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While Zora Neale Hurston might not be the most well-known figure in the American literary canon, her life was nothing short of tumultuous and, indeed, quite brilliant. Most notable among the aspects we’ll discuss today are her love/hate relationship with Langston Hughes and her work with American novelist Fannie Hurst. However, there are other, less well-known things about this often-overlooked and passed-up American author, who even still to this day hasn’t received her proper flowers.
Hurston was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker who often documented racial struggles in the early 1900s, thus becoming a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance. For those who aren’t in the know, the Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, and scholarship centered in Harlem, New York City. Dubbed the “New Negro Movement,” after The New Negro anthology edited by Alain Locke, the Harlem Renaissance spanned the 1920s and 1930s and is a notable part of the Roaring Twenties.
Hurston was born in 1891 in Notasulga, Alabama, but moved with her family to Eatonville, Florida, in 1894. As an adult, she often used Eatonville — one of the first all-Black towns incorporated in the US — as a setting in her stories, as it was a place where African Americans could live independently of white society. By the mid-1930s, she had published several short stories, followed by her first three novels, including her best-known work, Their Eyes Were Watching God — which is regarded as her masterwork.
However, these are all well-known facts about Zora Neale Hurston. That’s why we’re about to dive deep into some lesser-known details.
She Was a Multidisciplinary Scholar
Aside from her literary achievements, Hurston was also an accomplished anthropologist. She traveled the American South and the Caribbean, immersing herself in the local customs and cultural practices for her anthropological research. Based on her work, Zora wrote Mules and Men. She also researched lumber camps and commented heavily on white men in positions of power taking Black women as sex partners.
She later traveled to Florida and Georgia to research African American song traditions and their association with slave and African music and later to Haiti and Jamaica, where she drew her research for Tell My Horse. Nora also collected folktales, songs, and anecdotes, particularly those associated with African American and Caribbean cultures, thus significantly contributing to preserving African American heritage.
Her Early Life and Education
Hurston’s mother died in 1904, and her father remarried in 1905, after which Hurston’s father and her stepmother sent her to a Baptist boarding school in Jacksonville, but she was subsequently dismissed after her parents stopped paying her tuition. She resumed her formal education in 1917, attending Morgan College, which was a high school division of Morgan State University. However, she claimed that her birth year was 1901 so that she could qualify for a free high school education, resulting in her graduation in 1918.
She began her studies that very same year at Howard University, a historically Black college. She left Howard in 1924 and was offered a scholarship by a Barnard trustee to Barnard College at Columbia University, where she was the sole Black student. Nonetheless, she received her BA in anthropology in 1928 at the age of 37.
Her Work with Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston became friends while Hurston lived in Harlem in the 1920s. Both of them collaborated with Charlotte Osgood Mason, a white literary patron, and they both moved to Westfield, New Jersey, in the 1930s, where they were actual neighbors. Hughes was another prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance, whom Hurston collaborated with on a play titled Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life.
The play was a comedy about African American life, and it wasn’t staged at the time, due in large part to a falling out between Hurston and Hughes. This dissolution of friendship was fueled by a copyright issue. It was subsequently staged in 1991, more than 60 years after it was written. Unfortunately, it received negative criticism, with critics saying that the play might’ve been better had Hughes and Hurston finished their collaboration.
She Preserved Folklore
We already mentioned that Hurston was very interested in the oral histories, songs, and tales of African American and Caribbean cultures, but she wasn’t just a mere observer in the field. As mentioned above, she immersed herself in all the communities she studied, often participating in the daily lives and cultural practices of these communities. This immersion granted Hurston a deeper understanding of the oral traditions and practices she was documenting.
The previously mentioned Mules and Men is, quite possibly, Hurston’s most prominent work in folklore, with most of the tales gathered during her research in Florida. The book is sectioned into two: the first section includes folk tales and stories, while the latter deals with the practice of Hoodoo, a spiritual and healing practice in the African American culture.
Posthumous Recognition
During a period of great financial difficulties and failing health, Hurston was forced to enter St. Lucie County Welfare Home, where she had a stroke. Hurston died on January 28, 1960, due to hypertensive heart disease. Following her death, a yardman who had been instructed to clean the house was burning Hurston’s personal belongings when a law officer, Patrick DuVal, stopped the fire and saved the invaluable collection of literary documents containing some of Hurston’s work. Many of these documents subsequently found their way to numerous universities and museums.
