Grand Valley English majors and faculty are most cordially invited to participate in the inaugural event of the new GVSU English Departmental Series of Author Celebrations: The Flannery O'Connor Readathon. The O'Connor Readathon is March 26-27, 2010, in honor of O'Connor's 85th birthday. The 12-hour event, held in the Honors College Reading Room, will feature:

• Film screenings of Wise Blood, "The Displaced Person," and "Good Country People."
• Interpretive readings of O'Connor short stories, beginning with "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." Stories will be read by readathon attendees.
• Pizza, beverages, and birthday cake at 8:00 p.m.
• Coffee and healthy snacks throughout the evening.
• Celebratory continental breakfast at the conclusion of the readathon.

Suggested donation is $5 per person and will be collected at the door. Register early in order to reserve the story of your choice for you and/or your reading tealm. A competition will be held, with the judging panel consisting of those of us present for the entire event, and prizes will be awarded. Participants caught napping will pay $1.00 per nap.

All proceeds will go toward the support of The Friends of Andalusia Foundation. Andalusia Farm in Milledgeville, Georgia, is now a public museum because it was home to Flannery O'Connor during almost all of her writing life. An anonymous benefactor has promised up to $10,000 in matching funds if the Flannery O'Connor Society, through events like this one, can raise money toward the ongoing work of restoring and maintaining Andalusia.

This event is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the GVSU English Department , and the Honors College. All short stories read aloud by permission of Mary Flannery O'Connor Charitable Trust.     Share