Catch me at the Zora Neale Hurston Summit hosted by the Zora Neale Hurston Trust, Harper Collins Publishing, Barnard College, and Amistad Books!

Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of the most important literary works that legitimizes and centers Black language. Zora Neale Hurston’s use of Black Southern English to tell Janie’s story asserts that Black stories must be told in Black tongues. 

What then is a Black love story told from a Black mouth? It is the truth. 

From Out the Hiding Place: A Creative Writing Workshop on Zora, Language, and Love is a creative writing workshop where we uncover the socio - linguistic purpose of Hurston’s literary choices; ponder our personal relationships with love; and write our own love stories in our own tongues.  

Zora tells us that, “love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place” and in this communal space we will examine the ways in which our cultural and linguistic heritages influence how we bring our truths from out their hiding places. Through a guided discussion and a writing prompt, you will have the opportunity to use your cultural language as a means to remember and retell your most impactful love story. 

Participants are encouraged to re/read the novel prior to the workshop.