The Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the legacy of one of the South’s greatest writers, will host Flannery O’Connor’s 101st Birthday Party on Sunday, March 29, 2026 from 12 to 3 p.m. in Lafayette Square. This annual event is hosted in conjunction with Savannah Local Author Day, sponsored by The Book Lady Bookstore. The event is free and open to the public. 

“The only thing better than a 100th birthday party is the 101st,” said Lee Griffith, President of the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home Board of Directors. “And you’re invited! Come celebrate O’Connor’s life and stories in the square where she grew up, with the lively literary community she inspired.”

Participants will be able to compete in a Flannery O’Connor look-alike contest, enjoy a performance by Legacy Irish Dance, hear live music by the Sweet Thunder Band, shop original art by Panhandle Slim and ‘20s-’60s attire from Vintage Vortex, create Flannery-inspired crafts with the Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home and Live Oak Public Library, play lawn games, participate in specialty raffles, and grab a slice of birthday cake in celebration of O’Connor’s 101st birthday.

In addition, a portion of Lafayette Square will be dedicated to the annual Savannah Local Author Day, where local and regional poets, children’s book authors, and fiction and nonfiction writers will be on-hand.

Authors include:

• Helen Bradley
• VL Brunskill
• Don Cellini
• Amy Paige Condon
• Rosemary Daniell
• Laura Davenport
• Susan Earl
• Deborah Grahl
• Kevin Grogan
• Charles Hoskins
• Miho Kinnas
• Danelle LeJeune
• Jessica Leigh Lebos
• Ann Lilly
• Kevin McCarey
• Tony Morris
• Maggie Redmon
• Elizabeth Robin
• Southern Poetry Review
• Patricia West

Sponsors for this event are Leopold’s Ice Cream and The Book Lady Bookstore.