Gregg A. Hecimovich (NHC Fellow, 2015–16; 2022–23)
Project Title, 2022–23
The Columbia Seven: The Life and Times of the Zealy Daguerreotypes
Furman University
Project Title, 2015–16
The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of The Bondwoman’s Narrative
Winthrop University
Return to All Fellows
Fellowship Work Summary, 2022–23
Gregg A. Hecimovich drafted a trade book proposal and three chapters for his work-in-progress, The Columbia Seven: The Life and Times of the Zealy Daguerreotypes. He also revised, proofread, and coordinated the foreword for his book, The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of The Bondwoman’s Narrative, which will be published October 17, 2023 by Ecco/HarperCollins. He also continued organizing and preparing the NEH Higher Education Summer Institute he is co-directing beginning June 18, 2023, titled “Reconstructing the Black Archive: South Carolina as Case Study, 1739–1895.” The three-week institute includes travel across South Carolina as institute participants uncover new ways to understand, depict, and reconstruct the stories of early Black lives often not recoverable in traditional archives.
Fellowship Work Summary, 2015–16
Gregg A. Hecimovich made substantial progress on his book, The Life and Times of Hannah Crafts: The True Story of The Bondwoman’s Narrative, which is under contract with Ecco/HarperCollins. He also researched and drafted a chapter titled “The Life and Times of Alfred, Delia, Drana, Fassena, Jack, Jim, and Renty.” The chapter appeared in To Make Their Own Way in the World: The Enduring Legacy of the Zeal Daguerreotypes (New York: Aperture and Peabody Museum Press, 2020).