RICHMOND, Va.
— Lucy Anne Hurston, shared her book on Wednesday, “Speak, So You Can Speak Again: The Life of Zora Neale Hurston”, to VCU students, guests and faculty. The 3D multimedia biography includes poems, removable artifacts, photographs and a CD featuring Zora singing.
Hurston, the niece of acclaimed Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston, shared her appreciation and respect for the life and work of her aunt, as well as detailing her research of putting together the book.
“It represents the physical residue of what’s left of the life of Zora,” Hurston said. “I began building a library of books as gifts at a young age. After you read a good book, you have to share it. This was a 30-year exchange of ideas about who Zora was.”
A Professor of Sociology at Manchester Community College in Manchester, Connecticut, Hurston delved into her journey of exploring Zora’s life as a graduate student at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, where she received her master’s degree in sociology.
There were occasional and tastefully humorous tales and discoveries about the life of her aunt, emphasizing Zora’s outspoken, individualistic and at times rebellious personality.
“Zora was an individual character. This was seen in her novels and plays, and in the way she wore her trousers and smoked her cigarettes.” Hurston said.
Elisa Chong, biology major, said the event was at the top of her list among others that have been featured at VCU.
“I’ve been to prior readings and this one was definitely the most engaging and amazing,” she said.
As the night progressed, listeners were captivated as Hurston began to unfold the many layers of Zora's life.
Kamya Kommaraju, a bioinformatics major, described the event as captivating and relatable to all VCU students.
“I found it to have quite a significant impact, she said. “Hurston discussed various racial themes that I felt were important.”
One of the themes discussed, were the obstacles Zora faced as a female, African-American writer during her stay in Harlem.
“At the time, black writers wanted to fit in and emulate the issues of whiteness,” Hurston said. “Zora’s work did not follow that tradition and at times she was told to stop acting like a minstrel.”
The 1937 novel, “Their Eyes Were Watching God”, was written in southern black vernacular and criticized for it's dialect. Today, the novel is recognized as one of the greatest literary works of the Harlem Renaissance.
When asked if Hurston had any preconceived plans for the artifacts she said, “I didn’t want Zora’s work in an ivory tower away from people, I wanted to make it available for everyone.”
