2025 Chautauqua Lecture 3 - Zora Neale Hurston

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The program on September 18 will feature Jennifer L. Freeman Marshall, Ph.D., who will focus on Zora Neale Hurston. Hurston visited St. Simons Island in 1935 alongside researchers from the Library of Congress and New York University. Together, the group conducted interviews with residents of the island’s African American neighborhoods and recorded their traditional music. Dr. Marshall’s book Ain’t I An Anthropologist: Zora Neale Hurston Beyond the Literary Icon expands on this element of Hurston’s career by examining the cultural meanings of Hurston’s iconic popularity in literary studies and redefining her contributions to the discipline of anthropology. An Atlanta native and graduate of Spelman College, Dr. Marshall received her M.A. in anthropology from Georgia State University and her Ph.D. in women’s studies from Emory University. She is an associate professor in the Department of English and the School of Interdisciplinary Studies at Purdue University.

The programs in this year’s Chautauqua series will take place on Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. at St. Simons Presbyterian Church. Each will be recorded and will be available for viewing after the program. The cost for the series is $50 for members and $95 for non-members, with individual program tickets available for $30 each. To register, please visit coastalgeorgiahistory.org.