Scott Hicks, a professor of English at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke professor, served as a guest speaker for the Jan. 21 installment of Duke University Chapel’s Theology Underground series.

Dr. Hicks spoke about Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God in a wide-ranging conversation facilitated by Rev. Racquel C. N. Gill, Duke University Chapel minister for intercultural engagement. During their discussion, Gill and Hicks discussed the novel’s enduring significance and impact; its celebration of African American community, culture and spirituality; and Hurston’s love for nature. 

“It was an honor to take part in this series, which takes major African American writers and texts as a starting point for renewing and deepening spiritual awareness and relationships with others,” Hicks said. “I appreciated the opportunity to talk about one of my favorite writers, someone whose imagination and commentaries still interest and inspire and challenge me. I’m grateful to Rev. Gill for the invitation and facilitating the conversation and to the attendees for sharing their stories and experiences.”

Sponsored by Duke University Chapel and hosted by the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, Theology Underground is a series of guided conversations about how culture, identity, and race impact the way we live out our faith and beliefs. Each month, the program engages with a different cultural community and learns about their unique and creative ways of imagining God and living out their faith, and campus partners across various identities serve as conversation partners.