From one of the greatest writers of our time (Toni Morrison)-the author of Barracoon and Their
Eyes Were Watching God-a collection of remarkable stories including eight lost Harlem
Renaissance tales now available to a wide audience for the first time. New York Times' Books to
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AuthorsIn 1925 Barnard student Zora Neale Hurston-the sole black student at the college-was
living in New York desperately striving for a toe-hold on the world. During this period she
began writing short works that captured the zeitgeist of African American life and transformed
her into one of the central figures of the Harlem Renaissance. Nearly a century later this
singular talent is recognized as one of the most influential and revered American artists of
themodern period.Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick is an outstanding collection of
stories about love and migration gender and class racism and sexism that proudly reflect
African American folk culture. Brought together for the first time in one volume they include
eight of Hurston's lost Harlem stories which were found in forgotten periodicals and archives.
These stories challenge conceptions of Hurston as an author of rural fiction and include gems
that flash with her biting satiric humor as well as more serious tales reflective of the
cultural currents of Hurston's world. All are timeless classics that enrich our understanding
and appreciation of this exceptional writer's voice and her contributions to America's literary
traditions.
