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The Harlem Renaissance movement has influenced English professor Gabrielle Denise Pina for as long as she can remember.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that her play, “Letters From Zora: In Her Own Words,” was shaped by one of Harlem Renaissance’s most prolific authors: Zora Neale Hurston.

“I am my mother’s only child, and my mother always gave me material from Zora Neale Hurston, Maya Angelou,… and from all of the other literary luminaries, so I have always been a fan,” said Pina.

The play, starring Pina’s longtime friend and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority sister Vanessa Bell Calloway, “explores Hurston’s controversial views on integration, segregation, and social justice,” according to Beacon Media News.

Furthermore, Hurston, who received backlash for her personal life and accusations of plagiarism in her professional work, was portrayed in ways that Pina did not see as fitting.

“I have always believed that Hurston was woefully misunderstood, and I wanted to be a part of ‘correcting the record,’ so to speak,” said Pina.

For Pina, writing her play was a way to express and explore more deeply her admiration for the artists during the Harlem Renaissance and what they represented and how they helped shape art and literature. So when she received news about her 2014 NAACP Theatre Award nomination for Best Playwright, and the nomination Bell received for Best Lead Female, it was an unexpected honor.

“No… I was not expecting it at all,” said Pina. “I received a text from [Bell], and I didn’t believe her. I kept making her explain and explain, and she was screaming on the phone.”

Although the nomination for her might have come as a pleasant surprise, Pina always knew Bell was deserving of her nomination.

“I saw her, and I absorbed her energy… and she was perfect,” said Pina. “It is a phenomenal performance. It is majestic. You know she is Zora Neale Hurston when you leave.”

The play, which was brought back to the Pasadena Playhouse by popular demand in May, will be featured again in the future for audiences to enjoy once more.

“It will be coming back again in the future. Absolutely. Zora will take control of the world!” said Pina enthusiastically.

But until then, Pina is still trying to wrap her head around the unexpected praise and support she has received.

“It’s been crazy. I can’t keep up,” said Pina. “I have to stay focused on my own focus just to accept it and get through it. Keeping busy is probably good for me right now… I want to focus on my actress [and] focus on my director so we can continue to give the best performance ever.”

The NAACP Theatre Awards will be announced on November 17, 2015. Pina is currently working on pre-production for her second play “Dreaming Of Harlem Under A High Southern Sky,” another work influenced by the Harlem Renaissance. It premieres at the Bovard Auditorium in the University of Southern California on March 28, 2015.

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