Caroling O’Connor
by Emily Bartlett Hines
Celebrity came early to Georgia native Flannery O’Connor, who, at age six, was filmed by a news crew with a pet chicken she had trained to walk backward. She would later remark that “everything since has been anticlimax.” So one wonders if the famed Southern Gothic writer would be impressed by what the Mercy Lounge has planned in her honor. Benefiting the Andalusia Foundation (which maintains O’Connor’s Georgia farm and personal estate), “The Enduring Chill” will feature performances by musicians inspired by her way with words. The selection leans toward literate folk/Americana—Ohio’s Over the Rhine were featured on a Paste magazine list of the 100 best living songwriters, and local poet Minton Sparks, rocker Mary Gauthier and Old Black Kettle all can claim kinship to her tradition. Between sets, Denise Hicks will perform vignettes from O’Connor’s writing. The only thing missing is a backwards-walking chicken.
Thu., Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m., 2009
Thu., Feb. 19, 7:30 p.m., 2009
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