FLANNERY O’CONNOR (1925–1964) was born in Savannah, Georgia. She earned her MFA at the University of Iowa, but lived most of her life in the South. Her work—novels, short stories, letters, and criticism—received a number of awards, including the National Book Award.
LAUREN GROFF is the New York Times best-selling author of three novels, The Monsters of Templeton, Arcadia, and Fates and Furies, and two short story collections, Florida and Delicate Edible Birds. She has won the PEN/O. Henry Award, and was a two-time finalist for the National Book Award and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.