Zora Neale Hurston Resources and Offerings

Walking tour Map of Zora Neale Hurston’s Hometown

Eatonville, FL was the setting of famed author Zora Neale Hurston’s most celebrated novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. But did you know that Eatonville was Zora’s beloved hometown and the first all-Black incorporated town in US History? Enjoy this map of the historic town, its rich cultural heritage, and Zora’s ties to it. Created by Zora Neale Hurston Scholar Rae Chesny, this map is perfect for walking tours and is supported by a wealth of supplemental learning resources also created by Rae.

Purchase the Immersive Map for regularly updated content on the Town of Eatonville and Zora Neale Hurston including lectures by Rae Chesny and a 30 minute video of the town with Zora Neale Hurston singing in the background.

Want to book a group tour with Rae? Email raechesny@gmail.com.

In the Florida town of Eatonville, Zora experiences magic ...

With the loving wisdom of her mother Lucy, Zora learns the perfect recipe for creating stories and growing gardens. Join in the fun as Zora learns about the power of storytelling and the delight of gardening.

This heartfelt adventure honors the real Zora Neale Hurston with the perfect mix of fact and fiction crafted by Zora Scholar Rae Chesny.

Learn about Zora from Zora Neale Hurston Scholar Rae Chesny

Zora Neale Hurston Videos on Demand allows you to enjoy previously recorded presentations and talks done by Rae. Rae has given talks on Zora for Michigan State University annually since 2018. She served as the featured speaker for the Zora Neale Hurston: The Storyteller and her Town series host by Orange County Library System’s Eatonville Library in 2022. The program was funded by the Florida Humanities Council. She returned for a series of Zora Neale Hurston Juneteenth programming that same year.

Book Rae for your organization, school, book club, etc by emailing raechesny@gmail.com.

Dear Zora: Work in Progress Edition

***This is the Work In Progress version of Dear Zora. Read more about the Rae's Work In Progress publishing experiment below the synopsis for Dear Zora.***

“Dear Zora guides its readers through a woman’s pilgrimage, a sacred dialogue between a
student and her mentor. It’s not as much to be a fly on the wall over their conversation, but to be
the third friend, silently sipping tea, listening contently. Rae’s research tightly holds hands with
the intimacy of a written letter…along the way Zora does answer and presents herself to Rae in many ways.”
-Jessica Hurston, Grandniece of Zora Neale Hurston

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