Zora Neale Hurston was an African American Folklorist and Novelist, and was part of the Harlem Renaissance.
Hurston graduated with a BA in Anthropology at the age of 36 and travelled widely thoughout the Caribbean and the American South for her research.
Towards the end of her career, Hurston worked freelance for newspapers and magazines.
You can listen to a beautifully read extract from Hurston's Mules and Men here http://zoranealehurston.com/books/mules-and-men