Photos by Remy Fin
Last Friday and Saturday 350 people placed extraordinary trust in some volunteers' hands by coming to the second annual Walker Percy Weekend—St. Francisville's small but spirited festival celebrating Walker Percy's literary and philosophical achievements. And by all accounts, they appear to have had a rather good time. Drawn by a shared admiration for the writings of one our foremost authors and philosophers, attendees came from all over Louisiana and a dozen states beyond, to attend lectures and panel discussions, eat crawfish, drink beer and bourbon, roam ruins, listen to good music, and generally enjoy raising glasses with like-minded, intellectually curious souls, in some of Louisiana's most beautiful surroundings.
It was, in a word, glorious. Speakers were engaged and generous with their time and knowledge. We were honored by the presence not only of writers, academics, composers, and philosophers, but also of family members including Mary Pratt Percy Lobdell—Walker and Bundt Percy's daughter—who came from Covington to delight listeners with anecdotes painting a fuller portrait of the literary giant whom she knew first and foremost as "Daddy." Yes, it was hot, but the conversation sparkled, the bourbon cocktails were perfectly chilled, and believe it or not, it didn't rain! As a member of the organizing committee I cannot express what an honor it is to have played a role. I am proud to see my hometown playing such a graceful host while celebrating great Southern writing, and thrilled that so many people from near and far chose to take us up on the invitation. 2016 will mark the one hundredth anniversary of Walker Percy's birth, and it's good to know that appreciation for his thought and work remains alive and well. See you next June.
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