Zora Neale Hurston

Janie Crawford, a Southern Black woman in the 1930's, journeys from being a free-spirited girl to a woman of independence and substance.

"In 1925, Barnard student Zora Neale Hurston--the sole black student at the college--was living in New York, "desperately striving for a toe-hold on the world." During this period, she began writing short works that captured the zeitgeist of African American life and transformed her into one of the central figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Nearly a century later, this singular talent is recognized as one of the most influential and revered American...

"A First Folktale from the creators of Magnolia Flower, Zora Neale Hurston and Ibram X. Kendi, about the origin of butterflies. 'The Creator wuz all finished and thru makin' de world.' But soon, the Creator finds themselves flying through the sky, making gorgeous butterflies of every color, shape, and size. Find out why butterflies were made in Zora Neale Hurston's stunning and layered African American folktale retold by #1 New York Times bestselling...

"Maybe, now, we used-to-be black African folks can be of some help to our brothers and sisters who have always been white. You will take another look at us and say that we are still black and, ethnologically speaking, you will be right. But nationally and culturally, we are as white as the next one. We have put our labor and our blood into the common causes for a long time. We have given the rest of the nation song and laughter. Maybe now, in this...

'Sweat' is an early feminist short story by Harlem Renaissance writer, Zora Neale Hurston. This pocket-sized tale presents the contrasting lives of a married couple: the sweat and toil of Delia and the leisure and privilege of her husband, Sykes. Delia works incredibly long hours as a washerwoman, making sure that she earns enough to pay rent for her and her husband's home, while also ensuring the house is clean and there is food on the table....

Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston explores a battle between physical and moral strength in this pocket-sized short story, 'Spunk'. Set in an all-Black community in rural America, this short story poses the question of whether moral strength is more powerful than physical strength. Spunk Banks is described as a 'giant'. He is unafraid of anything and when he openly flaunts his affair with Lena Kanty, Joe Kanty's wife, the other men in...

During her lifetime, Zora Neale Hurston was praised for her writing but condemned for her independence and audacity. Her work fell into obscurity until the 1970s, when Alice Walker rediscovered Hurston's unmarked grave and anthologized her writing in this groundbreaking collection for the Feminist Press. I Love Myself When I Am Laughing... And Then Again When I Am Looking Mean and Impressive established Hurston as an intellectual leader for future...

Born to parents who fled slavery and the Trail of Tears, Magnolia Flower is a girl with a vibrant spirit. Not to be deterred by rigid ways of the world, she longs to connect with others, who too long for freedom. She finds this in a young man of letters who her father disapproves of. In her quest to be free, Magnolia must make a choice and set off on a journey that will prove just how brave one can be when leading with one's heart. The acclaimed...

Three hungry witches set out to eat two orphaned children while their grandmother is away at the market.

Beloved: On a journey to find freedom, Sethe is confronted by the secrets that have haunted her for years. Then, an old friend from out of her past reenters her life. With his help, Sethe may finally be able to rediscover who she is and regain her lost sense of hope. Their eyes were watching God: A drama set in the 1920s, where free-spirited Janie Crawford's search for happiness leads her through several different marriages, challenging the mores...