On the Southern Literary Trail discussion

This is where we can mention any birthdays, anniversaries or other dates pertaining to Southern authors.

I opened this thread because I just learned from Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac that today is the birthday of Flannery O'Connor, born in 1925. She would be 89 years old now. Just think of what strange pearls she could have produced by now had she lived.

Great idea Diane !!! :)))

Dawn

Today is the birthday of Eudora Welty, born in 1909, in Jackson, Mississippi. She's one of our favorites here on the Trail, and visiting her home is on my bucket list when I finally make it to that part of the country. I understand her garden was a work of art.

Diane wrote: "Today is the birthday of Eudora Welty, born in 1909, in Jackson, Mississippi. She's one of our favorites here on the Trail, and visiting her home is on my bucket list when I finally make it to tha..."

Be sure to set an appointment for your tour of the home. See: http://eudorawelty.org/visit/ for hours, and recommendations for reservations.

Diane wrote: "Today is the birthday of Eudora Welty, born in 1909, in Jackson, Mississippi.

Diane, I think--am not sure--that you're the new moderator for the group. Do you know of anyone who would be interested in writing a review of a very Southern novel, for the compensation of a copy of the book, only? I'm trying to honor the rules of the group, so am not even mentioning the title. If anyone is interested, I can send that person more info, if I have an off-list contact. I hope I'm staying within the guidelines, here. Thank you!

I am a new moderator, and I'm not quite sure I understand your question. I suggest you send Mike a message to explain and get an answer to your question. He is the originator and leader of our group, so he would be the one to ask.

Thanks much for getting back to me! Mike has already sent me a v helpful message I appreciate you guys' help. (Note that many years past growing up in Alabama, it's "you guys" instead of "y'all"--just comes out naturally now.)

Today is the birthday of Barry Hannah, born April 23, 1942. He was a novelist and short story writer from Meridian, Mississippi. He died in 2010. We have not read any of his works in this group, but we should probably fix that. He was a good friend of Larry Brown. I do believe that he used to live across the street from Mike Sullivan, but I may be making that up, we'll have to get clarification from him on that.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARPER LEE!!! Born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama where she still lives, she is 88 years old today. Her one book "To Kill a Mockingbird" has been my favorite book since I read it as a teen-ager. I re-read it every few years, and everytime I do, it's like a fresh read.

Diane wrote: "Today is the birthday of Barry Hannah, born April 23, 1942. He was a novelist and short story writer from Meridian, Mississippi. He died in 2010. We have not read any of his works in this group,..."

I lived across the street from Hannah's apartment on Caplewood Drive after he had moved to Mississippi. I never had the pleasure of meeting him. My next door neighbor was the landlord. When Hannah vacated the apartment he left his typewriter. A fellow working on his MFA took Hannah's old apartment. The landlord said, "You want Barry Hannah's typewriter?" The new tenant was instantly transported to Nirvana. *chuckle*

Mike

Diane Sawyer of NBC News just announced that today, on her birthday, Harper Lee has given permission for an ebook edition of "To Kill a Mockingbird" to be released for Kindle and IPad. She was quoted as saying that she would always prefer musty old books for herself, but she realized that there was a new generation of readers to consider. Just another reason to love that lady!

Diane wrote: "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARPER LEE!!! Born in 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama where she still lives, she is 88 years old today. Her one book "To Kill a Mockingbird" has been my favorite book since I read it..."

This past Thursday, my husband, George, and I made a weekend trip to Monroeville, AL for the 17th Alabama Symposium of Writers, this year entitled Saints and Sinners. Of course, the title was a call to me.

But more than that: Mark Childress, who endorsed my debut novel, A Hunger in the Heart, was to receive the Harper Lee Award as Alabama’s Distinguished Writer of 2014. And even more, Dr. Wayne Flynt, George’s History professor at Samford who guided his Masters Thesis, was to receive the 2014 Eugene Current Garcia Award for Distinguished Literary Scholar. For these reasons alone, we wanted to attend the Symposium.

As you know, Monroeville is the home of Nelle Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird. She only wrote one book. Here's why: http://www.al.com/entertainment/index...

At the Symposium, George and I caught up with Mark Childress, who is simply delightful, and just plain funny. And my friend, Charles McNair, author of Land O’Goshen and Pickett’s Charge, the epitome of a Southern Gentleman--and who will blurb the back of my new short story collection, Birds of a Feather, out in July. And the very gracious Dr. Wayne Flynt who, after all these years, actually remembered George.

