A Warm Welcome

“The things we see, hear, smell and touch affect us long before we believe anything at all.” ~Flannery O’Connor

I must have been about eight years old the first time I was made ‘aware’ of Flannery O’Connor. My stepfather would on occasion wear a T-shirt that bore the illustration of a rather peculiar looking woman holding a Bible, with a peacock’s plumage in full regalia unfurled behind her.

It was not until many years later that I was finally given context for the odd looking woman that had been emblazoned across my stepfather’s chest. I acquired a copy of Noonday’s 1966 edition of Everything That Rises Must Converge from the used section of a bookstore – the “old book smell,” a mixture of musk and grass, permeated the yellowed pages. By the second page, I was in love. The spine of the book has since been reinforced with shipping tape, and the coffee and tea stains throughout are evidence not only my own clumsiness, but the many hours I have spent ruminating on O’Connor’s words – her profundity, her humor.

My appreciation of O’Connor’s writings, along with my love of the Georgia Piedmont in which I was raised, has fortuitously coalesced – and it is with great joy that I take on the role of Operations & Visitors Services here at Andalusia. While I have been in Milledgeville for just over two weeks, I am so appreciative of the warm welcome with which Andalusia, and my new home have received me. I am elated at the opportunity to work with such a laudable organization – and I look forward to the many collaborations, and friendships, that Andalusia has already proven to bear.

If you have an interest in volunteering or collaborating with us, feel free to contact me at wiseblood@andalusiafarm.org – or find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Andalusiafarmpage, along with our volunteer group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/AndalusiaFarmVolunteers/. I look forward to hearing from you!

April Moon, Operations & Visitor Services Manager

The Flannery O’Connor – Andalusia Foundation