 Print  Email to a friend  Subscribe |
Florida State University student Aron Myers may have more in common with anthropologist, folklorist and novelist Zora Neale Hurston than he realizes.
Hurston once said that research is formalized curiosity - poking and prying with a purpose - and that's just what Myers has been doing.
 ADVERTISEMENT   |
Though he has worked on other audio documentaries in the past, this is Myers' first independent project. He is a doctoral student in FSU's English department, and it was at the urging of one of his professors that he decided to pursue the project.
Myers said he was in high school when he first heard of Hurston, a native of Eatonville who received little recognition for her works until years after her death.
"Like a lot of students, I read (Hurston's book) "Their Eyes Were Watching God," said Myers. "That was my first introduction to Zora Neale Hurston."
It wasn't until a few years later that, thanks to FSU folklore professor Jerrilyn McGregory, he came across the anthropologist/folklorist/novelist's writings again.
"I have wanted to bring (her story) to a national audience, given the cultural and historical significance of Hurston's life and work," he said.
"This documentary is my way of pushing Hurston's great legacy forward."
Actress Vanessa Williams, who can be seen starring on ABC's "Ugly Betty," lends her voice to the documentary, which features historians and biographers discussing the works of the celebrated writer.
Myers pitched the idea to Williams after hearing she was a Hurston fan and said the actress was eager to participate. She did her work for the documentary in Los Angeles.
"She did an amazing job," said Myers. "There were various emotions we wanted to capture with the narration, which Vanessa was able to deliver solely through the use of her voice."
Myers said Hurston's work inspired him to research his own roots with McGregory's guidance.
"Like Hurston did back in the '20s and '30s, I, too, went back to my hometown (Wewahitchka) to collect folktales and family stories," he said, "and I recently finished my first manuscript on rural, southern African Americans. If I achieve any level of success as a writer, I have these two women to thank."
Myers' program was funded by a grant from the Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation and is distributed by Public Radio International. For more information on this program, visit www2.pri.org/infosite/programsupport/bhm07_direct.cfm.
| Print Email to a friend Subscribe |
Florida State University student Aron Myers may have more in common with anthropologist, folklorist and novelist Zora Neale Hurston than he realizes.
Hurston once said that research is formalized curiosity - poking and prying with a purpose - and that's just what Myers has been doing.
| ADVERTISEMENT |
Though he has worked on other audio documentaries in the past, this is Myers' first independent project. He is a doctoral student in FSU's English department, and it was at the urging of one of his professors that he decided to pursue the project.
Myers said he was in high school when he first heard of Hurston, a native of Eatonville who received little recognition for her works until years after her death.
"Like a lot of students, I read (Hurston's book) "Their Eyes Were Watching God," said Myers. "That was my first introduction to Zora Neale Hurston."
It wasn't until a few years later that, thanks to FSU folklore professor Jerrilyn McGregory, he came across the anthropologist/folklorist/novelist's writings again.
"I have wanted to bring (her story) to a national audience, given the cultural and historical significance of Hurston's life and work," he said.
"This documentary is my way of pushing Hurston's great legacy forward."
Actress Vanessa Williams, who can be seen starring on ABC's "Ugly Betty," lends her voice to the documentary, which features historians and biographers discussing the works of the celebrated writer.
Myers pitched the idea to Williams after hearing she was a Hurston fan and said the actress was eager to participate. She did her work for the documentary in Los Angeles.
"She did an amazing job," said Myers. "There were various emotions we wanted to capture with the narration, which Vanessa was able to deliver solely through the use of her voice."
Myers said Hurston's work inspired him to research his own roots with McGregory's guidance.
"Like Hurston did back in the '20s and '30s, I, too, went back to my hometown (Wewahitchka) to collect folktales and family stories," he said, "and I recently finished my first manuscript on rural, southern African Americans. If I achieve any level of success as a writer, I have these two women to thank."
Myers' program was funded by a grant from the Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation and is distributed by Public Radio International. For more information on this program, visit www2.pri.org/infosite/programsupport/bhm07_direct.cfm.
No comments:
Post a Comment