No. 57: Dori Sanders
Episode Transcript
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Imagine being known as a world-class peach farmer, a celebrated novelist, and a culinary expert, all while staying deeply rooted in the community that raised you. That’s Dori Sanders—a storyteller of the South whose life blooms with as much richness as the land she tends.
I’m Shae, a PhD candidate at Harvard, and today we’re diving into the remarkable life of Dori Sanders—a woman who could grow your food and feed your soul.
Born in 1934 in York County, South Carolina, Dori Sanders grew up on her family’s peach farm, one of the oldest Black-owned farms in the state. But farming was just one side of her identity. Her debut novel, Clover, won widespread acclaim and introduced readers to the complexities of rural Black girlhood, a perspective rarely seen in mainstream literature at the time. In a world that often romanticizes or overlooks Southern Black life, Sanders paints a vivid, truthful picture.
In addition to Clover, she wrote a memoir-cookbook hybrid called Dori Sanders’ Country Cooking: Recipes and Stories from the Family Farm Stand, blending her love for food and storytelling in a way that feels like sitting at a kitchen table with an old friend. Dori Sanders’ second novel, Her Own Place, continues her exploration of Southern Black life, this time focusing on a woman’s resilience over five decades. The novel tells the story of Mae Lee Barnes, a Black woman navigating personal and societal changes while holding onto her land, family, and sense of self. Much like Clover, Her Own Place beautifully captures the nuances of rural Black life, particularly the strength and complexity of Black women in the South.
Sanders’ life was a balancing act between her two passions: farming and writing. She never gave up her connection to the land, even as her literary star rose. In fact, you could still find her selling peaches at the family’s roadside stand, offering advice on how to make the best peach cobbler to anyone who asked.
For Dori, farming was a way of life that brought with it many lessons. Here is one of the lessons her father taught her growing up on the farm: “Without struggle there is no progress. There are those who want the rain without the thunder and the lightning. They want the oceans without the roar of its many waters. They want crops without first plowing the soil.” What a stunning quote!
If you loved learning about Dori Sanders today, I’d love for you to follow and rate this podcast 5 stars so more people can discover these incredible stories. Make sure to follow me on social media and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more insights into historic Black women who changed the world. Thanks for tuning in, and I’ll see you next time!
