i'm such a nerd...

but only when it comes to studying the things that I find most fascinating - like black people, women, dance, christianity, american history & the African Diaspora. Researching and understanding these topics in any combination and all at the same time excites me.

The newest excitement and manifestation of these research interests comes in the form of Anthea Kraut's Choreographing the Folk: The Dance Stagings of Zora Neale Hurston. Yes, you read right - Zora was a choreographer! In this book Kraut takes on the recovery project of writing Zora into (black) dance history, taking on the issue of authenticity and the need and want to showcase "real" blackness in the arts. I've only read a few chapters but Kraut is on fire with some really insightful arguments. If you are at all interested, I highly recommend it.

I have to say, when I first read Their Eyes Were Watching God in the 10th grade, I just knew me and Zora were connected...