Avenue of Palms

About the Book

Former slave and seamstress, Violet Kingsley, returns to the modern world on the eve of the first African-American president. Violet’s spirit returns while walking down the long dirt road, dubbed the Avenue of Palms, which leads to Kingsley Plantation. Bewildered by modern times, Violet struggles to adapt to what she calls the “new world.” In this world she faces the daily challenges of race not too far removed from her early days on the plantation. Violet tells her story of those early days like an old grandmother sitting in a rocking chair beside you. She recounts those early days struggling to survive the horrors of the Middle Passage, and early years of helping Nat Turner revolt against slavery. She speaks about frightful but loving years spent with her husband, freed slave and revolt fighter, Ishmael Carter, and the many years she spent searching for her family only to find some were closer to her than she ever imagined. Avenue of Palms is Violet’s story.

About the Author

Athena Lark received her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of California, Riverside. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of North Florida. She is a retired U.S. Navy veteran. She loves to write, read, and travel. She is currently working on her memoir, Sailor Girl. She lives in Spring, TX.