Hurston’s work gained significant recognition when the interest in African American and women’s literature was re-sparked in the 1970s. This was mostly thanks to the work of author Alice Walker, who not only sought to bring Hurston’s contributions to literature and anthropology back into public awareness but also sought to identify Hurston’s unmarked grave. Upon finding an unmarked grave, Alice decided to mark it as Hurston’s, inscribing a marker that reads “A Genius of the South.”
While Zora Neale Hurston might not be the most well-known figure in the American literary canon, her life was nothing short of tumultuous and, indeed, quite brilliant. Most notable among the aspects we’ll discuss today are her love/hate relationship with Langston Hughes and her work with American novelist Fannie Hurst. However, there are other, less well-known things about this often-overlooked and passed-up American author, who even still to this day hasn’t received her proper flowers.
Hurston was an American author, anthropologist, and filmmaker who often documented racial struggles in the early 1900s, thus becoming a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance. For those who aren’t in the know, the Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual and cultural revival of African American music, dance, art, fashion, literature, and scholarship centered in Harlem, New York City. Dubbed the “New Negro Movement,” after The New Negro anthology edited by Alain Locke, the Harlem Renaissance spanned the 1920s and 1930s and is a notable part of the Roaring Twenties.
Hurston was born in 1891 in Notasulga, Alabama, but moved with her family to Eatonville, Florida, in 1894. As an adult, she often used Eatonville — one of the first all-Black towns incorporated in the US — as a setting in her stories, as it was a place where African Americans could live independently of white society. By the mid-1930s, she had published several short stories, followed by her first three novels, including her best-known work, Their Eyes Were Watching God — which is regarded as her masterwork.
However, these are all well-known facts about Zora Neale Hurston. That’s why we’re about to dive deep into some lesser-known details.
She Was a Multidisciplinary Scholar
Aside from her literary achievements, Hurston was also an accomplished anthropologist. She traveled the American South and the Caribbean, immersing herself in the local customs and cultural practices for her anthropological research. Based on her work, Zora wrote Mules and Men. She also researched lumber camps and commented heavily on white men in positions of power taking Black women as sex partners.
She later traveled to Florida and Georgia to research African American song traditions and their association with slave and African music and later to Haiti and Jamaica, where she drew her research for Tell My Horse. Nora also collected folktales, songs, and anecdotes, particularly those associated with African American and Caribbean cultures, thus significantly contributing to preserving African American heritage.
Her Early Life and Education
Hurston’s mother died in 1904, and her father remarried in 1905, after which Hurston’s father and her stepmother sent her to a Baptist boarding school in Jacksonville, but she was subsequently dismissed after her parents stopped paying her tuition. She resumed her formal education in 1917, attending Morgan College, which was a high school division of Morgan State University. However, she claimed that her birth year was 1901 so that she could qualify for a free high school education, resulting in her graduation in 1918.
She began her studies that very same year at Howard University, a historically Black college. She left Howard in 1924 and was offered a scholarship by a Barnard trustee to Barnard College at Columbia University, where she was the sole Black student. Nonetheless, she received her BA in anthropology in 1928 at the age of 37.
Her Work with Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston became friends while Hurston lived in Harlem in the 1920s. Both of them collaborated with Charlotte Osgood Mason, a white literary patron, and they both moved to Westfield, New Jersey, in the 1930s, where they were actual neighbors. Hughes was another prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance, whom Hurston collaborated with on a play titled Mule Bone: A Comedy of Negro Life.
The play was a comedy about African American life, and it wasn’t staged at the time, due in large part to a falling out between Hurston and Hughes. This dissolution of friendship was fueled by a copyright issue. It was subsequently staged in 1991, more than 60 years after it was written. Unfortunately, it received negative criticism, with critics saying that the play might’ve been better had Hughes and Hurston finished their collaboration.
She Preserved Folklore
We already mentioned that Hurston was very interested in the oral histories, songs, and tales of African American and Caribbean cultures, but she wasn’t just a mere observer in the field. As mentioned above, she immersed herself in all the communities she studied, often participating in the daily lives and cultural practices of these communities. This immersion granted Hurston a deeper understanding of the oral traditions and practices she was documenting.
The previously mentioned Mules and Men is, quite possibly, Hurston’s most prominent work in folklore, with most of the tales gathered during her research in Florida. The book is sectioned into two: the first section includes folk tales and stories, while the latter deals with the practice of Hoodoo, a spiritual and healing practice in the African American culture.
Posthumous Recognition
During a period of great financial difficulties and failing health, Hurston was forced to enter St. Lucie County Welfare Home, where she had a stroke. Hurston died on January 28, 1960, due to hypertensive heart disease. Following her death, a yardman who had been instructed to clean the house was burning Hurston’s personal belongings when a law officer, Patrick DuVal, stopped the fire and saved the invaluable collection of literary documents containing some of Hurston’s work. Many of these documents subsequently found their way to numerous universities and museums.
Hurston’s work gained significant recognition when the interest in African American and women’s literature was re-sparked in the 1970s. This was mostly thanks to the work of author Alice Walker, who not only sought to bring Hurston’s contributions to literature and anthropology back into public awareness but also sought to identify Hurston’s unmarked grave. Upon finding an unmarked grave, Alice decided to mark it as Hurston’s, inscribing a marker that reads “A Genius of the South.”
Thelma is the feature film debut for writer-director Josh Margolin. TNE watched the film as part of the Sundance Film Festival 2024, you will find our review after the synopsis below.
When 93-year-old Thelma Post (June Squibb) gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson, she sets out on a treacherous quest across the city to reclaim what was taken from her.
The film is inspired by Margolin’s grandmother, who was in a similar situation herself. She may be an unlikely action hero, but June Squibb’s Thelma Post certainly ticks all the boxes. Thelma has a nice dose of humor, action, and drama, combined with an excellent cast.
Thelma touches on subjects like ageism and how we infantilize the elderly too much without getting too deep into it. Squibb conveys so much just with her facial expressions that there is no need to slow down the film too much to hammer home the point. June Squibb (Nebraska, About Schmidt) as a leading lady is something that should have happened sooner in her career, but it’s finally happened and she nails it, unsurprisingly. The woman is a treasure and puts in a gem of a performance.
The supporting cast is excellent. Thelma’s grandson Danny, played by Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus, Fear Street) probably gets the most to do. He has a cute relationship with Squibb, I really bought their familial relationship. The late Richard Roundtree (Shaft) is great as Thelma’s friend Ben, acting somewhat as her partner in crime. Their relationship must support a large section of the film and they work off each other beautifully.
Others in the cast include Parker Posey (Lost in Space) as Thelma’s daughter, Clark Gregg (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as son-in-law Alan, and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange). It is an impressive ensemble that all have their moments to impress.
In the film, Thelma is inspired to go after the scammers by Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible. The music and shot choice play into those action movie tropes. Thelma’s version of a stunt may be rolling over a bed, but it feels cinematic and exciting the way that it is portrayed. The filmmaking really supported the tone of Thelma and worked to boost its appeal without overdoing the gimmicks.
Thelma looks beautiful, not just the photography by David Bolen but the production design by Brielle Hubert is strong. The locations are well chosen but the details of the set decorations add to the character of Thelma, especially in her home.
I really enjoyed Thelma and I expect it to secure distribution soon, as it was a hit at Sundance. It’s a cute film, which sometimes gets a little too twee, but for the most part stays on the right side of the line. June Squibb is a star, who knew she could be an action hero as well. The cast really sells the material, but the filmmaking is impressive from a first-time director. I would recommend watching Thelma when it shows up on the big screen or streaming.
The post Sundance 2024: Thelma Showcases June Squibb as an Unlikely Action Hero appeared first on The Nerd Element.
I can’t deny the whiplash general surrealness I feel when I attend conventions now. From childhood to adulthood, dragging my feet into my thirties, being a nerd has remained one of my consistent characteristics. How I molded my nerdiness is thanks in part to being introduced to anime conventions when I was in elementary school. Over the last several years, it has become painfully obvious to me how out of the loop I am with current favorites and trends. I no longer recognize popular cosplays or the names of newly dropped games. I often feel like a stranger wandering the halls of an active convention; barely recognizing things that used to fill me with joy. I acknowledge that getting older is a privilege. I am blessed. However, it’s not without its fair share of setbacks, most of which I notice when I’m enjoying pastimes: Nostalgia anime and gaming.
