About the Book: American history tells us Slavery ended in 1865. But deep in the swamps and pine forests of Florida and Georgia, tens of thousands of Blacks were held in debt servitude until the 1970s. More than 100 years after the last cotton plant was plucked by an unpaid Black hand, turpentiners tapped the longleaf pines, harvesting pine gum fourteen hours a day.  Because they earned less each week than they were forced to spend on food and clothing in the company store, the turpentiners were virtually enslaved to their bosses. “The onliest way out is to die out,” says a seasoned worker in the play, Bannister and Hurd’s poetic look at the extraordinary lives of the Blacks enslaved by debt peonage, but freed by their stories, songs, rootwork, and magic.
Based on dozens of interviews with surviving centenarian turpentiners and the memories of Hurd’s own grandfather, Jake, Turpentine Jake is a rich spoken word poem, full of dreams, wonders, and hard realities. Part history lesson, part poetry, part American Folklore, Turpentine Jake is a “blues drama,” that captures the soul of the turpentiners, “poets of the swingin’  blades” that carved the faces of the pines in the deep South. The book contains an introductory essay, photos, music, a glossary, and bibliography.

About the Co-author: Linda Bannister, Professor of English at Loyola Marymount University, was the first person to hold the Daum Professorship. Bannister co-wrote and produced the world premiere of Turpentine Jake which was nominated for two 2009 NAACP Theatre Awards, winning one. Bannister and Hurd have also written an award-winning short film called, “Poet of the Swingin’ Blade.” Bannister is a Board Member of The World Stage in Leimert Park, and with Hurd, a founding member of The Kohl Players www.kohlplayers.com. 

About the Co-author: James E. Hurd, Jr. is a writer, actor, and director.  With Bannister, he has written One Sunday in Mississippi and Turpentine Jake, both invited to the National Black Theatre Festival. He has appeared in Soldiers Voices (The Actor’s Gang), Agatha Christie’s The Hollow (Long Beach Playhouse) and Tiger Tiger Burning Bright (The Stella Adler Theatre). His feature film work includes Consignment, In With Thieves, and Deuces. Television appearances include General Hospital, Murder She Wrote, and Hung.