Who was Flannery O'Connor?

Mary Flannery O'Connor was an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist whose work is often described as "Southern Gothic," a style which has left many readers scratching their heads, as they come across her grotesque characters who are often in violent situations — none of which match the life of their author, a devout Catholic. "Flannery," as she was known, had begun making a major impact on the American literary landscape when she died in 1964 at 39 of the same disease that had taken her father just shy of her 16th birthday.   Our guests today, Karen Mahoney and Christina Brajkovich, co-authors with yours truly of a brand-new book, "Finding Flannery," will offer insight on this formidable wordsmith and why her impact is still felt today.   SHOW NOTES:  Finding Flannery testimonials and pre-order link: https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/findingflannery/ Flannery O'Connor Institute for Humanities at Flannery's alma mater: https://www.gcsu.edu/oconnorinstitute Georgia State College and University information about Andalusia: https://www.gcsu.edu/andalusia/about The monastery where Thomas Merton lived and wrote (our first main stop): https://monks.org/ The life you save may be your own: An American Pilgrimage, by Paul Elie: https://a.co/d/fvLx9wg Roxane's Forum article comparing Charlie Kirk to Flannery: https://roxanesalonen.com/2025/10/19/living-faith-charlie-flannery-drew-large-startling-figures/ Karen's Substack: https://substack.com/@karenannemahoney Christina's Substack: https://substack.com/@christinabrajkovich Roxane's Substack: https://roxanesalonen.substack.com/