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Literary Events
Florida Center for the Book at Broward County Library invites all of Broward County to join
The Big Read
Their Eyes Were Watching God
by Zora Neale Hurston
February 6 – March 30, 2012
“I have been in Sorrow's kitchen and licked out all the pots. Then I have stood on the peaky mountain wrapped in rainbows, with a harp and sword in my hands.” - Zora Neale Hurston
Highlighted Events | Schedule of Events | Event Locations | Contests
Reader's Guide
 To call Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God an "African American feminist classic" may be an accurate statement-it is certainly a frequent statement-but it is a misleadingly narrow and rather dull way to introduce a vibrant and achingly human novel. The syncopated beauty of Hurston's prose, her remarkable gift for comedy, the sheer visceral terror of the book's climax, all transcend any label that critics have tried to put on this remarkable work. First published amid controversy in 1937, then rescued from obscurity four decades later, the novel narrates Janie Crawford's ripening from a vibrant, but voiceless, teenage girl into a woman with her finger on the trigger of her own destiny. Although Hurston wrote the novel in only seven weeks, Their Eyes Were Watching God breathes and bleeds a whole life's worth of urgent experience. The official Big Read Reader’s Guide, Teacher’s Guide and Audio Guide.
Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God is a vibrant and achingly human novel. The syncopated beauty of Hurston's prose, her remarkable gift for comedy, the sheer visceral terror of the book's climax, all transcend any label that critics have tried to put on this remarkable work. First published amid controversy in 1937, then rescued from obscurity four decades later by Alice Walker, the novel narrates Janie Crawford's ripening from a vibrant, but voiceless, teenage girl into a woman with her finger on the trigger of her own destiny. Although Hurston wrote the novel in only seven weeks, Their Eyes Were Watching God breathes and bleeds a whole life's worth of urgent experience.
This spring, The Big Read, a community-wide reading project funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, is celebrating Zora Neale Hurston’s literary legacy with a full calendar of events including book and film discussions, panel discussions, storytelling events, literary dramatizations, Jazz performances, visual arts workshops and other fun, family-friendly programs.
A limited number of free books, reader’s guides, bookmarks, and cds are available for those wishing to participate in book discussions or other related activities.
March 6 at 2 p.m. • Main Library
Zora Neale Hurston: Queen of the Harlem Renaissance
Despite the fact that most of Zora Neale Hurston’s major published work was released after the Harlem Renaissance (1917-1935) was ostensibly “over,” she was indisputably a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance and had a tremendous impact on the cultural production and life of the period. This PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Heather D. Russell of florida International University will set Zora Neale Hurston in context of the Harlem Renaissance, through discussion of: the social, political, economic, and cultural factors that produced the Harlem Renaissance.
March 15 at 1 p.m. • Main Library
Zora Neale Hurston’s Final Decade
Since her death, scholars and the public have rediscovered Hurston’s work and conscientiously researched her biography. Nevertheless, the last decade of her life has remained relatively unexplored. Virginia Moylan fills in the details -- investigating subjects as varied as Hurston’s reporting on the trial of Ruby McCollum (a black woman convicted of murdering her white lover), her participation in designing an “anthropologically correct” black baby doll to combat stereotypes, and her controversial objections to court-ordered desegregation. Cancelled
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Essay Contest
Entries due March 30, 2012
In Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main character, Janie, undergoes many changes. The Writers Network of South Florida is sponsoring an essay contest asking high school students to write about a change in their life. Students should illustrate what brought about the change, was the change beneficial, did it define a new direction in their life, etc. Submissions will be reviewed based on clarity and vividness of language and use of examples and details. Cash prizes will be awarded. Call 954-357-7386 for more details or Download Essay Contest Entry Form (PDF).
Trivia Contest
February 6 to March 30, 2012
Northwest Regional Library is having a Zora Neale Hurston Big Read Trivia, open to all age groups from February 6 to March 30. Please pick up a contest sheet at the library's Reference Desk. Winner of a $25 gift card will be chosen after March 30. Call 954-341-3900 for details.
The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest, designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The Big Read is presented locally by the following partners: Florida Center for the Book, Broward County Library, Broward Public Library Foundation, City of Lauderhill, Writers Network of South Florida, Hollywood Arts & Cultural Center, and Coral Springs Museum of Art.
Contact Tara Zimmermann, Florida Center for the Book Program Coordinator, at 954-357-7386 or tzimmerm@browardlibrary.org for more details or to find out how you can participate.
For more information on The Big Read visit www.neabigread.org.
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