As the much-anticipated college football season approaches, The Georgia Museum of Art highlights another aspect of Southern culture.

The museum’s “Southern Summer” series continues Sunday with a panel discussion by literary scholars focusing on the rich literary tradition of the American South.

“The ‘Southern Summer: The Literature of the South’ event is part of our ‘Southern Summer’ series, which focuses on the tradition and culture of the South,” said Johnathan McGinty, the public relations coordinator of Georgia Museum of Art. “The panelists are going to attempt to understand what it is about the South that results in such fascinating and beloved stories that resonate with audiences far beyond our geographical boundaries,” said McGinty.

Although author Mary Ward Brown is no longer able to join the panel, four others will be present to discuss the themes and culture behind Southern literature, including Bruce Gentry of Georgia College and State University.

“I think Southern literature is important for the same reasons other lit is important: it helps us feel and it helps us think about how to live our lives – it wakes us up from our stupor,” Gentry said.

“I’m not all that sure literature is all that important to the culture of the modern South any more than literature is important to any culture, but for those of us who love it, there’s not much that is more important.”

A wide variety of topics concerning the South will be discussed, hopefully including Gentry’s favorite author, Flannery O’Connor.

“The fact that she’s Southern is great fun for me because I’m Southern, too, but I’d love O’Connor if she were from somewhere else,” he said. “I’d like to show off the brand new issue of the “Flannery O’Connor Review,” the world’s longest-running journal dedicated to the study of a woman writer.”

Other members of the panel include University English Professor Hubert McAlexander, Skip Hulett from the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame and Randy Hendricks from the University of West Georgia, all of whom bring their own opinions and favorites to the discussion.

“William Faulkner is the most important of the writers coming out of the American South,” said McAlexander.

“Why is he important? Why is Shakespeare important? Why is Beethoven important? Students should come and find out. To some people, nothing matters. But any great artistic achievement is important to intelligent, cultivated, truly civilized people.”

The literary panel provides a great way for students to learn about the writers who represent Southern culture – and even discuss some of their favorite authors.

“I’ll have to admit that I’m hoping to learn that UGA cares about Southern Literature,” Gentry said.