I started getting back into Final Fantasy (specifically VII), and it brought up memories of what it was like finding nerdom in my youth and what it means to me now. My experience is not different from any other nerd, I’m sure. Video games and anime portaled me into different realities at a crucial time of emotional and moral development. Nerddom allowed me to escape. It allowed me to travel within infinite amounts of worlds. It exposed me to new cultures, new romances, new feelings. Nerdoms challenged me. Nerdy media made me think, rethink, and debate beliefs and demanded I examine what my own personal code was. I remain grateful for the time I had playing Final Fantasy games, reading Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction, and buying WAY too many prints in every Artist Alley I strolled into. All these things remind me of the life I’ve lived and what I’ve learned from the time spent with fellow nerds in these carefully cultivated safe havens.
As I’ve aged, the nerd community has evolved parallel to me. Twitch streams, TikTok stars, e-girlies, etc. have all impacted the nerd community, changing the landscape from a purely innocuous hobby to a money-making machine. It also invites folks to make life-long friends and to be in-community with those that share similar passions. This evolution can be scary; there’s a rise of questioning the moral landscape of consumer-based fandoms/corporate run conventions. By the fans, for the fans seems a motto of the past. A long-dead relic. When Ubisoft can pay your mortgage, who can blame them? “Selling out” means stability when facing an unstable economic future.
Yaya Han and Jessica Nigri, both indisputably the most recognizable and popular icons of the cosplay world share the global stage with newcomers. Artists like Cutiepiesensei and Jahara Jayde have been steadily climbing, being frequent staples of the TL and being invited to guest at several conventions across the nation.
Check out Cutiepiesensei’s Instagram here
Check out Jahara Jayde’s Instagram here & Check out our interview with Jahara Jayde here
I wanted to get different perspectives of the changing landscape, so I reached out to star creators, Pros and Cons Cosplay. They are well-known on the convention circuit for their gorgeous hand-made cosplays. These twins from the Midwest have been invited to numerous cons as guests, judges, panelists, and have competed on an international level as cosplayers. I was so honored to have been able to ask them some questions, so please enjoy!
1. How many years have you been going to conventions? What was your first convention?
We’ve been going to conventions since 2005, and that has only increased in events per year. Our first convention was Naka-Kon, Japanese Culture Convention, now hosted at the Overland Park Convention Center. It’s such an excellent show! I highly recommend anyone and everyone to check it out. It’s an affordable show and great for all ages. It was also the first place we experienced cosplay, so it is where we have our roots.
2. What’s the biggest change you’ve witnessed in the last decade?
Pro: I’d say it’s the popularity! Conventions, even before I started, used to be these small, niche little events you and your weird friends could attend. The size of attendance has grown exponentially over the years, which means new genres of content, new programs, and new experiences! For me, what once used to be wandering around a dealer hall, staring at manga and figurines and spending the rest of the day sitting in the hallway sharing dealer hall spoils with friends, now there’s so much more to see and do. There’s everything from hands-on workshops to street parades to fandom-centered church sermons!
Con: Similar to Pro, I think it is the number of conventions out there. There are so many conventions, that it creates both a need for a show to stand out as being unique, and it also creates more opportunities to just be a nerd. There are multiple conventions every single weekend, so you could (if you could afford it, hah!) go to a show every weekend of the year and still not hit all of them. There are so many conventions, both domestic and abroad, of so many shapes and sizes, it can be a bit difficult to keep up. I think in that regard it is important for conventions to figure out what makes them special, unique, and interesting, otherwise what show A is doing could be a rinse and repeat of show B.
3. What do you wish you could’ve told your younger self?
Pro: When I was younger, I never thought my interests could take me anywhere. I figured convention-going and cosplay would be a simple hobby that would end after I turned 25, and then I’d just spend all of my other time working. Now that I’m much older, I’ve not only found a way to continue interacting with the fandoms and cosplay I love, and I can also earn everything from financial to experiential compensation!
Con: I would tell myself you only have one life, do what makes you happy, and what makes you happy isn’t always going to be something conventional. I spent a lot of time being sad that I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do with my professional life that could fit into a regular day-to-day setting. Much later (a couple of years ago, in fact), I realized that you don’t have to stick to just one thing, one interest, or one way of making ends meet. You can do a bunch of things if you do a bit of planning and are responsible about it. Life doesn’t have to begin and end with one singular plan! Cosplay and attending events has really taught me that sometimes opportunity is in the weirdest places and that it is okay to do things you enjoy.
