Short Stories by Toni Morrison and Flannery O’Connor
$25.00 – $40.00
Date for “Recitatif” by Toni Morrison discussion: September 19 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern
Dates for Flannery O’Connor short story discussion: Choose either
- October 5 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern
- October 17 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Eastern
(Both O’Connor stories will be discussed at both October discussions; in the order notes, indicate your date of choice)
Cost: C$25 for one discussion or C$40 for both discussions
LEADERS
Lillian Dabney is a librarian at Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum, a longtime Classical Pursuits participant, and a lover of all things literary. She received a master’s degree in library and information science from the University of Washington and worked at the Seattle Public Library. She has served as a judge on numerous prize committees, including the Kirkus Nonfiction Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence Committee. She facilitates a number of book discussion groups at Folio that focus on the history of racism, long novels, modern classics, and more.
Melanie Blake is the director of Classical Pursuits and a co-leader of the March 2025 Savannah tour. She has led online seminars on the works of Leila Slimani, WWI poets, Henry James, and much more. She studied English and French at Fordham University and the Université de Montpellier, and linguistics at the University of Nottingham.
READINGS
“Recitatif” by Toni Morrison
“The Geranium” and “Judgement Day” by Flannery O’Connor are available digitally from Internet Archive
or in a physical book:
The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Connor
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (multiple editions are available, any of them will contain these two stories)
These three stories are short, powerful explorations of relationships shaped by racial identity. They’re also excellent stories for close reading and thought-provoking discussion. In “Recitatif,” Morrison’s only short story, she is conducting an “experiment.” What happens, she asks, when you write a story about the relationship between two characters, one black and one white, but never reveal which character is of which race? In O’Connor’s stories there is no such ambiguity, but she’s also experimenting with narrative techniques. “Judgement Day,” her last story, is a reworking of “The Geranium,” her first. What carries over, and what’s left behind? Is one story more effective than the other? All questions for you to consider.
These short seminars are a great way see what Classical Pursuits discussions are like, and a fantastic introduction to some of the ideas we’ll be discussing on our March 2025 tour Flannery O’Connor and Toni Morrison in Savannah.
Register for the two-discussion series, or choose “Recitatif” only (Sept. 19) or the O’Connor stories only (October 5 or October 17). Both O’Connor discussions will cover the same material.
Registrants who book a place on our March 2025 Savannah tour save 50% on this seminar. Contact us for details at info@classicalpursuits.com.
Practical details
Once you register, you’ll get an order confirmation. We’ll send you the Zoom link and a welcome letter from your leader 1 week before the seminar starts. Space is limited to 20 people.
Classical Pursuits will record this seminar, and make each session privately available to registered participants for up to two weeks after that session.
Online seminar payments are nonrefundable. Discount codes must be used at the time of purchase.
See full terms and conditions for Classical Pursuits online seminars. By registering for a seminar, you agree to abide by our code of conduct.
Additional information
| Short Stories Seminar Options | "Recitatif" + O'Connor stories, "Recitatif" only, O'Connor stories only |
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