S5 E11 Faith, Friends, and Flannery with Roxane Salonen
Shownotes
Some of the most prolific writers often wrote based off of their own personal experiences and turned them into brilliant literary works. For author Flannery O’Connor, this proved true but not in such an obvious way. She experienced a great amount of grief throughout her life that fueled her in a way that ended up shaping and solidifying her faith, to the degree that she would not have made such an impact on the literary world and beyond if not for these crosses. But what exactly can we learn from her in terms of handling our own grief? How can we use her life as inspiration for our own lives to “live like you’re dying”?
In this week’s episode, Andrea and Jennifer explore the life of Flannery O’Connor with Roxane Salonen, one of the authors of the new book, Finding Flannery: the Mystique of Flannery O’Connor and the Legacy She has Left Us All.
Our Guest
Roxane B. Salonen, Fargo, North Dakota, has been crafting stories as a journalist and author for decades, including the award-winning "What Would Monica Do?" (Ascension Press, 2022), and more recently, the co-authored "Finding Flannery" (En Route Books & Media, 2025). Whether through podcast interviews or newspaper articles, Roxane finds Flannery’s love for the truth and Catholic convictions inspiring as she seeks to report on truth today.
Links
Scripture
Prayer for the souls of Gabriel in miscarriage; Roxane’s father, Robert, at 77; her mother-in-law, Beverly, and friends: Tom Gourde and Dennis Simons
Journaling Questions
What resonated with you most about the life of Flannery O’Connor from what Roxane shared in the episode?
Have you ever embraced O’Connor’s motto to “live like you’re dying”?
Why can friends be helpful in difficult times? Has there been a time where God has sent someone to help you in your time of need?
Flannery spent much of her life “homebound” unable to do the things she wanted, yet without these limitations she might not have produced many of her writing masterpieces. Think about a time where you had to redirect your path because of limitations. How can you create beautiful masterpieces (attitude, art, activities, services) to give to the world in your seasons of “limitations”?
Roxanne talks about her “pilgrimage” to Flannery O Connor’s grave and to her child home, and how these were journeys that became very healing. What places in your grief can you go to serve as a pilgrimage of healing?
We hope you enjoy this episode of the Mourning Glory Podcast and share it with others who are on a journey through grief. You can find links to all of our episodes including a link to our brand new private online community on our website at www.mourningglorypodcast.com.
God Bless!