We also met Roy Hoffman, latest book, Come Landfall, with whom I was especially taken, because he was one of the few who actually addressed in his talk the certain spirituality of each individual, and that it came from God; Sena Jeta Naslund, latest book, The Fountain of St. James Court; Portrait of the Artist as an Old Woman; Koethe Zan, debut author of The Never List; Robert Inman, The Governor’s Lady; and more, including people attending from all around Alabama and the South--even met a man from Canada who’d been intrigued enough to come all that way for the Symposium.

A few pictures of panelists:http://www.al.com/entertainment/index...

One of the highlights of Event was the showing of a beautiful documentary film produced by Sandra Jaffe of Birmingham. The documentary utilizes the play Our Mockingbird, which was wonderfully performed by students from mostly all white Mountain Brook High School and all black Fairfield High School in Birmingham.http://www.alabamahumanities.org/birm...

For me personally, one of the primary ideas I took away from the event is how hard it is to be a writer—not that I didn’t already know that. But authors who want to be read must have, not only a talent, but a drive within them to keep writing, despite negative reviews, despite naysayers, despite the doubt one frequently has in oneself--and then be able to allow oneself to be pumped by even the smallest of successes.

The event was held on the attractive campus of Alabama Southern Community College, at the Monroeville Community House, and at the Monroe County Museum in downtown Monroeville—located in the old Courthouse, (replicated in the movie of To Kill a Mockingbird) which almost by itself was worth the trip.

So we came back tired,but exhilarated, and with plans to attend another Symposium.

Thanks for sharing that, Kaye. It must have been fascinating. What a great way to become exhausted.

Today is the birthday of Katherine Anne Porter, the author of our June selection of Flowering Judas. She was born in Indian Creek, Texas in 1890. Her family tree can be traced back to Daniel Boone, and the writer O. Henry ( real name: William Sydney Porter) was her father's 2nd cousin. Her novel Ship of Fools was the best-selling book of 1962, and in 1966 she won both the National Book Award and the Pulitzer for The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter. We'll be in great company next month.

Today is the birthday of Shirley Ann Grau, born in New Orleans in 1929. She spent much of her childhood in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama with her mother. She wrote about issues and relationships of the deep south, winning the Pulitzer in 1965 for "Keepers of the House", which was a group read for us in February of this year.

Now, you've really interested me in finding out if she has a biography, Diane--or a memoir. I grew up in Selma, therefore visited Montgomery often. I had not a clue that she was semi-Alabamian!

And today is Larry Brown's birthday, author of "Father and Son", which we read in this group a few months ago. He was born in 1951 in Oxford, Mississippi. He died at his home of an apparent heart attack in 2004 at the age of 53.

Trail favorite Cormac McCarthy was born on this date in 1933, in Providence, Rhode Island. His family moved to Knoxville, TN in 1937. He won the Pulitzer for his novel, "The Road". His first novel was "The Orchard Keeper".

Today is the birthday of Richard Wright, author of "Black Boy" and " Native Son", two of his best known novels. He was born in 1908 in Roxie, Mississippi. In later life he joined the communist party, and in 1947 moved to Paris, where he died in 1960 at the age of 52. We haven't read any of his books in this group, maybe he'll be nominated in a future poll.

And Cormac's Blood Meridian is arguable the Great American Novel!

Happy Birthday Mr. William Faulkner, born September 25, 1897. Winner of the Nobel Prize, two Pulitzers, an American icon. He was the voice of the South, but wrote of themes that are universal in nature. His works have repeatedly been nominated and selected as reads by members of this group. Rightly so.

Mike Sullivan
"Lawyer Gavin Stevens"

Happy Birthday to Truman Capote, born Truman Streckfus Persons on September 30, 1924 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

American author, screenwriter and playwright, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and the true crime novel In Cold Blood (1966), which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At least 20 films and television dramas have been produced of Capote novels, stories, and plays.

His childhood friend, Nelle Harper Lee aided Capote in his research for In Cold Blood. Lee based the character Dill on Capote in her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel To Kill A Mockingbird.

October 26 is the birthday of Pat Conroy. He was born in Atlanta in 1945, and after many moves because of his military father's assignments, landed in Beaufort, SC as a teen-ager. Anyone who has read his many novels knows about his life, as most of them are autobiographical. He now resides in Beaufort with his third wife, Cassandra King.

Am reading South of Main right now. That was one that I missed. It's a kind of fun read for me, not at all really up to Conroy. It reads a lot like something by Anne Rivers Siddons. I understand that they're great friends. Somehow or another I forgive him for it, just as I did for Beach Music, which I have to frankly say I thought so poor as to be a profound embarrassment. I guess what has happened to me with Conroy is what happens with a lot of people who meet him: I love the guy, faults and all.

I felt the same about "South of Broad". It was a little sensationalistic. And I didn't like "Beach Music" at all. It seemed too long and too much, I think it should have been 2 or 3 books. His earlier books were the best, in my opinion. But his prose is unimpeachable no matter what he writes.

I enjoyed his memoir My Reading Life where he pays homage to the people who turned him on to literature as a child. He's still a voracious reader who loves quirky little bookstores. It's one of his shorter books.

Yes, that was a really good one.

Yes, Connie, I really enjoyed that little book. And his cookbook has some great stories as well, and some very good recipes.

November 4th is the birthday of Charles Frazier, author of "Cold Mountain", which won the 1997 National Book Award. It was his first novel, which he spent 7 years in writing. He was born in 1950 in Ashville, NC, and now resides in Raleigh, NC. An interesting note: He was discovered in the carpool line by Kaye Gibbons. He mentioned he was writing a novel, and she asked to read it.

Today is the birthday of Shelby Foote, author of "The Civil War: A Narrative". The 3 volume history took him 9 years to complete, and is considered the most comprehensive version of the war. During the writing, he visited each battlefield on the same day and exact times of the battle, to get a feel for the season and the lighting most exactly experienced by the soldiers. He figured prominently in Ken Burns mini-series on PBS, and became well known for his soft southern drawl and knowledge of the subject.
He was born in Greenville, Mississippi in 1916, and died in Memphis, Tennessee in 2005 at the age of 88. Horton Foote, the screenwriter of "To Kill a Mockingbird" was his 3rd cousin. William Faulkner and Walker Percy were both good friends of his.

"If I got rid of my demons, I’d lose my angels."
Tennessee Williams

Happy Birthday, Tennessee Williams.

When Tennessee Williams (born March 26, 1911) did time at the International Shoe Company, he became friends with a fellow worker: Stanley Kowalski. Williams later borrowed the name for the memorable character first played by Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Mike wrote: ""If I got rid of my demons, I’d lose my angels."
Tennessee Williams

Happy Birthday, Tennessee Williams.

When Tennessee Williams (born March 26, 1911) did time at the International Shoe Company,..."

Tennessee Williams left his estate to Sewanee: The University of the South in order to encourage the pursuit of creative writing and other arts. Sewanee owns all of the literary rights to his works and all of the royalties from his works have established the Tennessee Williams Center and the Tennessee Williams teaching fellowships. Pretty awesome man!

Mike wrote: ""If I got rid of my demons, I’d lose my angels."
Tennessee Williams

Happy Birthday, Tennessee Williams.

When Tennessee Williams (born March 26, 1911) did time at the International Shoe Company,..."

This is a great bit of trivia. Wonder how the real Stanley felt about the fictional character he shared a name with?

Happy Birthday to Rick Bragg! Born July 26, 1959, in Piedmont, Alabama, Rick Bragg was raised in the little community of Possum Trot, near Jacksonville, Alabama. The Pulitzer Prize winning author chalks up his writing to listening to his family's stories he heard while growing up.

We've read Bragg's All Over but the Shoutin' here on "The Trail." He's an exceptional writer. Here's a picture of his books, courtesy of The Alabama Booksmith, a superb Indie Bookseller in Homewood, Alabama, owned and operated by my friend Jake Reiss.

August 8th, 1906, is the birth date of Jesse Stuart of Kentucky, who wrote The Thread That Runs So True. This is one of our August poll winners. Nice little coincidence.

Nice to know Diane!

Happy Wendell Berry!

That should be happy birthday Wendell Berry!

84 years old today! May he live and write at least another 84 years.

I have absolutely GOT to read another Berry. I loved Jayber Crow.

84 years young. At least another 20 years writing I hope and pray. I need to schedule my next reading of one of his books or perhaps begin a slow read of the ew Collected Poems I now have.

Happy birthday to Chris Offutt, a new favorite of our group.

You beat me to it, Laura. May he have many more years of writing ahead of him.

Happy Birthday to Wendell Berry today. 88 years old. One of our favorite authors in this group, may he live and write for many more years. He has a new book of Port William short stories coming out in November.

Hear hear!
Sounds like a definite Christmas gift!!!

Oh, very nice news to hear. Thanks for that, Diane.

I wrote this on another page, but it may be more appropriate here. This came up as a memory on Facebook today:

QOTD:
Telling a story is like reaching into a granary full of wheat and drawing out a handful. There is always more to tell than can be told.

Wendell Berry

Happy birthday, Wendell Berry! The award-winning author of more than 40 works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry has drawn from his experiences as a Kentucky farmer to explore themes of ecological responsibility in his writing. He has taught at numerous universities, including his alma mater, the University of Kentucky. Port William is a fictitious Kentucky town that has been the backdrop for many of his stories.

I run an Instagram account celebrating the birthdays of people I admire, including writers. Would it be inappropriate to link it here?

We are a Southern Literary group, so only Southern writers would be of interest.