Zora Neale Hurston is Having a Moment

On January 7, 1891, Zora Neale Hurston was born. But 134 years after her birth, Ms. Zora is still giving us new reasons to celebrate her life and accomplishments. From a new book, to a new festival, January, 2025 is going to be all about Zora.

Zora’s Final Novel Makes its Debut

Most readers and writers who worship at the feet of Zora Neale Hurston, have a favorite book of hers that serves as a reminder of her many talents. After all, during her lifetime she published nearly ten books and wrote many more essays, short stories, and plays. Her most famous novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God is a perennial favorite, but many people are team Zora because of the groundbreaking anthropological work she published that explores hoodoo culture and Black folklore. Me, personally, I loved her memoir, Dust Tracks on a Road.

Today, on the occasion of what would be her 134th birthday, we get one more new title from Zora. The novel she was working on at the end of her life, officially hits bookstores today, January 7, 2025. The Life of Herod the Great (HarperCollins) is being billed by the publisher as a novel about a “complex, compelling, and misunderstood leader.” Characterized as the villain in the New Testament of the Bible for ordering the killing of newborn babies in an attempt to kill Jesus, King Herod’s life story, according to Zora, had all of the elements of a hero’s journey. Writing a novel based on Herod’s life became the passion project of Zora’s final years, so much so, she even thought the book could be turned into a blockbuster movie. “Hurston labored on the book for a long time before she felt it ready to send to Scribner’s,” wrote Valerie Boyd in her award-winning biography of Hurstron, Wrapped in Rainbows. “For the rest of 1953 and all of 1954, she worked on the Herod manuscript as if ‘under the spell of a great obsession.’” Unfortunately, her publisher rejected the first drafts of the novel, and Zora died before seeing its completion. But today that all changes. The unfinished manuscript has been finished, and Zora’s last novel will finally see the light of day.

The Zora Neale Hurston Summit

In addition to a new book to celebrate, there is also a new Zora conference on the horizon. The inaugural Zora Neale Hurston Summit will take place January 31 - February 1, 2024 at Barnard College in New York City. Zora was the first Black graduate of Barnard College, so it makes sense to hold this celebration of her life and life’s work on the Harlem-based campus. Free and open to the public (although registration is required), this summit is truly a celebration of Zora’s contributions to literature, anthropology, music, art, and Black culture.

“The Zora Neale Hurston Summit is an upscale family reunion where the general public gets to come be a part of Zora’s extended family for a weekend. For the first time in history, we will be able to celebrate the life, legacy, and work of Zora alongside the Hurston Family themselves,” said Rae Chesny, Director of Programs for the Zora Neale Hurston Trust.

Judging from the diversity and quality of speakers on the summit program, it is clear that this event is going to be an incredible opportunity to deep dive into the themes and topics Zora held dear. Speakers include Imani Perry, Marita Golden, and Ibram X Kendi. I’m also happy to report that there will be a featured panel at the summit entitled, “Every Tongue Got to Confess: A Call to BIPOC Women to Tell Their Stories.” That panel is sponsored by the Reed, Write, & Create Sanctuary and the speakers are all members of The Sanctuary.

For more information about the Zora Summit, visit the website and/or the Instagram page.

Zora Neale Hurston’s Juicy, Literary Life

It goes without saying, that Zora Neale Hurston has inspired so many people, not only because of the books she wrote, but because of the life she lived. Black women in particular, from Alice Walker to Oprah Winfrey, have found in Hurston, a role model and North Star to follow. A member of the literati of the Harlem Renaissance, as well as an anthropologist who traveled all over the world celebrating and documenting Black culture, Hurston truly lived a juicy, literary life. She wrote plays, novels, and nonfiction. She wrote for the general public; she wrote for Black people; and she wrote for herself. As a Black woman born into a racist, sexist society, Zora never apologized or asked permission to write, to travel, to love, or live the way she wanted to, and for that reason alone, she is our patron saint. Happy Birthday, Zora! May Your Spirit Continue to Squeeze all the Goodness out of Life.

“Sometimes, I feel discriminated against, but it does not make me angry. It merely astonishes me. How can any deny themselves the pleasure of my company? It's beyond me.” - Zora Neale Hurston