitute@gcsu.edu for the link. 

Members of the university community are invited to attend a candidate presentation and open forum for the position of Director of the Flannery O'Connor Institute for the Humanities. The event will be held in the Mayfair Hall Presentation Room on Tuesday, Aug. 11, from 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.The candidate will deliver a presentation addressing the following topic:The Flannery O'Connor Institute for the Humanities sits at the intersection of scholarship, education, public engagement, fundraising...

Members of the university community are invited to attend a candidate presentation and open forum for the position of Director of the Flannery O'Connor Institute for the Humanities. The event will be held in the Mayfair Hall Presentation Room on Friday, Aug. 7, from 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.The candidate will deliver a presentation addressing the following topic:The Flannery O'Connor Institute for the Humanities sits at the intersection of scholarship, education, public engagement, fundraising,...

Members of the university community are invited to attend a candidate presentation and open forum for the position of Director of the Flannery O'Connor Institute for the Humanities. The event will be held in the Mayfair Hall Presentation Room on Thursday, Aug. 6, from 3 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.The candidate will deliver a presentation addressing the following topic:The Flannery O'Connor Institute for the Humanities sits at the intersection of scholarship, education, public engagement, fundraising,...