On Wednesday March 24th, we met with Zetta Elliott. She is (so far) the youngest person we have interviewed. Zetta was born in Canada and first came to the United States when she was a little girl. She fell in love with Eastern Parkway when she first visited. She describes it as "the most beautiful road [she] had ever seen." She came to New York three times and left before she decided to maintain permanent residency here.She has a very interesting background. Although she hasn't been living in Crown Heights for over fifteen years, her family has a history here. She has beautiful memories of staying with her cousin Lil when she was in the neighborhood to visit. Zetta also told us about her rich family history. Her mother is descended from African American slaves who "bought their freedom in 1820 and moved to Canada to be free."
Zetta, Monica, Treverlyn and AnsieZetta is a famous writer. She wrote over five published books and brought 2 of them for us to have: Bird (a children story) and A Wish After Midnight (a young adult novel). Zetta recreates her favorite fairy tales right here in New York in her stories. She is also teaches poetry to elementary school students.
Hey, Monica! This is a great write-up of our interview. I just wanted to thank you ladies once again for taking the time to talk to me; I wish my Cousin Lil could have told you ALL her stories about life in Crown Heights, but I'm grateful that your questions reminded me of all the memories I still have of her. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteHello Monica, you ladies have done a wonderful job with this interview. The work you're doing with this project is very important, and part of an oral tradition and history dating back centuries. Excellent work, keep it up.
ReplyDeletenice work, and such a wonderful project! eastern parkway really is beautiful. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm keeping an eye on the blog, Monica, and will spread the word. This is a wonderful, wonderful initiative. Thank you to all involved. I've never been to Crown Heights, but reading your posts makes transports me there. It is nice to see people living in the same neighborhood (Zetta lived there) who actually talk, communicate with each other.
ReplyDeleteanother nice post, girls. and i'm glad to see ansie joined the team full time.
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