McDougall shares Flannery O’Connor inspiration

Poet Jo McDougall presented GC&SU with a lecture and a poetry reading entitled “In the Land of Onion Sets: How Flannery O’Connor Has Influenced a Poet” on Thursday, March 28.

McDougall began her lecture by saying that O’Connor was not the influence that she had wanted. She wanted someone such as William Faulkner, James Wright. Yates, but O’Connor is who she got.. However, she said O’Connor “parachuted” into writing life when she needed her.

“One of the beautiful mysteries of a life is influences,” McDougall said. “Who the person is and how the person makes him or herself known [is what matters].”

McDougall stated that she has a similar background to O’Connor, economically, geographically, socially and politically. They both grew up on farms, both were born in the South and lived there most of their lives, both wrote about the imperfect and unusual aspects of life, and they have similar writing styles.

McDougall lectured about how she and O’Connor both had illnesses. Illness and death may be the strongest of all the bonds between the two writers, she said.

O’Connor was diagnosed with lupus at the age of 25, while McDougall was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease (but has since recovered).

McDougall also spoke about other tragic events in her life. Her son, Duke, had a stroke in 1996, and in 1999 her daughter, Charla, died of cancer. As a result McDougall came to realize that “illness and the prospect of death opens some doors and closes others.”

McDougall elaborated on the fact that moments of mystery, grace and redemption are evident in both writers’ works.

In addition to her lecture, McDougall also chose the winners of the Academy of American Poets University Prizes at GC&SU. The prizes were endowed by Frances Mayes in honor of her mother Frankye Davis Mayes.

She chose Scott Luter as the graduate winner and Arrie Brown as a winner in the undergraduate division.

“Her poetry was chosen simply for its merit by McDougall, a distinguished poet who never met her,” Director of the Creative Writing Program Martin Lammon said.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 1 2005. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry