"Eudora darling": a college student peeks inside letters written to a Mississippi legend.

After completing a book, I often regret closing its pages. There is something about the way a book's pages smell, the way its weight feels in my hands, or the tale its words present that makes me feel as though I have gotten to know its author in one way or another and have absorbed a part of that person into my own existence. I take a moment to breathe in the story as well as the writer wondering what his or her life was like and what inspired those eloquen words. In most cases, this is as far as my wondering road takes me, but this past semester at Millsaps College I had the opportunity to travel further than ever before into the life of an author. That author was Mississippi's recently deceased Eudora Welty, and my journey into her life was guided by English professor Suzanne Marrs.

If you want to know anything about Eudora Welty, Dr. Marrs is the person to ask. Marrs is not only a critic of Welty's work but was a close friend of Welty in the later years of the author's life. I signed up to take Dr. Mans' class on Welty hoping that their unique relationship would make my experience more fulfilling. Instead of learning about an author from someone who had studied her works intensely, I was given the opportunity to learn from someone who had maintained a personal relationship with the author as well. My questions about Welty's life would finally be answered.

Dr. Marrs met Eudora Welty in 1983 when Marrs came to Jackson to conduct research on Welty at the state Department of Archives and History. Marrs was introduced to the writer, and the two soon developed a special relationship. They spent much time together discussing Welty's work, having friendly dinners, traveling to award ceremonies, and even meeting each other's families.

"She was just a wonderful person," Dr. Marrs said. "She was the keenest intellect and most widely read person I've ever known.

Since their first meeting, Marrs has published many pieces on Welty's work; she co-edited Eudora Welty and Politics: Did the Writer Crusade? (2000) and wrote The Welty Collection (1999) and One Writer's Imagination: The Fiction of Eudora Welty (2002). Of her most recent work on Welty, Dr. Marrs explained, "What I wanted to do was think about the origins of the stories, how the stories got started, and what sparked Eudora Welty's imagination." In order to do this, she pored over revisions of Welty's work and closely analyzed her writing process. During class, Dr. Marrs often talked about the subjects of her research, revealing fascinating tidbits like the fact that the character of Phoenix Jackson in the story "A Worn Path" was inspired when Welty was painting on Old Canton Road and saw a woman walking across the horizon. In her book, Marrs explores the origins of characters and themes in Welty's work and considers such factors as historical context, personal experience, and specific events.

Marrs' work has now shifted to include archiving the many personal items Welty left to the state of Mississippi, and it was through this project that my participation in Dr. Marrs' class became even more meaningful. Nothing could have prepared me for how intense this study would be. I knew I would be expected to read Welty's works and form my own interpretations as well as learn from Dr. Marrs' experiences. I didn't know I would be given the opportunity to read and help preserve letters that Welty's friends--many who were great writers themselves--wrote to her throughout her career. After the first class, I knew I was being offered a rare opportunity and that I should consider myself blessed.

Dr. Marrs also gave our class the opportunity to visit Welty's house and see firsthand where she grew up and wrote some of her most famous works. We were able to see what kinds of books she read and learn about the paintings and souvenirs she collected on her trips abroad. We climbed the same stairs Welty climbed everyday, sat in her den and listened to stories about her life, learned that she enjoyed eating breakfast alone, and saw the desk where she wrote, framed by a window with a view of the Belhaven community. We saw her photos of friends and family, her treasured piano, and her lazy afternoon porch. We learned that Welty and her friends had dined together often and that whenever she visited Dr. Marrs' home for dinner, she always brought camellias. This was more than any textbook could tell us. These were pieces of her life.

Even more exciting was the opportunity to help archive the letters that Welty's friends wrote to her. Each student was responsible for summarizing letters from a different friend. I was amazed to see the high volume of letters that these people wrote and felt honored to be among the first to read them. Through reading this correspondence, I gained a respect for the art of letter writing. I learned that people would type many drafts of a letter before actually mailing it. Most importantly, I learned what kind of friend Welty was. I read along as she was asked for advice and told of tragedies. I found myself addicted to reading the letters and learning about the dynamics of a relationship. This experience allowed me to imagine myself as Welty, if only momentarily, and I have found that no other opportunity has made me feel as close to someone I have never met. We all think we know the celebrities we see in films and on television, but we only know their fictional characters and what they personally reveal in i nterviews. Very rarely do we actually understand who they are. Through reading these letters, I uncovered what cannot be found in Welty's stories. Her personal interactions were in my hands--not on a documentary or coming from someone else's mouth. It was an experience like no other.

Along with this incredible opportunity came another. Our class received a visit from William Jay Smith, distinguished poet, author of The Cherokee Lottery, and friend of Welty. We had the opportunity to ask him questions not only about his own work but about his relationship with Welty as well. She was a dear friend, he said, who at times inspired his own works. "She was one of the best letter writers of the twentieth century," Smith told us.

When asked why she decided to teach the class in this unique way, Dr. Marrs replied, "When Eudora died and left her papers to the state of Mississippi, I became engaged in helping to catalog those papers. It's just fascinating work. I thought students would really be interested in this process themselves, and I also thought that the students could help, because it is a massive undertaking." Indeed, our participation in the project will speed up the process of archiving her belongings and opening her house to visitors. Giving us the opportunity to deal with primary materials instead of reading what a scholar thought seemed a natural step for Dr. Marrs to take.

This decision is one that my classmates and I are thankful she made. "In a way, I am becoming a part of literary history, simply by working so closely with her work and her history," said junior J.D. Graffam. Another classmate, junior Kenneth Townsend, remarked, "When I signed up for the class, I had heard that I might have the opportunity to read some of her personal letters, but I did not expect anything like this." Not a single classmate expressed any regrets. "I have to pinch myself every time I read a letter to make sure I am actually appreciating the honor of being a part of this class," said junior Lauren Turner. Sophomore Lindsay Carter said, "I think the class has been a wonderful chance to immerse myself in a writer who I respect, admire, and identify with as a Southern woman."

Welty was a "wonderful friend," Dr. Marrs said. "If she had never written a word, I would feel that my life had been tremendously enriched by having known her as a friend."

I cannot imagine a better way to get to know Eudora Welty than the way I have, except to have actually met her. Because that opportunity has been lost, I am thankful for experiencing the next best thing. Never again will I read her works without feeling as though I know her in a special way. I especially enjoy the fact that we share the experience of being brought up in Mississippi. Welty's roots were grounded in a love for people, something life in the Hospitality State surely fertilized and something that is revealed in each of her treasured letters.

Note: All photographs were taken with permission of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.