Dr. Angela WatkinsӰר knowledge of Zora Neale Hurston could fill a book.
Its pages would include information about HurstonӰרs 1937 novel, ӰרTheir Eyes Were Watching God,Ӱר which is widely considered among the 20th centuryӰרs most significant novels. In 2005, Time magazine listed the classic among the 100 best English-language novels published since 1923.
WatkinsӰר book would flesh out lesser known details about Hurston, too, since Ӱרmost people are familiar with her only because of ӰרTheir Eyes Were Watching God,Ӱר but her life and work is so much richer, larger and important,Ӱר explained the visiting assistant professor of English at the Ӱר.
WatkinsӰר Hurston expertise, built on years of study, has placed her among 25 scholars selected to delve into HurstonӰרs life, career, and influence on literature and culture. ӰרHurston on the Horizon: Past, Present, and FutureӰר is a National Endowment for the Humanities virtual institute being coordinated by the Ӱר of Kansas. It will be held from July 11-30.
Hurston was a key figure during the Harlem Renaissance. Her examinations of racial struggles, Black identity and gender roles, however, werenӰרt confined to the intellectual and cultural revival of the 1920s and 1930s. They carried beyond the pages of her fiction, too. Hurston, who died in 1960 at age 69, made extensive contributions in fields such as anthropology, folklore, journalism and filmmaking.
As part of the virtual institute, the scholars will work alongside a group of other scholars that includes renowned experts on Hurston, Black literature and culture, and KU faculty members. The institute's presentations, discussions and collaborative workshops are designed to enhance teaching, learning and research about Hurston.
ӰרWe will explore her fiction, her reporting, her personal life, her politics. WeӰרll also look at her critics. She was considered a Black conservative with views that were often inflammatory, but her beliefs and opinions were based on her personal experiences and own understanding of the world,Ӱר Watkins said.
Watkins first discovered Hurston in the mid-1990s, after reading the short story ӰרThe Gilded Six-Bits.Ӱר HurstonӰרs tale about marriage and betrayal intrigued Watkins, who began Ӱרreading her other works and learning all I could about her.Ӱר
Watkins holds a bachelorӰרs degree in English from DePaul Ӱר, and masterӰרs and doctoral degrees in English from the Ӱר of Iowa. She began teaching at UL Lafayette last fall. Watkins instructs both undergraduate and graduate students in courses that cover topics ranging from American literature to contemporary writersӰר treatment of slavery.
This fall, she expects to introduce Hurston to UL Lafayette students. Watkins is considering several Hurston books, including ӰרMules and Men,Ӱר for graduate coursework. The nonfiction book is based on oral histories Hurston gathered in the 1930s in her hometown of Eatonville, Fla., and in New Orleans.
ӰרShe collected stories, songs, and biographies from people, immersing herself in communities in order to understand them. ItӰרs research that broke down stereotypes, and debunked misconceptions about particular races and cultures,Ӱר Watkins explained.
Learn more about , the institute and UL LafayetteӰרs .
Photo caption: Dr. Angela WatkinsӰר (inset) expertise about Zora Neale Hurston (pictured) has made her one of 25 scholars chosen to examine HurstonӰרs life and career during a summer institute being coordinated by the Ӱר of Kansas. Watkins, a UL Lafayette visiting assistant professor of English, will delve into HurstonӰרs work as a writer, anthropologist, folklorist and journalist. Photo credits: Carl Van Vechten Estate/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Hurston) and Dr. Angela Watkins.