DAPHNE — Alabama Humanities Foundation Road Scholar Alan Brown will present “Curses, Conjure and John the Conqueror: Folk Magic in Alabama” on Oct. 16, 6:30 p.m. at the Daphne Public Library.

In his presentation, Brown explains the terminology of hoodoo, a southern form of folk magic. According to Brown, hoodoo has its origins in West Africa and is heavily influenced by blues singers.

Brown will examine the impact that hoodoo has had on the folkways and oral literature of Alabama. By the end of the presentation, the audience will have become familiar with folk remedies and hoodoo doctors who are still practicing in Alabama.

Brown will bring along samples of herbal remedies used by “root doctors” in Alabama for generations, such as John the Conqueror root. He will also share accounts of people in Alabama who claim to have been “cunjered” by their enemies.

Brown is a professor of English at the University of West Alabama. He received his bachelor’s in English from Millikin University, his master’s in American Literature from Southern Illinois University, his master’s in Educational Administration from the University of Illinois and his doctorate in Rhetoric from Illinois State University.

Brown has published and lectured extensively in the field of American literature. He has published articles on authors such as Ernest Hemingway, James Michener, Edgar Allan Poe, Eudora Welty, and Richard Wright. He has also taught several summer seminars for the Alabama Humanities Foundation.

The Alabama Humanities Foundation is a nonprofit organization funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (of which the AHF is the state affiliate), as well as by corporate and individual donors.

The public is invited to this free presentation at the Daphne Library. The Library is located at the corner of U. S. Highway 98 and Whispering Pines Road. Refreshments will be served by Friends of the Daphne Public Library.

For more information about this program, contact the library at 621-2818.