Medora’s Book Club is a series held at Casa del Herrero that pays tribute to Medora Steedman Bass’ lifelong love of reading and books. The series celebrates the literary accomplishments of others on the grounds of the estate.
FEBRUARY 6, 2024 | 6:00-7:30 PMOn February 6, Medora’s Book Club explores The Life and Times of Hannah Craft, a novel that pieces together the story of America’s First Black Woman Novelist, Hannah Crafts.
In 1857, a young black woman escaped enslavement from a North Carolina plantation, fleeing to a farm in New York. In hiding, she worked on a manuscript that would make her famous long after her death. The novel, The Bondwoman's Narrative, was first published in 2002 to great acclaim, but the author's identity remained unknown. Over a decade later, Professor Gregg Hecimovich unraveled the mystery of the author's name and, in The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts, he finally tells her story.
Admission is $50 and includes an autographed copy of the book.
Space is limited. Reservations are required.
ABOUT THE AUTHORGregg Hecimovich is Hutchins Family Fellow at Harvard University and professor of English at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. He is the author of six books and edited volumes, including The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts, selected by The Washington Post as “One of the 10 Best Books of 2023.” Hecimovich received his Ph.D. in English from Vanderbilt University and is a receiptient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Humanities Center, and elsewhere. He has won several awards for education and fellowship throughout his career.
The novelist Tope Folarin calls The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: “Riveting . . . . an inspired amalgam of genres — part thriller, part mystery and part biography” (Washington Post). And Henry Louis Gates Jr. praises the work as “the greatest discovery in the history of African American literature.”
Hecimovich lives in Cambridge and Chapel Hill with his wife, Christy, and two children, Soren and Trey.