Hurston was born in Notasulga, Alabama, but she grew up in Eatonville, Florida. Eatonville was an all-Black city, and the unique culture of here affected her life and writing significantly. At a young age, Hurston left home to work and began working with a traveling theatre company. In 1917 she began attending the Morgan Academy in Baltimore to finish high school. In 1920 she began attending Howard University while working as a manicurist to support herself. Her very first publication was featured in Howard University’s literary magazine.

After graduating in 1925, she moved to New York City where she became involved in the New Negro movement. In New York she began studying anthropology at Barnard College under the supervision of Franz Boas, a renowned scholar. It is here where she developed her study of folklore, using Eatonville as her case study. She also traveled throughout the South and Caribbean conducting interviews and documenting Black folklife. These influences can be seen in her writing.

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