4. What do you want to tell your older self?
Pro: Older me is still probably trying to get the hang of “chilling out,” so I’d tell older me that it’s okay that you’re still struggling with the concept of relaxing, it’s the attempt that’s important! Also, I hope future me is still going to conventions!
Con: Probably “Stop eating so much cheese,” but on top of that, I need to stop and smell the roses more and look at the day-to-day wins. I am a fairly ambitious person and that makes me forget the small wins along the way. I hope I learn to do that more as I get older.
5. What are your hopes for the future? What do you want to see?
Pro: As always, we have a long, long way to go to make nerdy spaces inclusive to everyone. We can’t just passively say “this is inclusive.” There needs to be introspective and intentional work to make sure that spaces truly are inclusive of marginalized communities. Cultural sensitivity in language and mission, gender neutral bathrooms, venues equipped with universal design, and more. I think there is interest in getting there, but I’d like to see nerd spaces truly achieve this.
Con: Similar to what Pro said, I really want people to be able to bring their full selves to convention spaces, especially cosplay contests. I’m very passionate about having contests that are inclusive of marginalized identities. I also believe we need judges and other stakeholders in the cosplay contest scene to meet those same expectations, to encourage more participation. I’d love to see a wider variety of the types of people we see in those spaces, and that means doing a lot more work to make sure events are accessible, inclusive, and make a commitment to stick to those goals.
6. Favorite nostalgic anime and video game:
Pro: For me, I love Gundam anime. I have several favorites but Gundam Wing was my first favorite and it continues to be iconic. Nostalgic video game: N64 Pokémon Stadium. Say what you will about the gym battles, but everyone knows the real sweating and stress is with the mini games. It’s so fun!
Con: Cowboy Bebop! It’s just an incredibly cool anime. Not too long, not too complicated, an excellent soundtrack–it’s just storytelling and animation at its finest. For video games, Pokémon Puzzle League for the Nintendo 64. There are few things in this life I will say I am VERY GOOD at, but I am a Pokémon Puzzle League Master.
Check out Pro and Con at their social media links here: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Website
I want to remember what it was like experiencing Otakon and Katsucon (my home cons) for the first time. It felt like Pokémon after school, ripping open trading cards, and writing bad fanfiction. It felt like a window into my childhood; it was comfortable, familiar, and exciting. Conventions today still hold that truth close. It still feels like home but only briefly. A momentary gift amid a sea of faces I no longer recognize. I can’t tell if it hurts or not…this shift. However, I remain grateful for these experiences and memories either way.
Cover image via comicbook.com
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The post Musings of an Aging Nerd appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
Tom Hollander is a well-known working actor, famous for roles in things like Pirates of the Caribbean and White Lotus. What he is not, however, is Tom Holland, a.k.a. Spider-Man. But we’ve learned via Variety that he almost got paid some Spidey-level money once, entirely by accident. And when we say Spidey-level, we’re talking millions. Because Tom Hollander was once mistakenly sent a bonus check for an Avengers film meant for Tom Holland. He told Seth Meyers the story while promoting his role as Truman Capote in the upcoming Feud: Capote vs. the Swans on FX/Hulu. You can watch the clip below:
Hollander recounted to Seth Myers that it was his agency that mixed him up with the similarly named Holland via an email. That is how he got his very fat check by mistake. We’re not sure which Avengers movie it was, since Tom Holland was in two of them. Honestly, we can see how something like this could happen. Luckily, Mr. Hollander is a man of good moral character, and didn’t just take the money and run. We guess that’s the Spider-Man thing to do. Now we wonder if Child’s Play and Fright Night director Tom Holland has ever accidentally received some Marvel money by mistake himself.
We don’t know how much Tom Holland’s check was for, but apparently, it left Tom Hollander’s jaw on the floor. He said “It was an astonishing amount of money. It was not his salary. It was his first box-office bonus. Not the whole box-office bonus, the first one. And it was more money than I’d ever [seen]. It was a seven-figure sum.” If you’re wondering why so many of these actors, like Hugh Jackman and others, keep returning to their superhero roles for sequel after sequel? There’s your answer. There ain’t no money like Marvel money. But we bet Tom Hollander is ready to sign up for the MCU right about now. Someone’s got to play the Beyonder in Secret Wars, right?
The post WHITE LOTUS Actor Tom Hollander Once Got Tom Holland’s AVENGERS Paycheck By Mistake appeared first on Nerdist.