Zora Neale Hurston: The Storyteller and Her Town

From January 27-29, Eatonville Branch hosts Zora Neale Hurston: The Storyteller and Her Town, an events series featuring presentations from Zora Neale Hurston scholar Rae Chesny. This series begins with a virtual event on Thursday, January 27 at 6:30 p.m. called Queen of the Harlem Renaissance. It will introduce Hurston’s life, impact on American culture and some often-overlooked details of her story. A Q&A with Chesny will follow the presentation. On Friday, January 28 at 5 p.m., Introducing Zora, an in-person event featuring Chesney, will discuss Hurston’s life and her upbringing in Eatonville. On Saturday, January 29 at 11 a.m., an in-person event called Finding Eatonville Around the World will explore Hurston’s contributions to preserving Black culture. Chesny will discuss how experiences Hurston had in Eatonville prepared her for her creative and scientific work. On January 29 at noon, the series wraps up with a final in-person event called The Storyteller and Her Town, which takes participants on a walking tour of Eatonville led by Chesny. This program is funded in part through a Florida Humanities Community Project Grant in partnership with the Orange County Library System.