Carson McCullers was born Lula Carson Smith on February 19, 1917 in Columbus, Georgia. McCullers an accomplished novelist, short story writer and playwright studied creative writing while attending Columbia University and Washington Square College of New York University. Upon return to Columbus in 1936, McCullers began work on her first novel the Heart is a Lonely Hunter that was completed the following year. Other notable novels by McCullers include The Ballad of a Sad Café, The Member of the Wedding, and Reflections in a Golden Eye.

In honor of the genius that has gone unrecognized in her hometown, the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library System launched its inaugural Valley Reads literary event to create an area wide celebration of the book The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and its author Carson McCullers in 2002.

For more biographical information about Carson McCullers see Carlos Dews, “McCullers’ Life was Fodder for Her Books” in Columbus and the Valley Magazine, (Sept-Oct 2002), 30-31.