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Join Victoria Hansen of South Carolina Public Radio along with historian and Charleston native Sherman E. Pyatt for a personal recount of his latest novel which is uniquely special for its narrative subject matter, but also because it is predominantly written in traditional authentic Gullah. Abundant in African-American tradition, culture and suspense Standing in the Gap is a spiritually enlightening and enjoyable novel that explores the typical African-American family life from 1915 to 1917 on Wadmalaw Island. What is not typical are the Logan-Rouse line of Gullah sea islanders, including young Jacob Rouse, who possesses an intriguing connection to the spiritual world brought with them five centuries earlier from Africa. As a child born “under the veil,” he holds a distinctive birthmark, meaning that he lives in the ‘gap’ between Heaven and Earth. Complete with its own glossary of Gullah dialect, notable on its own, this engrossing story is a reflection to a time gone by and worth revisiting.
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About Standing in the Gap:
Although freedom came to enslaved African Americans after the Civil War, many Gullah families remained isolated on South Carolina barrier islands where they worked the land, the rivers and the sea. Standing in the Gap, much of it written in a Gullah patois, is about typical African-American family life from 1915 to 1917 on Wadmalaw Island and in nearby Charleston.
The Logan-Rouse line of sea islanders includes young Jacob Rouse who, like his late grandfather "Big Leon" Logan, possesses an eerie connection to the spiritual world brought with them five centuries earlier from Africa.
The story opens on a humid summer day with the arrival of the midwife at Jacob's grandmother's house, where the boy's aunt is about to deliver her first child. We soon learn Jacob is an especially spiritual child born "under the veil" with a distinctive birthmark. An enigma to family and friends, Jacob provides relief from their burdens. He is a gift from above who, the old folk say, is "standing in the gap" between Heaven and Earth. This story is abundant in African-American tradition, culture and suspense, and expressed in an authentic Gullah dialect enlightening and enjoyable, especially if read aloud. Charleston native and author Sherman E. Pyatt includes a helpful glossary of Gullah words, a collection in itself worth the purchase price.
About Sherman Pyatt:
Sherman E. Pyatt is a native of Charleston, South Carolina. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Johnson C. Smith University and his Master of Library and Information Science from Indiana University, with further certifications in archival sciences from Georgia State University. Pyatt has served as research librarian, interim director, and archivist at The Citadel Military College, The Avery Research Center at the College of Charleston and at South Carolina State University. His publications include Martin Luther King, Jr., An Annotated Bibliography, Greenwood Press, 1986; Apartheid: A Selective Annotated Bibliography, 1978-1987, Garland Publishing, 1990; A Dictionary and Catalog of African American Folklife of the South, Greenwood Press, 1999; Charleston South Carolina: Black America Series, Arcadia Publishing, 2000; Burke High School: 1894-2006, Arcadia Publishing, 2007; and The Other Side of Skillet: Healthy and Alternative Eating in the Lowcountry, Lulu Publishing, 2015. He volunteers with several Lowcountry organizations and served as a commissioner on the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor (2016-2020). Pyatt also volunteers as a research assistant at the International African American Museum in Charleston.
About Victoria Hansen:
Victoria Hansen is South Carolina Public Radio’s Lowcountry connection covering the Charleston community, a city she knows well. She grew up in newspaper newsrooms and has worked as a broadcast journalist for more than 30 years. Her first reporting job brought her to Charleston where she covered local and national stories like the Susan Smith murder trial and the arrival of the Citadel’s first female cadet.
An opportunity to anchor the news for an ABC affiliate took her to Nashville, Tennessee. But summer vacations were always spent in Charleston. She moved back in 2006 to the city she calls home to anchor and report again at the tv station where she began, ABC News 4.
Victoria’s work in radio is often featured on NPR where she regularly works as a contributor. She been honored with numerous industry awards for reporting and community service, including several Emmys.