Folklorist and novelist Zora Neale Hurston was best known for her collection of African American folklore Mules and Men (1935) and her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), in which she charted a young African American woman's personal journey. Born January 7, 1891 Died January 28, 1960

Born in Notasulga, Alabama, on Jan. 7, 1891 At the age of three, she moved to the town of Eatonville, Florida, the first all-black community to be incorporated to the United States. Attended Howard University & Barnard College (studied Anthropology) Known for her research in American folklore as well as Haiti and the British Isles Achieved fame & sparked controversy as a novelist, anthropologist, essayist, lecturer, & theatrical producer TEWWG is her most famous and widely-acclaimed novel.

Hurston suffered numerous setbacks throughout her life. She died in a convalescent home, penniless, and forgotten on January 28, She was buried in an unmarked grave until 1973, when writer Alice Walker discovered and inscribed her gravestone with “Zora Neale Hurston A Genius of the South Novelist, Folklorist, Anthropologist.”

Works in print

Eatonville, Florida: *The story is fictional, but Eatonville (a town created and governed by African Americans) is real. West Florida, Jacksonville, The Everglades, West Palm Beach

Hurston spent much of her life in the town of Eatonville, Florida. Eatonville history: Shortly after the Civil War, newly freed slaves moved to central Florida in search of work. Because of the large influx of blacks, white landowners and voters soon found themselves outnumbered. In order to attempt a better balance of voters, the proposal was made to offer blacks the opportunity to purchase land and establish their own community.

The 1928 Okeechobee hurricane plays a pivotal role in the plot of the novel. What is its symbolic importance?

Please view these brief videos: Hurston Biography: Eatonville, Florida: