20 24
MEDIA KIT
Written by G. Faye Dant
"A century and a half after the Civil War, Black Americans still suffer the curse of remaining unseen, unheard, unremarked by White society unless, of course, they commit a crime. With Hannibal’s Invisibles, G. Faye Dant now takes her place among the fiercely eloquent Black writers who have hurled themselves against this sordid tradition. Dant takes the racially fraught America's Hometown as her grain of sand to chronicle the lost achievements, the lost hopes, and the lost heroism that might have enriched America as a true promised land."
-Ron Powers, Hannibalian, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and author of No One Cares About Crazy People and White Town Drowsing
Hannibal’s Invisibles
Written by G. Faye DantOn sale: 6/25/2024
Price: $28.00
Pages: 207
ISBN: 9781953368768
About the Book
When Mark Twain published Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1885, he turned Hannibal, Missouri, into one of the most famous towns in the American imagination. But like Twain’s novel, Hannibal’s idyllic façade often elided the darker racial violence that had marked its past, and it overlooked the history and humanity of the Black residents who have called Hannibal home for generations. Without them, there would be no “America’s Hometown.”
Hannibal’s Invisibles is about African Americans surviving, even excelling in a community fraught with challenges. It's a collection of vintage photographs, interviews, and personal accounts telling universal stories that chronicle the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. It's all about life in rural America, race, resilience, and community history.
About Belt Publishing
Belt was originally founded in 2013 to promote writers from the Rust Belt but has broadened its focus in recent years to include smart narrative and serious nonfiction on any topic, as well as commercial fiction with a regional foothold. Bestsellers include What You Are Getting Wrong About Appalachia, Midwest Futures, The Last Children of Mill Creek, and The Battle of Lincoln Park. Ongoing series include City Anthologies, Neighborhood Guidebooks, and 50 Maps.
To request a copy for review or to set up an interview with the author, please contact Hampton Ryan at hryan@arcadiapublishing.com or 904.671.5506.
About the Author
G. Faye Dant, is the Founder and Executive Director of Jim’s Journey: The Huck Finn Freedom Center.
In September 2013, Northeast Missouri’s first African American history museum, the Hannibal African American Life and History Project was created. In September of 2013, we unveiled phase two of this project with the opening of Jim’s Journey: The Huck Finn Freedom Center, The founder, Faye Dant is a fifth-generation African American Hannibalian and descendent of Missouri slaves. She grew up in Douglasville (Hannibal's oldest African American community) and attended local schools including segregated Douglass School, Hannibal High School, and Hannibal LaGrange College.
Her life experiences in the era of segregation, Jim Crow, integration, and the Civil Rights movement led to her desire to tell this story and the creation of Jim’s Journey. She received a B.A. from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, and a Master's degree from the University of Michigan. She has worked for more than thirty years in Human Resources, living in Michigan, Minnesota, and Chicagoland. Faye is married to Hannibal native Joel Dant; together they have three adult children, Joel, Jr. Kalecia, and Jenni, and three grandchildren - Redd, Journey and Albert. Currently on the board of the Missouri Archives and Museums Association. Former board obligations include the Missouri Humanities Council, the Marion County Historical Society, and the Grants Panel for the Missouri Folk Arts Council and too many volunteer positions to mention.
Sample Questions
What led you to write Hannibal’s Invisibles?
What has the community’s reaction been to Hannibal’s Invisibles?
Please speak more about Jim’s Journey: The Huck Finn Freedom Center, and how it connects to Hannibal’s Invisibles.
What surprises did you encounter while researching and writing Hannibal’s Invisibles?
What did you learn from researching and writing Hannibal’s Invisibles?
What do you hope readers will take from Hannibal’s Invisibles? What other projects do you have in the works?
