Sally Stockhold

Zora Neale Hurston, "I had the nerve to walk my own way"

From “myselfportraits, ode to icons” Series
Hand-colored archival pigment print
Edition of 6 + 2 APs
Sally Stockhold © 2010

Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960) Hurston is considered one of the pre-eminent writers of twentieth-century African-American literature. She was closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 30s and has influenced such prominent writers as Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Gayle Jones and Alice Walker. In 2005, Oprah Winfrey made a film of her 1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, starring Halle Berry. Hurston's novels, books of folklore and stories have proven invaluable sources on the oral cultures of African Americans. Zora Neale Hurston’s writing fell out of favor during her lifetime. She died impoverished and alone in Florida.

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