I think the Moon did follow Zora, and that we have her beautiful, unforgettable writing in this world is proof. 🌙 So so beautiful Will—the chance of someone caring for one others work, for recognizing it, is an act that echoes across the distances. Thankful for Pat Duval, his son, the ways that Zora’s magnificence is still known—and reflected. And thankful you share this all with us. 💜
Wonderful! Wonderful! I feel tongue-tied trying to express how much I loved this piece that you've written. I'm a 70yo white guy and Miss Hurston is one of my heroes. I love the lyricism of her writing - just think of how good this reply would be if she was writing it! And I guess Miss Walker must enjoy hero status for what she did bringing Miss Hurston back to the attention of the world!
It's a weird feeling knowing that I've already read the best thing I'll read all day and it's barely 0830! Thank you!
Thank you for this! Hurston is a hero in our family, in which everyone turns out to be either an artist/writer, or a social scientist.
We recently found ourselves in the Eau Gallie section of Melbourne, FL where Hurston said she had lived happily. We wanted a look at the site of the cottage where she had lived in the ‘20’s, and to which she returned in the ‘50’s. The Saturday Evening Post once published a photo of her at the typewriter there, but few other traces remain. It’s a rotten shame she couldn’t get the money together to buy the place.
Although a brown cinder block house now stands on the site of her former home, many of the older wooden cottages in the area have survived, surrounded by mossy live oaks and saw palms. The lot itself is elevated, probably due to the solid hunk of rock that juts out at the corner. The river is downhill about two blocks to the east, and you can hear the trains rattle by on the tracks about a half mile to the west.
Fantastic, Will. I love learning all this about Zora Neale Hurston, who I’ve loved since reading Their Eyes Were Watching God. It does make me so sad, though, to know that she never learned how beloved she’d once be. Maybe she did have that thirteenth vision or some version of it, though. Maybe the creating so strong in her she didn’t even remember to eat was like living it somehow.
I've been thinking about this so much - that writing and working hard doesn't guarantee success. Fate influences success and failure more than we'd like to admit. So many artists die before they're recognized. Most never recognized at all. Social media, the internet and ease of publishing has inflamed all our delusions of grandeur. For some those delusions turn out to be true. For others, they turn out to be like believing the moon follows you. These days, it's like a spiritual practice. As much as I want to grow my audience and accomplish my dreams, I don't have control over the outcome. I think ultimately what's most important is to find joy in the process. I really admire Zora Neale Hurston and the life she lived. What a great reminder to follow our heart's calling. You. never know what the impact will be. Shame she missed out on seeing the one she made.
The words moon and lie jumped out for me. The moon, a man named Bahloo, is the guardian spirit of girls. He comes and goes on a faithful journey through the sky. If a woman stares at his full lit face she will bear twins. This knowledge of the moon comes from Aboriginal Lore. The word "lies" need to be broken into two types - lies that deceive, to trick, innocents into consenting to being harmed, and lies that reveal hidden truths. Nora's dreams were revelations of the world's hidden forces, or, intimations of the Laws of Nature. An example of a lie that deceives is a 100 year old man dies of Covid. Covid is deception, a creation of wicked men to rob trusting men of wealth, life, and freedom. Nora would have known the difference between deception and dreaming. RIP dreaming Nora, and RIP all the trusting people being killed by the global satanic cabal.
I have been a fan of Zora Neale Hurston since I was an anthropology major in college in Florida back in 1979 when I started reading novels and poetry by Black women writers. Her worked bridged my passions—fiction and anthropology. Thank you for this beautiful account of her life and work.
I think the Moon did follow Zora, and that we have her beautiful, unforgettable writing in this world is proof. 🌙 So so beautiful Will—the chance of someone caring for one others work, for recognizing it, is an act that echoes across the distances. Thankful for Pat Duval, his son, the ways that Zora’s magnificence is still known—and reflected. And thankful you share this all with us. 💜
We need more archival heroes in this world! I loved this. Thank you Will.
