Good Country People

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Amanda Crim

Author Rita Mae Reese is co-director of literary arts programming at Arts + Literature Laboratory.

Rita Mae Reese will discuss Flannery O'Connor's story “Good Country People” and read from her own book of O'Connor-adjacent poetry, The Book of Hulga. O’Connor’s story, about a stubborn and possibly overeducated young woman with a wooden leg, is one of her finest examples of so-called Southern Gothic. O'Connor's reputation is a bit unsteady amid our fraught national attitudes toward race; Reese, a Madison poet and co-director of literary arts at the Arts + Literature Laboratory, will discuss not only the story but how the Georgia-born author fits into “our current climate of conspiracy theories and rising fascism.” Masks are required for this in-person lecture. For a link to the short story go to: uproar21.us/next; to listen in on Zoom, click here.

press release: Author and poet Rita Mae Reese will discuss  "Good Country People” — a  celebrated short story  by Flannery O’Connor — at the Goodman Center’s monthly “Humanities in Community” public lecture/discussion series. 

Rita Mae will also read poetry along with a discussion of O’Connor and her inspirations (including French philosopher Simone Weil). In particular, we will investigate the uses of humor, poetry and O’Connor in our current climate of conspiracy theories and rising fascism.

MASKS REQUIRED for attendance. For details and a link to the short story go to: www.uproar21.us/next

Zoom link for Monday's lecture.

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81063123281?pwd=TlFHTzcyeWFIMXIwNmhsaDc0NjczQT09

Rita Mae Reese is a recipient of a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Award, a Stegner fellowship in fiction, a “Discovery”/The Nation award, a Pamaunok Poetry Prize, and Poetry among other awards. The Association of Independent Commercial Producers Midwest Trade Show showcased her animated video from the title poem of her first book,“The Alphabet Conspiracy.” In 2016, Denise Duhamel selected Rita’s second book,“The Book of Hulga,” for the Felix Pollak Prize. Rita co-directs literary arts at the Arts & Literature Laboratory, 111 S. Livingston St., Madison.