The Steffen Thomas Museum of Art (STMA) in rural Buckhead will host author William Charles Conner on Nov. 23 as he presents Out of Penumbra, the final book in his memoir trilogy of a self-described “journey from ignorance to art.”
Conner was a close friend of famed artist Steffen Thomas, a collector of his art – and his son-in-law.
In Eating Dirt, the first book of Conner’s autobiographical trilogy, he shares the often painful life he lived as a kid who grew up on the prickly side of the poverty line.
He described living on minimal rations in ramshackle rental houses, barren of any art except funeral home calendars.
Having survived his father’s abandonment, social rejection, and too much religion, Conner went on to serve three years in the U.S. Navy, which he engagingly described in Boy Jumps Over Moon, the second installment in his trilogy, focused on his coming-of-age and realization of having a superior intellect, a fact not at all recognized in high school.
In Out of Penumbra, Conner’s third-and-final installment in the series, the author recounts his higher education as an Emory University medical school graduate and psychiatric resident, as well as his 25-year relationship and close friendship with Steffen Thomas.
“The entire Department of Psychiatry seemed to collect Steffen Thomas art, and I soon requested an introduction, which became my first visit to the Stone Mountain house,” Conner said in his latest book. “From that visit came many more, each stirring me more. I needed an art mentor, and Steffen Thomas opened multiple doors, giving my learning curve a major boost. The simplest truth is that I rapidly came to love both the artist and the art – and I still do.”
Meet the author on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., when books will be available for purchase and Conner will sign them.