Wonderful! Wonderful! I feel tongue-tied trying to express how much I loved this piece that you've written. I'm a 70yo white guy and Miss Hurston is one of my heroes. I love the lyricism of her writing - just think of how good this reply would be if she was writing it! And I guess Miss Walker must enjoy hero status for what she did bringing Miss Hurston back to the attention of the world!
It's a weird feeling knowing that I've already read the best thing I'll read all day and it's barely 0830! Thank you!
Thank you for this! Hurston is a hero in our family, in which everyone turns out to be either an artist/writer, or a social scientist.
We recently found ourselves in the Eau Gallie section of Melbourne, FL where Hurston said she had lived happily. We wanted a look at the site of the cottage where she had lived in the ‘20’s, and to which she returned in the ‘50’s. The Saturday Evening Post once published a photo of her at the typewriter there, but few other traces remain. It’s a rotten shame she couldn’t get the money together to buy the place.
Although a brown cinder block house now stands on the site of her former home, many of the older wooden cottages in the area have survived, surrounded by mossy live oaks and saw palms. The lot itself is elevated, probably due to the solid hunk of rock that juts out at the corner. The river is downhill about two blocks to the east, and you can hear the trains rattle by on the tracks about a half mile to the west.
Fantastic, Will. I love learning all this about Zora Neale Hurston, who I’ve loved since reading Their Eyes Were Watching God. It does make me so sad, though, to know that she never learned how beloved she’d once be. Maybe she did have that thirteenth vision or some version of it, though. Maybe the creating so strong in her she didn’t even remember to eat was like living it somehow.
I've been thinking about this so much - that writing and working hard doesn't guarantee success. Fate influences success and failure more than we'd like to admit. So many artists die before they're recognized. Most never recognized at all. Social media, the internet and ease of publishing has inflamed all our delusions of grandeur. For some those delusions turn out to be true. For others, they turn out to be like believing the moon follows you. These days, it's like a spiritual practice. As much as I want to grow my audience and accomplish my dreams, I don't have control over the outcome. I think ultimately what's most important is to find joy in the process. I really admire Zora Neale Hurston and the life she lived. What a great reminder to follow our heart's calling. You. never know what the impact will be. Shame she missed out on seeing the one she made.
The words moon and lie jumped out for me. The moon, a man named Bahloo, is the guardian spirit of girls. He comes and goes on a faithful journey through the sky. If a woman stares at his full lit face she will bear twins. This knowledge of the moon comes from Aboriginal Lore. The word "lies" need to be broken into two types - lies that deceive, to trick, innocents into consenting to being harmed, and lies that reveal hidden truths. Nora's dreams were revelations of the world's hidden forces, or, intimations of the Laws of Nature. An example of a lie that deceives is a 100 year old man dies of Covid. Covid is deception, a creation of wicked men to rob trusting men of wealth, life, and freedom. Nora would have known the difference between deception and dreaming. RIP dreaming Nora, and RIP all the trusting people being killed by the global satanic cabal.
Wonderful! Thank you so much for this dispatch. I will be thinking about it all month and revisiting Hurston's work.
Absolutely fascinating! Thank you!
I loved this -- thank you.
I have been a fan of Zora Neale Hurston since I was an anthropology major in college in Florida back in 1979 when I started reading novels and poetry by Black women writers. Her worked bridged my passions—fiction and anthropology. Thank you for this beautiful account of her life and work.
Oh, this is such a wonderful telling of Ms. Hurston's life. Thank you!!
Beautiful, Will. Love the weaving of the personal, the literary, and the cosmic.
What a great story you've written! I wonder where Hurston's visions came from.
wow, great history and writing. thank you for sharing, she was an amazing American writer and storyteller🤛🏽🤛🏽👏👏👏🇺🇸
What an amazing story!