Zora Neale Hurston Mama exhorted her children at

Zora Neale Hurston Mama exhorted her children at every opportunity to “jump at de sun. ” We might not land on the sun, but at least we would get off the ground. - Zora Neale Hurston

Childhood l Born January 7, 1891 in Notasulga, AL (some say 1901) l Moved to Eatonville, FL in 1892 l Mother dies in 1904 l Father remarries a woman only six years older than Zora

Missing Years l 10 year span that stumps scholars….

Education l 1917 - Zora is twenty-six. She claims her birth year was 1901 in order to enroll in high school. l 1918 - She graduates l 1920 - She receives an associate’s degree from Howard University. l 1925 - She begins at Barnard College.

That’s Interesting… l She was very close to Langston Hughes.

More Fun Facts l She studied Anthropology at Barnard College and was hired to study the African-American culture in Florida. This was funded by the Federal Writer’s Project.

Haiti and the Bahamas l Zora made trips to these islands in search of their folklore. focus was on voodoo and the presence of zombies. Her

Haiti cont’d… l While in Haiti, Zora wrote Their Eyes were Watching God, her most famous novel.

Something for Everyone l Zora’s folklore gatherings led to the publication of several children’s books.

Death l After all her accomplishments, Zora died in obscurity in Fort Pierce, FL in 1960.

Rebirth l 1973 - Alice Walker locates the site of her grave and purchases a headstone for it. The inscription reads "Zora Neale Hurston: A Genius of the South. "

l "Confident to the point of conceit, she was by most accounts a flamboyant, infinitely inventive chameleon of a woman, who could make herself equally at home among the Haitian voodoo doctors who informed her research and the Park Avenue patrons who financed it. She was a lightning rod of contradiction and controversy. A devoted daughter of the rural South. — Ann du. Cille, "Looking for Zora"