In 2015, I had the opportunity to help Rose Library director Rosemary Magee and curator Kevin Young unpack a new acquisition of Flannery O’Connor materials. I was amazed at the wit, intelligence, and introspection these boxes contained. As I sorted through this wealth of materials, I uncovered a journal that would become one of my favorite artifacts. O’Connor had repurposed a black and white composition book labeled “Higher Mathematics I” to use a diary. The title is a reflection not just of the school subject scrawled on the cover but also of the lofty calculations of self and soul that the journal contains. Mark Bosco has prepared this journal for publication in Image.
You can read more of my thoughts about this new acquisition in Reveal.
