Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was an anthropologist, a novelist, a folklorist, a playwright, and a history maker in her own right. Hurston was a product of the Harlem Renaissance and is often described as one of the greatest literary artists of the twentieth century. Praised by many for her studies of African derived religions in the American South, Haiti, and Jamaica, she is most famous for her 1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and her literary works inspired such writers as Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Ishmael Reed, Gloria Naylor, and Jewell Parker Rhodes, among others. (Source: The Official Zora Neale Hurston Website. For more information, please visit http://www.zoranealehurston.com/.)

Possible topics include, but are not limited to “Spirituals and Neo-Spirituals,” “African and Neo-African Religion,” “Literature and Religion,” and what one writer describes as “The Complex Fate of the God-Driven Black Diaspora Discourse.” Established and emerging academic scholars, independent scholars, advanced graduate students, and visual and performing artists are encouraged to submit proposals. Participants will be invited to submit their revised conference papers for possible publication.

DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF PROPOSALS: January 15, 2012 NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE: March 15, 2012

*Electronic submissions only.

Please submit a 250-word abstract and a one-page c.v. or resume for each presenter/panelist to:

African.Diaspora@csuohio.edu