On Thursday, Feb. 19, celebrated American author and Columbus native Carson McCullers will be the topic of discussion at a 6 p.m. screening of the documentary “Wunderkind Carson McCullers” at the Columbus Public Library.

The event, which is free to the public and spotlights McCullers’ literary and cultural contributions, is co-presented by the library and Georgia Public Broadcasting. A discussion of McCullers’ lasting influence will follow the screening—led by Dr. Nick Norwood, director of Columbus State’s Carson McCullers Center for Writers & Musicians and a professor in CSU’s creative writing program, and Orland Montoya, a GPB statewide newscaster producer.

Given the limited seating, online reservations can be made through the GPB website for those interested in attending.

McCullers was a foundational figure in the Southern Gothic tradition who achieved immediate literary stardom in her early 20s with her debut novel, “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” (1940). Over a prolific decade in the 1940s, she made lasting cultural contributions by crafting compassionate, lyrical portraits of misfits and outcasts that examined universal themes of spiritual isolation, racial tension and unconventional identity.

Those contributions are the subject of the 54-minute documentary produced by award-winning filmmaker Claudia Müller, which premiered in 2024. It shares its name with her first published short story, “Wunderkind,” written when she was 19, about Frances, a young piano prodigy who experiences a crisis of confidence during a music lesson, realizing her gift may be fading. The film features interviews with prominent figures, including film critic Rex Reed and musician Suzanne Vega, and highlights the profound influence that Columbus had on McCullers’ literary work.

Columbus State’s McCullers Center for Writers & Musicians, which co-produced the documentary, is dedicated to preserving Carson McCullers’ legacy, supporting artists, educating young people, and promoting literary, musical, artistic and intellectual culture. The university, through philanthropic support, has preserved McCullers’ childhood home in Columbus as a museum and residency space, and her adult home in Nyack, New York, as an artist residency. It offers annual fellowships for writers, artists, musicians, scholars and filmmakers, and hosts educational and cultural programs in Columbus and Nyack. The center also maintains an expanding archive related to Carson McCullers' life and work.