'The truth will make you odd': Flannery O'Connor Birthday Party & Local Author Day returns

Oddballs and literature lovers rejoice! Flannery O’Connor’s Birthday Party is returning in full force after last year’s hiatus. While a good man may be hard to find, a good time can be found in every corner of Lafayette Square on March 24 as Flannery fans gather to celebrate the literary legend’s legacy.

“It is Flannery's 99th birthday party—we've got to go all out, it's a big deal. And, of course, this is kind of the kick-off to Flannery's centennial year, so we have a very big year coming up for her 100th birthday and 100th year of life,” Janie Bragg, director of Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home and Foundation, said.

Flannery-inspired arts and crafts

When it comes to increasing outreach, there’s no time like the present, and there’s no better way to reach out than a party. The festivities begin at 1 p.m. with craft stations by Live Oak Public Libraries and Starlandia, offering Flannery-inspired projects for all ages.

Guests can also play chicken cornhole or cheer on young Flannery fans participating in the egg spoon race. If you’re not one for hands-on activities like crafts or games, you’re also in luck. You’ll be among the first to place a bid for a Flannery-focused work of art by Panhandle Slim in the silent auction, which runs throughout the event and raises money for the home, or purchase more of his original artwork at the pop-up sale. It’s also an excellent time to grab a slice of cake (because no party is complete without cake)!

Moon River (improvisational) Opera and playing dress-up

Parties also aren’t complete without music, and Flannery’s party has the best and quirkiest live entertainment around. At 2 p.m., Moon River Opera will ask partygoers for Flannery-related suggestions for an improvised opera performance sure to impress.

Finding the right outfit is another important detail partygoers should consider. Don a pair of cat eye glasses and a pearl necklace to get into the spirit for the Flannery look-alike contest at 3 p.m., and you may win a prize. Not one for competition but feeling the quirky spirit? You can also dress up as one of the author’s favorite things: a bird. Flannery’s feathered friends will certainly appear in the crafts and decorations, so you’re sure to fit right in dressed as her iconic backward-walking chicken or one of the 100-plus peafowl she raised over 13 years.

If feathers aren’t your forte, you can also dress as one of the characters from Flannery’s run as a comic artist or a character from one of her stories. The resulting gorilla suits and farmer attire might confuse the uninitiated, but Bragg assured the party will be fun for everyone.

'Thinking critically about life, faith—big questions'

However, if you’re too curious to let your questions go unanswered, visit the folks at the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home Museum table in the square. Although the home is closed on March 24, they’re happy to answer any questions as you peruse the merchandise for sale.

You might even find yourself carrying home a beautiful anthology of Flannery’s stories, adorned with a watercolor peacock, an embossed title page and some insight into Flannery’s darkly humorous stories about spirituality, race, disability and poverty.

“[For] people who haven't read Flannery before, I give a little disclaimer that Flannery is not a beach read. You have to be ready to put in some critical thinking,” Bragg said. “You can tell she was thinking critically about life, faith—big questions. She seems to be inviting us into her conversations, to her questioning. She's not trying to hit us over the head with answers; she wants us to reflect on our own lives.”

To start winding down the afternoon, Sweet Thunder Band will also play a few songs before leading a promenade of revelers around Lafayette Square. Guests are invited to sing, chant, raise Flannery-inspired signs and generally run amok.

The gathering of friends of Flannery is what the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home Museum hoped for when they founded the museum in 1989, aiming to create a space acting as a community center for all. Today, that mission manifests in the Peacock Guild writer’s salon, Flannery O’Connor Reading Club, community storytime events and holiday readings.

'All authors are local somewhere'

It also continues in Flannery’s understanding that “all authors are local somewhere,” incorporated in her birthday party through its partnership with The Book Lady Bookstore’s Author Day. This event celebrates 40-plus local authors, including Jessica Leigh Lebos, author of “Savannah Sideways,” Savannah Morning News’ Amy Condon, author of “A Nervous Man Shouldn’t Be Here in the First Place: The Life of Bill Bags” and Danelle Lejeune, author of “Landlocked: Etymology of Whale Fish and Grace,” to name a few.  You might even find that the company of talented local writers may inspire you to pick up the pen yourself.

“Stories are popping out at us from every corner of Savannah, and I think it's hard to walk around and not feel those stories and not feel like you're sort of the main character of your own story,” Bragg said.

That Savannahian charm and Flannery’s influence also extended to the 2024 Savannah Book Festival. Bragg said several contemporary Southern gothic authors visited the home during this year’s Festival, saying they were influenced by Flannery’s work, featured quotes of her work in their epilogues or paraphrased her characters.

Near or far, global or local, those connections and influences keep us coming back to our favorite tales time and time again, and Bragg said the Flannery O’Connor 99th Birthday Party is the kickoff to even more events and outreach to bring the magic of storytelling to even more people.

“[Stories] make us feel less alone,” Bragg said. “It's the most magical feeling when you open up a book and read someone else's words and realize they have been able to pinpoint a feeling you haven't been able to describe yourself.”

If You Go >>

What: Flannery O'Connor's 99th Birthday Parade and Local Authors Day

When: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., March 24

Where: Lafayette Square, Abercorn and Charlton streets in front of Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home

Info: flanneryoconnorhome.org

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Go Southern Gothic at Savannah's annual Flannery O'Connor Birthday Party