Fascinated by folklore, Zora Neal Hurston grew up listening to stories. She was proud of African American traditions, and used these tales to learn about her past and educate people about black culture. In 1931, she worked with Langston Hughes, a famous poet from the Harlem Renaissance, on the play Mule Bone. Although they were a powerful creative combination, they argued about who owned the play and, after completing the project, never spoke again.

In 1937, she wrote her most popular work, Their Eyes Were Watching God, a novel about a controversial, independent woman. Although she wrote other novels, her work did not sell very well and she was pretty much forgotten until after her death in 1960. Alice Walker, another popular black writer, brought Hurston into the spotlight when she found her unmarked grave, and placed a gravestone there identifying her as "A Genius of the South." Ever since Walker made her discovery public, readers have rediscovered Zora Neal Hurston's work, and she has been able to fulfill her goal of educating the public through legend.