133rd anniversary of Zora Neale Hurston's birthday, her life in the sunshine state and ZORA! Fest 2025

ORLANDO, Fla. - Today marks the 133rd anniversary of novelist Zora Neale Hurston's birth.

Who was Zora Neale Hurston?

 Zora Neale Hurston was an author, anthropologist, and key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. 

Best known for her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, she celebrated Black culture and oral traditions in her work. 

Hurston’s storytelling, influenced by her anthropological research, has made her one of the most influential figures in American literature.

Hurston and her work are celebrated annually during the ZORA! Festival held in Eatonville, Florida.

The life of Zora Neale Hurston:

Zora Neale Hurston was born on January 7, 1891, in Notasulga, Alabama to John and Lucy Hurston.

Hurstons' father, John Cornelius Hurston II, was born into slavery in 1861 and her mother, Lucy (Lula) Potts Hurston, was born to freed slaves who became small landholders in 1865.

The Hurstons' move to Florida

The Hurstons' moved to Eatonville, Florida shortly after Zora was born around 1892 or 1893, according to the UCF digital archive. 

"Eatonville had come into existence in the 1880's, when Joe Clarke, an African–American ex–slave from Georgia, asked Lewis Lawrence, a white philanthropist from New York, to assist him in creating a town for black citizens", according to the archive.

Related article: Central Florida city ranked among top endangered historic places in U.S.

Her father, John Hurston, was an early leader of the town, and served three terms as mayor and was also the pastor of the Baptist Church. Hurston lived in the town from 1892 or 1893 until 1904, the year her mother passed away. 

Her life after Eatonville

• Zora Neale Hurston moved to Jacksonville after her mother’s death in 1904, joining her siblings. Her father refused to pay for her schooling, leaving her to rely on family. In Jacksonville, she first experienced racism, which she said made her realize she was "a little colored girl." 
• Zora Neale Hurston lived in Sanford briefly in 1912 with her brother Dick and again in 1933 while writing Jonah’s Gourd Vine. She completed the book in seven weeks and was evicted the day it was accepted for publication in October.

The Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance, or New Negro Movement, spanned from 1919, after black soldiers returned from World War I, to 1934 during the Great Depression. In The New Negro, Alain Locke emphasized the importance of recognizing African American artistic and cultural contributions over militancy. 

• Zora Neale Hurston joined the movement in 1924 after submitting her story "Drenched in Light" to Opportunity, the National Urban League’s magazine. Editor Charles S. Johnson published her story and encouraged her to move to Harlem, which she did in January 1925. There, she met key intellectuals, resumed her studies at Barnard College, and became a standout figure in the Harlem Renaissance with her vibrant personality, Eatonville tales, and creative talent.

Back in Florida

Hurston moved back to the sunshine state in the late 1920s, living and visiting a number of places, including Mulberry, Pierce, and Lakeland.

• In March 1928, Zora Neale Hurston discovered a rich collection of folklore and music at a turpentine camp near Loughman, Florida.
• In 1929, Zora Neale Hurston moved to Miami to revise her folklore manuscript, Negro Folk-Tales from the Gulf States. Some of this material was later included in Mules and Men.
• Zora Neale Hurston visited Eau Gallie in April 1929, renting a house near the Indian River while working on Mules and Men.
• In 1933, Zora Neale Hurston was invited by Mary McLeod Bethune to stage her play From Sun to Sun at Bethune-Cookman College and a segregated public auditorium in Daytona Beach. Bethune later asked Hurston to start a drama school at the college in December 1933. Hurston moved to Daytona in January 1934, but the plan fell through due to a lack of resources, preventing any productions from being staged.
• Hurston later returned to the turpentine camp in Loughman to revise Mules and Men in the summer of 1934.
• In 1942, Zora Neale Hurston moved to St. Augustine to revise Dust Tracks on a Road and briefly taught at Florida Normal College. There, she befriended author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. Hurston left St. Augustine for Daytona Beach in 1943 to live in a houseboat named the "Sun Tan".
• In January 1950, Zora Neale Hurston gave a reading at the Dade County Library. Facing financial struggles, she worked as a maid on Rivo Island, where her employer recognized her from a March 18, 1950, Saturday Evening Post publication of Hurston's story "The Conscience of the Court." Later that year, Hurston moved into George Smathers' home in Miami to support his Senate campaign against Claude Pepper and help his father, Frank, write his autobiography, It's Wonderful to Live Again.
• In 1951, Zora Neale Hurston returned to her Eau Gallie home and lived there for five years, enjoying gardening and home improvements. During this time, she faced medical and financial struggles. She earned income by covering the Ruby McCollum trial for Mules and Men from October 1952 to May 1953 and worked on her manuscript Herod the Great, which was rejected by several publishers. In March 1956, she was evicted and moved out two months later.

Her last years

Zora Neale Hurston spent her final years in Fort Pierce after being evicted from her Eau Gallie home. 

• In December 1957, she moved to a trailer on Merritt Island and began writing for The Fort Pierce Chronicle. 
• She worked as a substitute teacher at Lincoln Park Academy in 1958 and helped establish a black playground. 
• Hurston's health worsened, leading to strokes in 1959. In May, she applied for welfare for her medications and received food vouchers in June. 
• She entered the St. Lucie County Welfare Home on October 29 and died on January 28, 1960, from hypertensive heart disease. 

She was buried in an unmarked grave at the Garden of Heavenly Rest.

At the time of her death in 1960, Zora Neale Hurston had published more books than any other Black woman in America, but she struggled to gain a mainstream following and died impoverished in a welfare hotel. 

Today, she is recognized as one of the most significant Black writers in American history.

ZORA! Festival 2025:

The ZORA! Festival, held annually in Eatonville, Florida, celebrates the life and legacy of author Zora Neale Hurston. 

The event features a variety of cultural activities, including literary discussions, music, art exhibitions, and performances, drawing visitors from across the country. 

The festival honors Hurston’s contributions to African American literature and highlights the history and culture of Eatonville, one of the nation’s oldest African American communities.

This year the event will run from January 31 - February 2.

You can find more information about the festival and ticket information here.

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