Reflections on the Global Legacy of Zora Neale Hurston
on the Occasion of Her 125th Birthday

January 7, 2016, will mark Zora Neale Hurston's 125th birthday. To commemorate this milestone, The Association to Preseve the Eatonville Community, Inc. (P.E.C.), presenter of the annual Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities (ZORA! Festival) will sponsor, along with local, regional, and national partners, a yearlong series of special programs.
Humanities scholars are invited to submit papers for the 2016 ZORA! Festival, January 23-31. The Festival theme will be "Reflections on the Global Legacy of Zora Neale Hurston on the Occasion of Her 125th Birthday."
Hurston's legacy is a phenomenon that has undergone a remarkable development and expansion in recent decades, embracing topics, such as ethnic identity, social interactions, feminist theory, and cultural continuity. Hurston's unique insights into folklore, performance, and creative expression have invited new interpretations and inspired emulation, while the corpus of her own work has grown as a result of research and discovery.
The ZORA! National Planners welcome papers exploring the dynamic dimensions of the Hurston legacy from theoretical and/or historical perspectives and will be especially attentive to appropriate consideration of past, present, and emerging scholarly content.
In the tradition of academic excellence, scholars are encouraged to engage the literature and discourse of their respective fields; at the same time, they will present their findings during the Public Forum in a form that is accessible to academics in other disciplines and is also intellectually stimulating for an intelligent general audience.

Submission Instructions
Please submit a detailed abstract in English of 300-500 words that indicates the thesis, which you plan to explore, as well as an idea of the theoretical framework within which your findings will be considered. Please also include a brief bio of 50-75 words.

Deadlines and Notification
Your abstract is due June 1, 2015. You will receive notification of the decision on July 1, 2015. Accepted papers in full form are due by November 30, 2015.

The Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community will pursue publication of the papers post-ZORA! Festival 2016.

Submission Addresses
Please submit the abstract and brief bio to both of the following email addresses: ny@preserveeatonville.org and office@preserveeatonville.org