Zelda Lockhart, Piedmont Poet Laureate, reads from her new novel Fifth Born II: The Hundredth Turtle

Wed 9/8  7pm-8pm
Zelda Lockhart, Piedmont Poet Laureate, reads from her new novel Fifth Born II: The Hundredth Turtle

Fifth Born II: The Hundredth Turtle is the sequel to the Lockhart’s popular novel Fifth Born. Set in New York’s Harlem and in rural Mississippi during the late 1970’s and 80’s, the novel is reminiscent in tone to Alice Walker’s The Color Purple. The story is rich in its portrayal of both the urban and rural spirit, and prolific in its human teachings that demonstrate the love necessary for reconnecting with family members estranged by family violence.

“Zelda Lockhart's novel, Fifth-Born II: The Hundredth Turtle, is a beautifully written, courageously honest account of the life of Odessa Blackburn, a memorable narrator born with all odds stacked against her.  Lockhart is a masterful storyteller and this novel will hold her readers spellbound.”
- Jill McCorkle

Zelda Lockhart is the 2010 Piedmont Poet Laureate, as well as the author of the novel Fifth Born, which was a 2002 Barnes & Noble Discovery selection and won a finalist award for debut fiction from the Zora Neale Hurston/Richard Wright Legacy Foundation. Ms. Lockhart holds a Bachelor’s in English from Norfolk State University, a Master’s in English from Old Dominion University, and a certificate in writing, directing and editing film from the New York Film Academy.  Her 2007 novel, Cold Running Creek, won a 2008 Honor Fiction Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. Cold Running Creek was chosen as the 2008/09 “Text in Community” read for all incoming students and North Carolina A&T State University. Universities throughout the United States and abroad have recognized Ms. Lockhart’s talents as a writer and speaker.